The Wolverine

October 2015 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BY CHRIS BALAS P rior to Michigan's season opener at Utah, first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh ad- mitted to a FOX Sports 1 crew what many had been hearing out of fall camp — that he was concerned about field goal kicking. Andrew David, the only scholarship kicker on the roster at the time, was a freshman not ready for the big stage, leaving redshirt junior Kenny Allen and redshirt freshman Kyle Seychel to vie for kicking duties. Neither Allen nor Seychel had kicked a field goal in a game, and while Seychel "had a great spring and summer," Harbaugh said during Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, it was Allen who trotted out for the first kick, a 29-yarder at Utah that split the up- rights. That alone told just how uncertain the kicking game was before the year. Allen came to Michigan as a punter, after all, and spent most of his time concentrating on the skill that earned him a preferred walk-on offer from erstwhile head coach Brady Hoke. Through three games, Allen — now on scholarship — had made 3 of 4 four field goal attempts, including the first points of the Jim Harbaugh era with his 29-yarder, and all nine of his ex- tra points. Nine of his 16 kickoffs had gone for touchbacks, and he showed off his leg with a 40-yarder that split the uprights versus Oregon State. He has booted 65-yard field goals in practice and insists he's "comfortable" from 55 to 57 yards, having emerged as one of the pleasant surprises on a team that needs a few in order to contend in the Big Ten East. "To be able to go from where his mindset wasn't kicking at all to being the predominant field goal kicker and doing really well at it is fantastic," said fifth-year senior punter Blake O'Neill, Allen's holder on field goals. "He has handled it fantastic. He's a really pa- tient guy, and you can see when we're in meetings he's really absorbing all the information. That's where he's been able to change his mindset." Concentration and confidence are half the battle, and while Allen has Not Special, But Very Good Special Teams' Improvement Is Noticeable Despite Absence Of Impact Plays

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