The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/873137
40 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2017 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL it get to him. His mindset has always been 'next play' ever since he's been the starter. "I appreciate him having that mind- set. He's a true leader. He leads by ex- ample and wants everyone to do the best that they can." The fullback said "people will talk no matter what" about the quarter- back and admitted nobody can have a perfect game every time out. He even noted the online criticism bothers oth- ers on the offense more than Speight. "It infuriates us as a group, because it's like, that's our QB," Hill said. "We tend not to say anything to Wilton be- cause quarterbacks deal with so much. They have to read defenses, call plays, say the snap call. "I've been doing reps at personal protector on punts, and we do a ca- dence and learning that is hard." The veteran understands criticism comes with the territory, but thinks that fans who are critical now — some boos could even be heard during the home opener — shouldn't jump back on the team's bandwagon when they start succeeding. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has repeatedly said that Speight is the starter and that it won't be changing. "We heard the boos," Hill said. "It's just dealing with Michigan fans, though. They've always been that way. I was part of the 5-7 year when we weren't good. We were getting booed by the home fans all the time. "If you're going to criticize, criticize. Don't boo us and then go hooray when we score touchdowns. It's your job as fans to help us, influence us and get us going. That's why you come to the games. We look to you all to get us hyped." — Andrew Vailliencourt PUNT RETURN IS A WORK IN PROGRESS Michigan freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones had a solid debut as a punt returner in a 33-17 win over Florida, running back five kicks for 40 yards with a long of 18 and look- ing confident. He picked the ball up off the bounce a few times and directed traffic well. "You've got to be relentless and fear- less back there," Peoples-Jones said in the days following the game "Any- thing I can do for this team to help them win, I'm going to do it." He does, though, want to run one back for a touchdown. "I really want to score," Peoples- Jones said. "The No. 1 goal is to get the ball and help the offense get good field position. The second goal is to score a touchdown." A week later, however, junior Grant Perry replaced him after a half against Cincinnati in which Peoples-Jones seemed hesitant to run up and field the ball, and late to let his teammates The Big Ten announced its 2020 and 2021 conference football schedules Sept. 12. Ohio State and Michigan State stay on the same rotation, so Michigan will travel to both one year before hosting each the next. The full football schedules for the next four seasons, as well as some future non- conference foes, are below: 2018 Sept. 1 at Notre Dame Sept. 8 Western Michigan Sept. 15 SMU Sept. 22 Nebraska* Sept. 29 at Northwestern* Oct. 6 Maryland* Oct. 13 Wisconsin* Oct. 20 at Michigan State* Nov. 3 Penn State* Nov. 10 at Rutgers* Nov. 17 Indiana* Nov. 24 at Ohio State* Dec. 1 Big Ten Championship Game 2019 Aug. 31 Middle Tennessee Sept. 7 Army Sept. 21 at Wisconsin* Sept. 28 Rutgers* Oct. 5 Iowa* Oct. 12 at Illinois* Oct. 19 at Penn State* Oct. 26 Notre Dame Nov. 2 at Maryland* Nov. 16 Michigan State* Nov. 23 at Indiana* Nov. 30 Ohio State* Dec. 7 Big Ten Championship Game 2020 Sept. 5 at Washington Sept. 12 Ball State Sept. 19 Virginia Tech Sept. 26 Wisconsin* Oct. 3 Penn State* Oct. 10 at Michigan State* Oct. 17 at Minnesota* Oct. 24 Purdue* Nov. 7 Maryland* Nov. 14 at Rutgers* Nov. 21 Indiana* Nov. 28 at Ohio State* Dec. 5 Big Ten Championship Game 2021 Sept. 4 TBD Sept. 11 at Virginia Tech Sept. 18 Washington Sept. 25 Rutgers* Oct. 2 at Wisconsin* Oct. 9 at Indiana* Oct. 16 Michigan State* Oct. 30 at Nebraska* Nov. 6 Northwestern* Nov. 13 at Penn State* Nov. 20 at Maryland* Nov. 27 Ohio State* Dec. 4 Big Ten Championship Game * — Big Ten game Future Non-Conference Opponents 2022: Sept. 10 vs. UCLA 2023: Sept. 2 at UCLA 2024: Aug. 31 vs. Texas 2025: Sept. 6 at Oklahoma 2026: Sept. 12 vs. Oklahoma 2027: Sept. 4 at Texas SCHEDULES FOR NEXT FOUR YEARS ALL BUT FINALIZED Freshman wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones averaged 7.4 yards on eight punt returns over the first two games, but is still learning some of the finer points of special teams play. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN