The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/873137
OCTOBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 41 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL know where it was landing on the short kicks. One case of indecision re- sulted in the ball hitting a teammate in the foot, getting recovered by Cincin- nati deep in Michigan territory and leading to a touchdown. "I just felt like the decision to not catch the ball was coming too late and allowing too many of our guys to be around the ball," head coach Jim Har- baugh said. "We'll have to keep coaching that up. It's guys doing it for the first time. … There's experience that needs to take place there, and we felt like we wanted to go with a guy who had a little more time on task, more experience." A week earlier, Harbaugh called Peoples-Jones "very good on punt re- turns," while adding he needed to get the ball a little bit tighter against his body for better ball security. He's still high on his freshman, however, and feels he'll be a good one. It's clear now, too, how good Jabrill Peppers was in that role. His play helped last year 's team capture the country's No. 1 ranking in field posi- tion. "Donovan's going to be really good with more experience," Harbaugh said. "A couple things go bad and then you're not confident. That's why [we made the] decision to change at that point." — Chris Balas MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • The 36-14 victory over Cincinnati Sept. 9 featured many firsts for several Wolver- ines. Sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson and junior safety Tyree Kinnel each re- corded their first career sacks, while Kin- nel also grabbed his first interception and returned it 28 yards for a score. Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill also tallied the first interception of his career, and he too ran his back for a score. The last time Michigan had two pick-sixes in a game was in last year's season-opening 63-3 win over Hawai'i, when cornerback Channing Stribling and safety Delano Hill accomplished the feat. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry hauled in two catches for 41 yards against the Bearcats, marking the first two catches of his career. • Through two games, 14 of the 30 fresh- men Michigan signed in its 2017 class had already seen game action, including wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, fullback Ben Mason, running back O'maury Samuels, offensive line- men Andrew Stueber and Cesar Ruiz, de- fensive end Kwity Paye, defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, linebacker Josh Ross, cornerbacks Ambry Thomas and Benja- min St-Juste, and safeties J'Marick Woods, Brad Hawkins and Jaylen Kelly-Powell. Head coach Jim Harbaugh played five of his 14 true freshmen in 2015 and 22 of his 26 first-year players last season. — Austin Fox Superlatives After Two Games Three Best Players 1. Fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac: Isaac has been a revelation so far in 2017 and is finally looking like the player he was expected to be when he transferred in from USC after the 2013 season. After rushing for 114 yards against Florida in the opener, he followed it up with a 133-yard performance in the 36-14 victory over Cincinnati Sept. 9. The fifth-year senior's 247 rushing yards were the sixth most in the Big Ten, and his 8.0 yards per carry ranked fifth. Isaac has been the most consistent performer on an offense that has struggled mightily at times this year. 2. Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush: In his first two games as a starter against Florida and Cincinnati, Bush racked up 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, which were tied for second and third in the conference. He has been a menace on the defensive side of the ball for the Maize and Blue, showing off his blazing speed in a variety of different ways. Sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson had nothing but good things to say about Bush in the early going. "He's a great player, and it showed in the Florida game," Hudson said. "He moves fast and takes some of the load off of me because people are so worried about him." 3. Junior safety Tyree Kinnel: He played well in the season opener against Florida — three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss — and followed it up with an even better game against Cincinnati. He recorded both his first career interception — a 28-yard pick-six — and sack against the Bearcats, en route to Michigan's 36-14 victory. Kinnel is a big reason the Wolverines had allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the conference (156.5 a game) through two weeks. Key Play Junior running back Karan Higdon's three-yard touchdown run against Florida proved pivotal in U-M's season opener. The Wolverines trailed 17-13 early in the third quarter, and Higdon's touchdown run shifted momentum and gave Michigan the lead for good. The Maize and Blue went on to outscore the Gators 20-0 in the second half. Biggest Highlight Redshirt junior linebacker Noah Furbush's fumble recovery against Florida in the end zone. The play was the perfect capper to a dominant defensive performance against the Gators. With just 1:37 left in the game, redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich blew past his blocker with ease and sacked Florida fifth-year senior quarterback Malik Zaire in the end zone, jarring the ball loose and allowing Furbush to pounce on it. Surprise Performer Fifth-year senior center Pat Kugler gets the nod. Prior to this season, he had only started one game and appeared in 11 during his entire Michigan tenure. Some people even thought freshman Cesar Ruiz would win the starting center job, but Kugler seized it and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. He has started the first two games of the season and is a big reason why the Wol- verines rushed for 204.0 yards per game en route to a 2-0 start. Bold Prediction Fifth-year senior Ty Isaac will become the first Michigan running back to rush for 1,000 yards since 2011. Fitzgerald Toussaint was the last Wolverine running back to rush for 1,000 yards, when he ran for 1,041 in Brady Hoke's debut season of 2011 (although Denard Robinson reached the landmark a year later as a quarterback). Isaac appears to be well on his way to accomplishing the feat, with 247 yards through Michigan's first two games. If he stays healthy, he should certainly reach the 1,000-yard threshold. — Austin Fox