The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1222671
APRIL 2020 THE WOLVERINE 37 2020 FOOTBALL ANALYSIS.. SPECIALISTS 6 Field goals made by Moody in 2018 against Indiana, marking a Michigan football record. 9 Punt returns in 2019 handled by those who will be back inside The Big House this fall. Junior wideout Ronnie Bell returned eight for an average of 8.4 yards and sophomore Mike Sainristil had one for no yardage. 57 Yards was the distance on Nordin's field goal against Ala- bama, marking a new Citrus Bowl record. 66th Michigan's national ranking in net punting from last fall, after netting 38.46 yards per attempt over the course of the season. WHO'S GONE Donovan Peoples Jones Peoples-Jones capably handled punts for the Wolverines in his three seasons in Ann Arbor. He fielded 24 last fall, racking up 173 yards for a 7.2 average per return. Khaleke Hudson Hudson gets a special mention here because of his ability to make life miserable for punters. During his U-M career, Hud- son blocked a school-record five punts and came so close to several others. WHO'S BACK Fifth-year senior punter Will Hart Hart became the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2018, as well as a Sports Illustrated second-team All-American, averaging 46.98 yards per boot. Last season, he averaged 44.2 yards on 51 tries, with a long of 61. Redshirt junior punter Brad Robbins Robbins came on to punt in two games last fall, with his four punts averaging 42.8 yards (long of 48). He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2017 after averaging 40.4 per try. Junior placekicker Jake Moody Moody went 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) in his efforts as U-M's placekicker in 2019. Two of his three misses were from 30-39 yards out, and he missed his only try from beyond 50 yards. Fifth-year senior placekicker Quinn Nordin Nordin came on to reclaim his old starting job at times dur- ing last season, winding up 10 of 13 (76.9 percent). He con- nected on 9 of 10 from inside the 50 and went 1 of 3 from be- yond, hitting a 57-yarder against Alabama in the Citrus Bowl. Sophomore kick returner Giles Jackson Jackson is one of the most explosive Wolverines on the roster. Maryland will vouch for that, after giving up a 97-yard kick return touchdown to him on the opening play last year. His average of 25.9 yards ranked third in the Big Ten among those with double-digit returns. TOP NEWCOMER Freshman A.J. Henning Henning returned a punt for a touchdown as a senior at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, Ill. With a 10.73-second 100-meter dash clocking, he might get a chance to pile up more at U-M. BY JOHN BORTON U sually if a team can come up with a single solid punter and place- kicker, it's satisfied. Michigan has two of each who could qualify as starters, and the jobs will be up for grabs in the fall. From fifth-year senior Will Hart and redshirt junior Brad Robbins at punter to junior Jake Moody and fifth-year senior Quinn Nordin at placekicker, the Wolverines' special teamers are set to battle it out. POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH Both kicking positions come into play here. Every practice boot counts. BY THE NUMBERS GILES JACKSON PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL "You've got great competition, and the ability to flip the field, whether it's in the punt game, the ability to make a long field goal, consistency in making field goals. And the returners? Hey, turn on the film and watch Giles Jackson. He's a burner. You've got big-play potential all over the place." — Michigan All-American Jon Jansen QUOTABLE