The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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36 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2024 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan kicker Dominic Zvada w a s p e r f e c t on field goals and extra points in the two big- gest games (Fresno State and Texas) thus far, hitting all five of his three-pointers, with three of them longer than 50 yards. He wasn't needed for field goals against Arkansas State, but he hit all four of his PAT attempts to remain perfect on the year (7- of-7). He led Michigan in scor- ing through three games with 22 points. Senior punter Tommy Doman, however, struggled to reach his potential after earning third- team All-Big Ten honors in 2023. He averaged 38.2 yards on his first 9 punts ( t h r o u g h t h r e e games), including an ugly 28-yarder that created short field position for the Longhorns and set up a scoring drive. Doman — who averaged 44.3 yards per punt last sea- son — was expected to be a huge part of Michigan's complementary football ef- forts this year, and they'll need him to be better going forward. He booms the ball in warm-ups, but he hasn't hit it as well in games. "He's been doing a great job in prac- tice," Michigan special teams coach J.B. Brown said. "And he's had a really good practice week [leading up to Arkansas State]. We've done a couple of different things in practice to help him get into a better rhythm, and we'll continue to make his pregame routine a little bit different just to try to get him started a little bit earlier. "I think he's on the right track." The 6-foot-4 senior was outstanding on kickoffs, though, with 13 of 15 going through the end zone for touchbacks in three games. Brown is confident Doman will come around in the punting game, too. "Punting, we've got to get better. At the end of the day, that's on me," Brown said. "I've got to get them in better rhythm. We'll work on that right here. "But … he did it last year, and he's been here for four years and had great prac- tice habits. Just getting him back into the rhythm … I think that's just my job of making sure he's ready to go on Saturday." Zvada, meanwhile, has been a huge ad- dition, right there with former kickers Jake Moody and James Turner in terms of reliability. He's closer to Moody than Turner with regard to his leg strength, and Brown said he knew right away they had a good one. "When he comes in, you hear a differ- ent sound off his foot," Brown said. "It's not to say [sophomore] Adam [Samaha] isn't a great kicker, either. Adam's a really good kicker, and the competition in the room is awesome just to have everybody in there. "But definitely, 35-yard line most times is pretty comfortable range for us. You could even move it back every now and then depending on the wind, but defi- nitely anything plus-50. We tried some 60s in practices. We'll see how that goes in the game if we get a chance to do it. … He did pretty well." Michigan kicks live every Tuesday and Thursday in prac- tice, and Zvada is "dialed in" each day, Brown said. He's as consis- tent in practice as he's been in games, a huge boost to an offense that's been struggling to get in the end zone. "He's ready to kick, and he works his business stuff through- out the week. He does a phenom- enal job," Brown said. "He's a true pro in our eyes, and he prepares the way he should prepare." Return units, too, were good when it mattered. Sophomore Semaj Morgan re- turned 3 punts for 40 yards in the first three games, in- cluding a 22-yarder against Fresno State. Through Sept. 14, he's the only Wol- ve r i n e to re t u r n punts in this young season. The Michigan kick returners have gotten more opportuni- ties than expected, and they've made the most of them. Graduate running back Kalel Mullings averaged 24.7 per return (3 for 74 yards) in the first game, while freshman Jordan Marshall returned 3 kicks for 51 yards (17.0 average) against Texas. Graduate defensive back Keshaun Harris was the only other returner to see action, notching 2 returns for 31 yards (15.5 average). The plan going forward is still to be determined, Brown said, though Harris had the lone kickoff return (for 13 yards) against Arkansas State. "Jordan, he's an awesome player. He's a freshman who is young, and he delivers a lot of potential for game-breaking ability, just like Kalel," Brown said. "I think you could probably see both of them back at some point. "I think we just wanted to get some others carries and kind of separate the load a little bit. But we're definitely ex- cited about Jordan. He did a great job against Texas." ❏ A WORK IN PROGRESS Early-Season Special Teams Are Solid, But Punting Needs To Improve Junior transfer Dominic Zvada had an impressive start in his debut season at Michigan, hitting his first 5 field goal attempts, including three from longer than 50 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL