The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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a Saturday, though, the sophomore is all business. His approach was similar when he went down with a knee injury in February, a setback that would have shelved many for a sea- son. The Pickerington, Ohio, native suffered a torn anterior cruciate liga- ment and slight medial meniscus tear in his right knee Feb. 13 while run- ning routes during an informal seven- on-seven workout with teammates. Exactly two weeks later, he un- derwent surgery. Just more than six months later — Sept. 6 at Notre Dame — he was on the field for four plays. He'd made it his goal the mo- ment doctors told him he'd be on the shelf for a while, a promise of sorts to his late grandfather who once played for the Irish. When trainers gave him exercises for his rehab, he did all those and more. He hit all his goals and then some, making sure he "got an edge on anybody else who had had an ACL surgery before." Doctors called his recovery one of the fastest they'd seen. Now, he's trying to live up to his billing as the latest in a long line of pass-catching tight ends that add a dangerous dimension to the aerial game at U-M. He wears jersey No. 88, former Wolverine Tony McGee's (1989-92) number, and some would argue his hands are just as good. He's proven it time and again with his acrobatic catches both in practice and games — the one-hander for a touchdown last year at Northwest- ern, and a diving, left-handed grab at Rutgers earlier this season being two examples. He looked like the Jake Butt of old in the third game of the year, catch- ing three passes for 59 yards in a 34- 10 win over Miami (Ohio), including a 29-yard fingertip grab for a touch- down in the second half. But since then? Only 10 receptions for 89 yards and no touchdowns in U-M's next seven games. He caught three passes for 35 yards in a 10-9 vic- tory at Northwestern, but he let an- other get away when a Wildcats de- fensive back wrestled the ball away from him on a red-zone slant pass. He remains a work in progress, and there's still plenty of work to do. "From an athletic standpoint, he continues to get healthier," Hoke said during Michigan's second bye week. "He's one of those guys that [will benefit from] another week off if we do the right things with him. The double-edged sword is you want to get the timing of routes and all that, but you also want to rest guys enough so they do get a little health- ier. I think he is always developing, and we're happy with his develop- ment." Earlier in the year, Hoke said his tight end should be a weapon, calling him a big target that should always have an impact in the offense. Butt, though, expected more games like last year's Ohio State contest and this year's Miami win. "Honestly, I did think I'd be tar- geted a little bit more [this year]," he said. "But at the end of the day, we've got a great coach and we've got a lot of great receivers on the edges, too, so I just want to win. Personal stats for me don't really matter."