The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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It stands to reason, though, that his involvement could lead to more team success in the passing game. Butt caught 20 passes, scored two touch- downs and was named to the ESPN. com All-Big Ten Freshman Team last year. The 6-6, 249-pounder caught five passes for 85 yards and a touch- down in the Ohio State game last year, a 42-41 loss, and seemed on his way to an even bigger season in 2014. Then came the injury, followed by inconsistency in the passing game. The offensive line is coming along, but it took time to jell. Fifth-year senior quarterback Devin Gardner has struggled through inju- ries and hasn't lived up to his lofty expectations. Butt, though, isn't the kind to make demands. "I haven't really talked about it too much," Butt said. "I'm not really a selfish guy. We come into each week with a game plan, and we're going to execute that. So I think whatever the quarterback sees, whatever he's feeling that day, whatever the offense wants to call, I'm going to go out there and do my job personally. I'm going to do it to the best of my abil- ity. If the balls come, they come. If they don't, it's not something I'm really too concerned about. "You kind of know when you're running a route if you're open, but sometimes you may be open and the play isn't designed to go to you. So you may think you're open, but at the end of the day, you've got to un- derstand that each play has a certain set of reads. Sometimes you're sup- posed to be a decoy and you're not even being looked at in the progres- sions, so you can understand why maybe you're so open and people see it on TV and point it out, but you're not even part of the read." I n d i a n a w e e k (Nov. 1) brought a new challenge — a one-game suspen- sion for "violation of team expecta- tions." He learned his lesson, Hoke said, but it still cost the sophomore another game. Despite that, Butt remains fourth on the team in receiving yards with 148 and fifth in receptions with 13. He was the Wolverines' third-leading receiver last season and continues to learn. When he's on, though, he's a very tough matchup. The highlight-reel catches he makes in games are com- monplace in practice, redshirt junior fullback Joe Kerridge said. "He's done a great job," he said. "We all have similar roles in the of- fense. We piggyback off each other; somebody may be better at blocking, somebody may be better at catching, so we just take it week by week, who needs help, doing the right things. We're close to each other so we push each other. "Jake's really come around. Com- ing in last year, playing as a true Redshirt junior fullback Joe Kerridge on Butt "I see him progressing with blocking, catching and everything. He's really embraced his role and put the work in to it."