The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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a glimpse of his potential. He also ran up to field the short punts and had yet to have one skip by him through three games, notching an impressive 24-yard return against UNLV in which he made the first four would-be tacklers miss. "[Peppers] made good decisions as a returner, had a fine kickoff return and fielded the ball well as a punt returner," Harbaugh said after the opener. "I thought he did an outstand- ing job on the punt; spectacular, re- ally. If [one] ball hits the ground, who knows which way it could bounce. You could have lost 20-25 yards." While Peppers hadn't broken one through three games, he certainly has the potential. The coverage teams, meanwhile, have allowed only five kick returns for 92 yards (18.4 yards per attempt) and two punt returns for 17 (8.5 yards per attempt) through three games. All in all, it has been a solid start for a unit that has been maligned the last few years, with Baxter's promise of better days ahead. ❏ Punt Blocks Are A Goal Michigan special teams coach John Baxter has made a living of being one of the best at his craft in all of his previous stops. His group set school records at Fresno State in a number of different categories, and he was named the 2011 FootballScoop.com Special Teams Coordinator of the Year after USC blocked seven kicks for the second straight season. Michigan had yet to block a kick or punt through three games, but freshman Brian Cole came extremely close on at least four in a 35-7 win over Oregon State in week two. "He was close," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "I thought he was going to get one … but he got 19 snaps on the special teams last week and he's a major con- tributor on special teams, and all that helps. Even when you don't get it, it's in the mind of somebody that it's close and it can change the trajectory of a punt. "Give credit to coach Baxter. I thought he did a fine job having his guys ready to play. Schematically it was good, and our guys played harder, played faster, reacted faster, so it was good to see the buildup." Chances are they'll get a few — Baxter's teams usually do. Fifth-year senior punter Blake O'Neill said his coach has a way of approaching special teams like few he's seen. "He's a really great mentor, and a coach who keeps me honest," he said. "He re- ally helped me in learning the game, too. I thought I had a really good knowledge of the game coming in. "But on weak side, strong side and stances — there were all sorts of things I didn't really think about and he put the terms to me. He's even talked to me about how punting started. He's really taught me a lot, and has been a great teacher." — Chris Balas