The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL "He's just got great value, period," receivers coach and passing-game coordinator Jedd Fisch said. "He's a great football player, and a guy we can continue to play and do all sorts of different things for us, whether he's outside, inside. … He's played running back, wide receiver and has taken a snap for us. "He is a skill guy that you can go out there and run your offense with." Michigan is trying to figure out the right balance for Peppers defensively, offensively and on special teams, but everyone is on board with using him in every facet. "I guess you could say Coach Har- baugh can have him any time he wants," safeties coach Greg Jackson said. "When he's asked to come on offense, he goes on offense. He's a defensive player, so it's not a matter of sharing him. When they ask for him, he goes. "He spends all of his time in the meeting room on defense with me. He may go sit with the offense for five to eight minutes to learn certain plays. That's all it takes. He's a smart guy." • Michigan did not run a running back screen against Indiana, but the Wolverines had three for 73 yards against Rutgers. "Everybody gets credit," Fisch in- sisted. "I believe you can get a lot of yards in the screen game if every- body is on the same page with it, and we can get different ways of doing it — different formations, different guys catching screens. But at times screens are called that don't look good and the ball is thrown at the dirt, you've got to be careful." • Among Michigan's 14 scholarship freshmen, only five have played — tailback Karan Higdon, receivers Brian Cole and Grant Perry, safety Tyree Kin- nel and offensive lineman Grant New- some. Through Nov. 14, Peppers had gained 78 yards and two touchdowns on 12 offen- sive touches, while he had also returned 15 punts for 185 yards and eight kickoffs for 223 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL