The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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passes (43 of 88), with no TD tosses and five interceptions. "Shane has certainly got capabili- ties, but the problem with Shane is that he's never really shown it in any game situation that we as fans have been able to see," Skene said. "The couple of games he started, it didn't go so well for him. He never really looked comfortable out there in that pocket. "He's got a lot to prove. I know the guy can still throw a laser. He's got a strong arm. But playing quarterback is a lot more than just throwing la- sers. I think he'll end up competing, for sure. Frankly, I'd be surprised if he ended up being the starter — but you never know." WILTON SPEIGHT Speight didn't see much action as a redshirt freshman in 2015. But he definitely didn't waste the prime- time chance he got. When injury forced Rudock from the lineup at Minnesota Oct. 31, Har- baugh called on the second-year Wol- verine. He managed to get Michigan into the end zone on a game-winning touchdown drive, connecting on 3 of 6 passes for 29 yards. For his career, he's 9-of-25 passing (36.0 percent) for 73 yards with one interception and one very memora- ble touchdown. "I like him as a pocket guy," Skene said. "He's certainly got the massive size. He's a legit 6-6. I looked up to him when I was in a practice two years ago. That's a tall guy, and there are a lot of advantages to that. "I thought he played well when he was thrown into that Minnesota game. It was a little bit of a struggle. That's natural. But when we needed it, he took the team down and threw a strike for a touchdown. That's a big deal, and not a lot of guys can do that. "It has been many years since we saw a backup quarterback come into a game and win it. It's been a long time since I can remember. I thought it was awesome, the way he came in and did that." ALEX MALZONE Malzone, like Morris, became the subject of transfer rumors once Harbaugh arrived, in part because both originally committed to Brady Hoke's staff. The competition at QB has ramped up considerably since then. Malzone, an in-state recruit who arrived early a year ago, redshirted as a true freshman. He's facing a bat- tle in many ways, Skene commented. "The problem he's got is that he's 6-2, 6-3," Skene said. "The other guys are 6-4, 6-5, 6-6. It's not a deal breaker. Jim Harbaugh himself is about 6-3. The guy works hard. "He came in early, and he made it very clear he's going to graduate from Michigan. He's not going any- where. The guy is a competitor. He was one of the better quarterbacks coming out of high school a couple of years ago in the state of Michigan. "He throws a really nice deep ball. This spring is huge for him, to find his way up that ladder and run this offense and run it well. Physically, he's at a disadvantage versus those