The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2017 R edshirt sophomore offensive lineman Jon Runyan got shaken up in Michigan's spring game April 15, staying on the turf at Michigan Stadium for several minutes before walking off under his own power. Moments later, sophomore wide re- ceiver Eddie McDoom gave those in The Big House their biggest hold- your-breath incident. McDoom caught a 29-yard pass well into the fourth quarter of the scrimmage, won 31-29 by the Maize squad. He stayed down after the catch, and quickly drew attention from a host of Michigan medical per- sonnel. McDoom, who averaged 16 yards per run last season and caught a handful of passes, had to be helped off the field. He wound up getting carted off, giving Michigan fans rea- son to worry about a possible long- term injury. The second-year Wolverine was spotted in a walking boot after the game, which meant the injury did not involve his knee. Plus, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh delivered a general assessment to the Big Ten Network afterwards that indicated all is (relatively) well. He assured, by way of saying it was a good day, that there were "no serious injuries" for the Wolverines. McDoom noted earlier in the week he has designs of doing much more than he did as a true freshman. "Oh yeah, for sure," he said. "No more just sweeps across the field. I'm getting more plays. They're switch- ing up with me a lot more." He insists he's ready for much more of that action, working both at slot receiver and on the outside in spring ball. "I'm more than just the fast guy who can run," McDoom said. "I've got hands. I've been showing it a little bit out there, but I'm going to show it a lot more this year. "I can go downfield, I can read the routes, I can make the catches, I can make the big plays they're asking for, and I'm trying to show it." WILTON SPEIGHT IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT HIS SPRING GAME STRUGGLES Wilton Speight didn't come close to his best performance in Michi- gan's spring game. The redshirt ju- nior quarterback has seen enough, though, to quickly put the most re- cent one behind him. Speight's Blue team fell into a 14-0 hole against the Maize crew led by redshirt freshman quarterback Bran- don Peters at Michigan Stadium. The Blue rallied to take the lead, fueled by Maize turnovers. But the Maize ultimately won, 31-29, on a 31-yard field goal by walk-on placekicker Kyle Seychel, and Peters won the QB battle on the day. While Peters did toss a pick-six interception to redshirt junior cor- nerback Brandon Watson, overall he went 9-of-17 passing for 160 yards, including a 55-yard TD toss to red- shirt sophomore tight end Zach Gen- try. Peters looked sharp with most of his throws, showing off his arm strength on sideline patterns. Speight, meanwhile, struggled in front of the 57,418 sun-drenched fans at The Big House. The veteran QB connected on just 9 of 26 throws for 78 yards with no touchdowns. Under constant pres- sure by the Maize defense — es- pecially speedy, hard-charging sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. — Speight saw little time to get throws off. Then there were a couple he wished he'd never released. He threw two interceptions, most nota- bly a short pass to the end zone that redshirt sophomore safety Jordan MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Eddie McDoom Produces A Scare In Spring Game Sophomore wideout Eddie McDoom was shaken up after a 29-yard catch in the spring game and eventually had to be carted off, but head coach Jim Harbaugh noted afterwards there were no serious injuries in the contest. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight completed 9 of 26 passes for 78 yards with two interceptions in the spring game April 15. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL