Bright Spot: Special teams

Submitted by Chad Sexington Henne on

As pooptastic as the defense was today, and although Olesnavage missed that XP, Special Teams wasn't terrible today and you guys shouldn't be complaining.

Positives:
-Mesko was fantastic, especially with the 61 yarder
-Olesnavage made a 51 yarder and narrowly missed a 48 yarder
-No dropped punts
-Hemmingway's punt return
-Stonum had not one, but TWO 54 yard returns. This season, he surpassed Steve freaking Breaston in yards(granted, the defense has given him plenty of kick off returns). I don't think Stonum was stopped behind the 20 once today
-Close to blocking another punt (which would make four straight games)

So as troubled as this team is, they're solid on special teams. The onside kick was a lapse, as was the fucking ridiculous delay of game call on 4th &2 late (blame that on the coaches). But stop bitching about a solid unit where Michigan has been average (if even) for the last decade.

UM Fan NY

November 7th, 2009 at 3:54 PM ^

i agree he did a great job returning kicks, but he messed up badly on the 3rd and 5 before the missed fg. he's wide open a few yards beyond the 1st down. tate throws it and instead of moving up a couple steps and going to get the ball, he waits for it, allowing the DB to come over the top and knock it down. if he comes up a couple steps he's still got the first down and there is no way the DB knocks it down without a PI penalty.

hemmingway did muff that one punt, but we were bailed out by that terrible fair catch interference call.

BlueinLansing

November 7th, 2009 at 8:12 PM ^

the game today.

missed xp, unaware onside kick, not being able to execute our own onside kick, and completely botching a punt return that would give us the ball at midfield saved only by a horrendous penalty.

This is what bad teams do, they aren't sound in the special teams and Michigan was not sound in the special teams game today.

Anything good they did today was outweighed by the simple missed xp and onside kick.