[Fuller]

Formation/Substitution Notes: Not much at all. No noticeable substitutions. In terms of formation, Michigan would drop a couple of wings a few yards back on punt when Indiana stacked the line. Michigan also brought the gunners in tight and staggered two wings when it looked like Indiana was going for the all-out punt block with a little over a minute to go in regulation.

[After THE JUMP: DPJ’s development, Ben Wallace-ing your way to success, and other items from Puntapalooza 2017]

Remember how you predicted a blocked kick earlier this season?

I do!

Remember how you predicted it would be a blocked PAT? Lol why would you predict that, what a stupidly specific thing of little consequence.

You are a cruel and unforgiving bolded alter ego. But yeah, I know. Should have gone with a blocked field goal. Rookie mistake.

I am simply trying to compliment you on your incredible football foresight. Takes a heck of a scout to see that Mo Hurst is good at getting through the line.

You’re worse than the commenters on Facebook Live. ANYWAY, what he did is really, really impressive.

That’s a blocked kick executed while pulling a guy’s body weight with him. It’s also a one-handed swat. There’s no way there’s a more MAKE PLAYS defensive tackle in the nation than this guy.

Anybody else MAKE PLAYS?

That’s the only good segue you’ve ever had but yes. Time for more ch—

CHARTS

Indeed.

It could easily have been a factor, though. The main thing I took from this game was how quickly Donovan Peoples-Jones is progressing. There were a number of punts that easily could have gotten past him.

It’s almost as if playing a game in the escape scene from Shawshank Redemption has an impact on punting.

Well, yeah. But this is more than something that was dependent on external conditions. Peoples-Jones face a punter who rolled out often and had a very quick release and earned every bit of his 17 yards and then some.

This is his second best return of the year.

Whitehead consistently snapped the ball off his foot with a short follow-through, and adding to the tracking difficulty is that every single one of Whitehead’s punts were long and low. Here Peoples-Jones is able to step up to avoid pursuit from behind while simultaneously side-stepping a two-man wall to the sideline. I found that so impressive because he generated every one of those yards on his own. It speaks to what he can do just by virtue of his field awareness, and that’s something that will only improve with time.

What about the Footloose-chair-scene-bouncing-punt-wet-rock thing?

Look at this punt. Roll out, quick kick, gliding toward the sideline.

DPJ gets turned, but he manages to secure the ball while simultaneously sliding upfield. He allows that block to set and reverses field. The end result isn’t much, but there’s a lot to like in his vision and athleticism.

Then there’s the subtlety of traffic direction with the eyes. Peoples-Jones stops two free runners with a hard step upfield at about the 37.5, then keeps one of those two at bay a second time by staring up the middle of the field before trying to stop and weave to the right hash. It looks to me like he thought that stare directly up the middle would also freeze the guy who got past Thomas, but give him credit for not biting and making an excellent open field tackle. If that guy does bite, though…

Okay, sure, great. Now let’s talk about all the awful things.

Michigan’s attempt to recover an onside kick late in the fourth quarter went from bad…

…to worse…

…to fine!

It turns out Cobbs did indeed bobble the ball and step out of bounds. The thing is this seems fairly straightforward in its execution with one big mistake that takes a ridiculously dumb bounce. Hoping any coaches or others deeply into special teams will leave their take in the comments because I don’t have much to add. Michigan has six guys to their right side of the formation, five go up to block, Crawford skys for the ball and plunk, there it goes. The one thing I can think of that’s really obvious considering the middle-school fence vault, viral box jump video, dunking over like an entire basketball team at Cass Tech, etc. is switching Crawford for Peoples-Jones.

Can’t disagree. I can only agree. But hey, why do you hate Quinn Nordin?

Absolutely do not. Honestly, the field goal table broke and I have to leave to go scout for FBO so here’s a video of a moonball (but, like, in a good way).

That may be nothing considering his range, but it’s not every day that a guy wedges a ball under a construction site.

What does it mean for Penn State and beyond?

Peoples-Jones: quite good. Unfortunately Ace’s scouting reveals that Penn State’s punter is kind of awesome and there probably won’t be many opportunities for a return.

Brad Robbins is great and his hang-time is otherworldly but don’t expect him to place it with precision. It’s gonna take some time. We knew that in theory, but now there’s pretty clear evidence.

Quinn Nordin is still Quinn Nordin. AHHH YOU PUT IT THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS AND OVER A SCOREBOARD.

Ace’s scouting does bear some good news. He noted in our work chat that PSU kicker Tyler Davis badly missed a 40-yarder, then they had their next attempt blocked because they let a guy up the middle.