Michigan’s offense and defense have both had their share of struggles throughout the first half of the season. On days the offense has been clicking, it seems like the defense is porous, and vice versa.
Putting the complete game together is something every team strives to do week in and week out. Michigan hasn’t been able to really do so yet — save for a blowout win over Central Michigan — but the Wolverines have also struggled in the third phase of the game more often than not.
It’s been an adventure on special teams this year. While it might not always be necessary to light the world on fire with your kicking units, it can make a big difference in games, especially when things go sideways. Just look back a few years ago when Michigan had some of the best special teams units in the country under Jay Harbaugh. It left little doubt the Wolverines would be able to flip the field on fourth downs or pick up three points on a field goal.
The last two seasons, things haven’t been so great. The punt unit has been especially weak and isn’t doing Michigan any favors, as it’s consistently setting up the defense with poor field position. As you can imagine with a struggling offense, the Wolverines have found themselves in punt formation plenty of times this season. Yet, Hudson Hollenbeck is averaging just 42.1 yards per punt this season, which ranks outside the Top-100 nationally.
Hollenbeck was Michigan’s backup punter last season and, according to special teams coordinator J.B. Brown, is still adjusting to his new role as the starter.
“You watch Hudson (Hollenbeck) in practice, and he’s doing a phenomenal job. He’s becoming that guy. He’s working on the transition from becoming the backup to now the starter,” Brown told reporters on Wednesday. “I think you see 13 out of his 22 punts this year have been where we want them to be. The other three were in coffin situations where we’re trying to pin the ball. But overall, he’s starting to get accustomed to the starting role. I think you’re going to see the consistency these next six games from him, though.”
Michigan could certainly use a dose of that consistency starting this week with what will undoubtedly be a tough home game against Washington. Brown didn’t go into much detail, but did mention they’ve been experimenting with a new routine for Hollenbeck to better prepare him for games.
The punt game isn’t the only area Michigan has been lagging this year, as kicker Dominic Zvada hasn’t looked like the same version of himself as the one we saw last year. Thus far he’s 8-of-11 on field goal attempts, including two misses from inside 40 yards. When asked if he speaks to Zvada about his missed kicks, Brown expressed confidence in the veteran kicker, citing the success he’s had thus far.
“I think there’s a fine line on how you deal with it, right, at some point,” Brown said. “Dom’s great — he’s the most accurate kicker in Michigan history at this point in his career. He just needs to continue to do and be him. We have full faith in Dom.”
Michigan has been fortunate that Zvada’s misses haven’t come at critical points of games, but it’s still something the team hopes to have shored up for the stretch run.
The issues with special teams are a trend that have lingered throughout the Sherrone Moore era and haven’t really done the team any favors. It’s something that might have gone unnoticed to this point considering there haven’t been any costly errors that have directly determined the outcome of a game. However, Michigan can’t afford to play with fire on that front much longer if it hopes to keep its season going in the right direction.
