It’s certainly not a secret the Michigan Wolverines’ special teams unit has been lackluster this year, but with a bye week before the final stretch of the regular season, there’s still time to improve. From inconsistent punting and underwhelming field goal kicking to sloppy kick and punt returns, special teams has been a massive weakness for the Wolverines.
This has not got unnoticed to those in Schembechler Hall, and it sounds like its a major emphasis to the team during the bye week.
“We have to
keep working and getting better by attacking the bye week,” Michigan special teams standout Joe Taylor told the media on Tuesday afternoon. “Don’t take it as a week off. I think people look at a bye week as a time to relax, but I think for us, it’s a time to get better, self-scout, self-reflect and look in the mirror. It’s time to make yourself better, but also make the team better.”
Punter Hudson Hollenbeck has struggled to execute on a consistent basis. He has flashed glimpses of impressive potential — including a season-long 67-yard punt in the win at Michigan State — but he has not been able to sustain that play. Heis averaging 43.7 yards per punt, but his net punting (39.8 yards per punt) is even worse, ranking 63rd in the nation. Even though the statistics aren’t quite as bad as it may seem, his performances have continuously put the Wolverines’ defense in difficult positions.
“Just like on offense and defense, you’re going to mess up at times. It just so happens that the spotlight is a little bit bigger on special teams because you really only get one shot,” Taylor said. “You’re not going to be out there for a series of plays. You’re out there for one play and then you’re off the field, so obviously the spotlight is going to be a little bit bigger.”
Meanwhile, kicker Dominic Zvada hasn’t come close to living up to lofty preseason expectations. He came into the season with aspirations of winning Big Ten Kicker of the Year again and competing for the Lou Groza Award, but he has made just 10-of-14 field goals, with two of those misses being from less than 40 yards out.
Zvada was lights out last season — converting 26-of-27 extra points and 21-of-22 field goals to go with a remarkable 7-for-7 mark from 50+ yards. It’s hard to understand why he hasn’t been able to find as much success this season, but his up-and-down play has undoubtedly had a negative impact with critical misses at Oklahoma and vs Washington.
The kicking game has been average at best this season, but the return game has been even worse by averaging an abysmal 1.9 yards per punt return and 15.1 yards per kick return, both of which rank second-worst in the Big Ten. Michigan is among the nation’s worst in punting (131st) and kicking (125th) through nine games.
The Wolverines have leaned on punt returner Semaj Morgan and kick returner Andrew Marsh, but neither of them have been able to thrive in their roles. Morgan has just 25 yards on 12 punt returns, including -2 yards in the win over Purdue last week. Marsh is averaging 19.8 yards per kick return on nine attempts, but he hasn’t recorded a return more than 29 yards all year.
“On the return side, it’s not easy catching a ball that’s many feet in the air,” Taylor said. “It’s moving, spinning, and it’s going to tail one way or the other. You have to read the ball. You don’t know how far it’s going to go. You don’t know if it’s going left or right. It’s all about watching film, being as prepared as possible, and spending extra time catching punts and kicks.”
Despite the special teams struggling so much, Michigan’s kick and punt return coverage has been solid — allowing 4.3 yards per punt return (28th in the country) and 19.2 yards per kick return (55th). Taylor is a big reason why the return coverage unit has improved, setting the tone with high discipline, effort and toughness.
“It’s a fast game. You’re dealing with a lot of good athletes and on the coverage aspect of it, the punt returners are the best athletes on the team,” Taylor said. “I still love the challenge of just beating the guy across from me. It’s not a huge physical battle for me. It’s more about beating them off the line of scrimmage and making a play. That’s my mentality.”
The poor special teams play is considered a major weakness for the Wolverines, jeopardizing their chances of finishing the regular season on a high note. Michigan has experienced significant lapses under special teams coordinator JB Brown that must be corrected or the season will come to a disappointing conclusion.
