Thursday, September 28, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 7A
Jamison runs to new heights
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Editor
At his apartment one evening
this summer, defensive tackle
Alan Branch gazed toward the
street and saw something unusu-
al zipping by.
It was defensive end Tim
Jamison, running down the street,
getting in some extra condition-
ing. Jamison somehow had energy
for the additional running, even
though he, like most Michigan
football players, spent his summer
getting worked to the bone.
"I was basically helping my
girlfriend prepare for her sea-
son, because she's a basketball
player," Jamison said. "So I
was like, 'Why not condition
myself, too?' "
Extra running aside, Jamison
impressed Michigan's coaches
during the offseason, work-
ing his way into a rotation with
fifth-year senior Rondell Biggs
at the defensive end spot oppo-
site LaMarr Woodley. After
struggling through two inju-
ry-plagued seasons, Jamison
showed off the ability that made
him a highly touted recruit out
of Riverdale, Ill.
And on Saturday - particu-
larly during the fourth quarter -
Wisconsin saw what a healthier
Tim Jamison can do.
On second-and-six from the
Badger 24-yard line, Wiscon-
sin quarterback John Stocco
stepped back in the pocket and
looked deep down the right side
of the field. But Jamison, who
was dropping back into cover-
age on a zone blitz, was ready to
show off his best strong safety
impression.
It was a good one. After
sprinting 20 yards down the
field, Jamison popped Wiscon-
sin receiver Isaac Anderson
just as the ball arrived, and the
pigskin squirted loose for an
incompletion.
"In those plays, you ask a defen-
sive end to drop (into coverage),"
Carr said. "That's something that
they're totally unaccustomed to
doing. They don't get as many
reps because normally they're
rushing, they're playing their
position. But (Jamison) made an
outstanding play."
On the very next play, Jamison
demonstrated his explosiveness
in a more traditional way. Taking
advantage of a missed assign-
ment by Wisconsin's offensive
line, Jamison sped straight into
the backfield, sacking Stocco and
forcing a Badger punt.
Thanks to his natural athletic
ability Jamison makes plays as
diverse as pass breakups and
sacks look easy. But the sledding
was much tougher for Jamison
during his first two years in
maize and blue.
As soon as he arrived in Ann
Arbor, Jamison found his way
onto the field. In his first three
games, he collected four tackles,
before an ACL injury sidelined
him for the season.
Jamison's sophomore year
followed a similar path. He
showed flashes of brilliance,
but a nagging shoulder injury
prevented him from revealing
his true colors.
This year, the junior says he's
back to 100-percent - and his
play over the last two games
appears to indicate that.
But Carr isn't so sure.
"That's one of the real disap-
pointments thus far, that he hurt
himself," Carr said. "He got hurt
in training camp. ... He's just
now getting healthy. He's not
a 100-percent. He still played.
His best football this season is
yet to come."
Banged up or not, Jamison has
some time to rest, thanks to his
rotation with Biggs. While Biggs
has started every game this sea-
son, Jamison's playing time has
gradually increased, along with
his production. The two defen-
sive ends go all-out fighting for
playing time in practice, but it
hasn't affected their friendship.
"Me and Rondell are competi-
tive on the field," Jamison said.
"Off the field, we help each other
out. If I'm on the field, he'll let
me know what I'm doing wrong.
If he's on the field, I'll let him
know what he's doing wrong. So
we can help each other."
In addition to the friendly com-
petition, the rotation has other
benefits. Jamison's speed-rush-
ing approach and Biggs's power
game provide opposing tackles
substantially different styles. And
both players are fresher than they
would be playing every snap.
"Neither one of us is getting
tired, so we both constantly have
energy," Jamison said. "So going
against a tackle who might stay
in the whole game, we're still
energized."
Energized enough to run
around the block, perhaps. For
Jamison, it wouldn't be the first
time.
After two years of injury trouble, junior defensive end Tim Jamison is
making a serious impact this season.