The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, November 11, 2011- 7 Offensive line works to counter Mercilus, quick Fighting Illini CHlI i ZOLUMBAK/aily Redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons has newfound confidence as Michigan's starting kicker this season, hitting seven of his nine field-goal attempts. Gibbons becomiUng household na-m-e in bounceback season Second-year kicker went 1-for-5 on field goals last season, is 7-for-9 in 2011 By STEPHEN J. NESBITT Daily SportsEditor Redshirt sophomore kicker Brendan Gibbons grew accus- tomed to the criticism. He had to, eventually. After two games as Michi- gan's starting kicker last season, Gibbons was 1-for-4 on field- goal attempts, missing from 39, 40 and 43 yards. On a trip to Olive Garden last season, Gibbons and his room- mate, redshirt sophomore offen- sive lineman Taylor Lewan, decided to test their server's facial recognition of a few Mich- igan football players. "So what do you think of the kicker this year?" they asked her. Without helmets and num- bers, she had no chance on this one. She didn't recognize Lewan, and Gibbons doesn't look much different than many other col- lege students. "I mean, just make a kick," the server said. "What're you doing?" "This is (No.) 34, our kicker," Lewan said with a grin. Uh-oh. The embarrassed employee tried to make amends, but the boys' game had run its course. tion wa either. "It h here an After against didn't a until th a 35-ya season wasn't had see with hi "All stuck w that to stuff h cr one like Gibb tucked, bay. After through he has s Thro is 7-for- age (77. Big Ten Not approac Gibbon This kind of conversa- longer cringe-inducing ,for isn't an isolated incident Michigan fans. So what changed? appened a couple times "I think I've got my head on d there," Lewan said. right," Gibbons said. "I wanted r a week two victory tobe the kicker (this season). Notre Dame, Gibbons "I wanted to be the kicker last ttempt another field goal year, too. But I think my head e Gator Bowl. He missed wasn't on right, I really wasn't rd field goal to end the focused." at 1-for-5. The server It's easy to lose focus when alone, plenty of people it seems like the 110,000-plus en enough of Gibbons - fans at Michigan Stadium aren't s helmet on, at least. on your side. That's been a wel- those critical things comed change for Gibbons. ith Brendan, and he took But it wasn't all mental. Dur- heart even though that ing spring camp, Michigan urts," Lewan said. "No coach Brady Hoke sent the kick- ers from Schembechler Hall to the Big House three times a week to practice kicking with "All those the wind generated in the bowl. things As Hoke says, there's a big itical thi gs difference between football on State Street and Main Street. stuck w ith "It's a lot different kicking up there," Gibbons said. "The Brendan." uprights are different, kind of." At the stadium on Main Street, Gibbons saw something different. The uprights, with- s to be criticized." out the crowd swelling behind ons kept the resentment them, didn't look quite so small away and the doubters at anymore. "Just the way (Gibbons) r a steady offseason walks, talks and acts, he seems the coaching change, more confident," Lewan said. urprised everyone. "He believes more in himself ugh nine games, Gibbons than last year. I think he had a 9. His field-goal percent- rough time believing in himself 8) is good for fifth in the last year." . Last season, Michigan avoid- much in his kicking ed its kickers. h looks different, but With the unit at 4-for-15, s taking the field is no then-Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez exhausted his options. He resorted to sending the offense back onto the field on typical kicking downs. Gibbons didn't blame him. "It's pretty hard to go out there and kick when you're not doing so well - when it's not money." Gibbons said. This season, it's been money for Gibbons. This time, he even has the offense behind him. "He's more confident this year than he's been in the past - that's a big thing," said redshirt senior wide receiver Junior Hemingway. "And we've got his back 100 percent, so if he does miss a field goal, pat him on the butt and tell him you've got his back." When Hoke gave Gibbons the starting nod in 2011, he did so on one condition: field-goal attempts from over 42 yards would likely be placed on the booming leg of freshman kicker Matt Wile. But the only 40-plus-yard try went to Gibbons against North- western. It looks like Wile's going to have to wait his turn. "I think I'll kick the rest, but that's up to him, it's coach's deci- sion," Gibbons said. "He knows Matt has a strongleg, but I think I've proven that I can kick the long field goal, too." As Michigan hits the final stretch of November, the kick- ing game is increasingly impor- tant. Finally, the Wolverines have a headliner. His face might not be famil- iar, but his name is getting there. Opposing defensive lineman leads the nation with 11.5 quarterback sacks By MICHAEL FLOREK Daily Sports Editor Illinois defensive lineman Whitney Mercilus is many dif- ferent things to the Michigan football team. To redshirt sophomore offen- sive tackle Taylor Lewan, and probably most of his teammates, he's "85." To Michigan coach Brady Hoke he's "Marcellus Wiley, err, Whitney." To redshirt junior offensive lineman Patrick Omameh he's Whitney Mercilus, "the leadingsack producer in the country." Mercilus's 11.5 sacks do in fact lead the country. A year after Michigan and Illinois combined for a basket- ball-like 67-65 score in triple overtime,hdefense highlights the matchup this Saturday as both teams have defensive units ranked in the top 25 nationally. And to borrow a basketball term, Mercilus is the best PTPer (read: Prime Time Player) on the field. "He's got great body control," Lewan said. "That's something you don't usually see out of everybody. Some of the play- ers you go against are power guys but they can't really speed rush off the edge. He's doing a great job of coming off the edge, also using the power using his strength all the time." So No. 24 Michigan has to double team Mercilus the whole game, right? "I never would want to say that," Lewan said. "I feel like if you're going to play football, especially in this league at this school, when you get on the field you have to be the most confident person on the field and believe that everything you do is going to be better than the person in front of you." A lot of Michigan's offensive success will rely on Lewan and the offensive line's matchup with Illinois' defensive front. The Wolverines' 15th-ranked rush offense averages 232 yards a game. And with the emergence of redshirt sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint as the lead running back, Michigan's rushing attack has found some more stability in recent weeks. Toussaint, though, will be running right into the Fighting Illini's strength. Mercilus has combined with fellow defen- sive end Michael Buchanan - a player Lewan said didn't get enough credit because he was behind Mercilus - to help the Illinois (2-3 Big Ten, 6-3 overall) become the best rushing defense in the Big Ten, allowing just 103 yards a game. The two defensive ends have done most of the dam- age, combining for 27 tackles for a loss. No Michigan player has more than eight tackles for loss this season. If the Wolverines (3-2, 7-2) can get by the line, it only means run- ning into the speedy Illinois line- backers. Hoke said the biggest thing about the Fighting Illini defense was their athleticism, making it tough to counter their scheme. "You've got to play (with) great fundamentals," Hoke said. "You can't chase ghosts." Michigan's defense faces the same problem as its offense: countering athleticism. Illini dual-threat quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase torched the Wol- verines for four total touchdown passes and over 300 total yards a year ago. Wide receiver A.J. Jenkins was named to the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list. With Jenkins standing at 6-feet and 190 pounds, he poses simi- lar problems as Iowa's Marvin McNutt, who had 101 receiving yards a week ago against the Wolverines. "We could double him and then you're going to put single (cov- erage) on two other guys," said defensive coordinator Greg Mat- tison. "When teams do that and havae ability todothatusually you have a lot of other guys that can do it. I don't know that we're ready to do that right now." It seems an imperfect fit for the improved Michigan defense. Though the unit doesn't have its own Mercilus, the two counter- parts have similar elements: a strong defensive line and a lot of movement. Adding in the mobile quarter- backs, similar to last year, the two teams appear to be mirror images of each other, even if it is one of the funhouse ones. Except this time, it likely won't be first to 67. JOIN DAILY SPORTS The best gig around, hands down. MEETINGS EVERY SUNDAY STAFF PICKS The Daily football writers do their best to predict, against the spread, what happens in the 2011 football season. Michael Stephen J. Florek Nesbitt No. 22 Michigan (-3) attIllinois No.t Louisiana State(-41) vs. Western Kentucky No.2OklahomaState(-t18)atTexasTech No. 3 Stanford(-3) vs. No. 6 Oregon No.Alabema (-i85)at Mississippi State No. 5 Boise State (-15.5) vs. TCU No.8 Arkansas (-3) vs. Tennessee Nof9Ciemson(i9.5)uvs. Wake Foest No. 20 Georgia Tech(t) vs. No. 10 Viginia Tech No.11 Houston(-33)at Tulane No.12Penn State-3) vs.No.19 Nebraska No.13 Michigan State (-3) at owa No. 14Georgia (-12.5) vs. No. 24 Auburn No.15 South Carolina (-4.5) vs. Florida No. 16 Wisconsin (-28.5) at Minnesota Texas A&M (-3)at No.17 Kansas State No.18 USC (-13.5) vs. Washington No. 21 Texas(-.5) at Missouri No. 23 Cincinnati (-3.5) vs. West Virginia No 25 Southern Mississippi (u0) vs. Central Florida Northwestern (-15.5)vs. Rice Ohio State (-8) at Purdue Last Week Overalii Michigan Louisana State Oklahoma State Oregon Alabama Boise State Arkansas Wake Forest Virginia Tech Houston Nebraska Michigan State Georgia South Carolina Wisconsin Kansas State Washington Texas West Virginia Southe rn Mississippi Northwestern Ohio State 6-1- 126-100-4 Michigan Louisiana State Oklahoma State Stanford Alabama Boise State Arkansas Cleeson Virginia Tech Houston Nebraska Michigan State Auburn South Carolina Wisconsin Kansas State USC Missouri Cincinnati Southern Mississippi Northwestern Ohio State 7-10-i 128-90-4 Kevin, Raftery Michigan Weste rn Kentucky Oklahoma State Stanford Mississippi State Boise State Arkansas Wake Forest Virginia Tech Houston Nebraska Iowa Georgia South Carolina Minnesota Kansas State USC Texas Cincinnati Southern Mississippi Northwesten Ohio State 80-4 Tim Rohan Louisana State Oklahoma State Oregon Alabama Boise State Arkansas Clemson Virginia Tech Houston Nebraska Iowa Auburn South Carolina Wisconsin Kansas State Uc Texas Cincinnati Southern Mississippi Northwestern Ohio State 10-47- 136-90-4 LousanaSate Okahoma State Stanford Boise State Arkatsas Clemson firginia Tech Houston Nebraska owa Gesrgia South Carolina Wiscnsin Kansas State USC Texas Cincinnati Southern Mississippi Northwestern Ohio State 95-66-4 i _ L i To apply to be a guest picker, e-mail trohan@umich.edu. 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