Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 15, 2015 — 7

 
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Fifth-year senior punter Blake O’Neill grew up playing Australian-rules football and uses the same technique for Michigan.

Morris redshirt 
a ‘consideration’

By ZACH SHAW

Daily Sports Editor

After 
a 
hotly 
contested 

quarterback 
battle 
between 

junior Shane Morris and fifth-
year 
senior 

Jake 
Rudock 

ended 
with 

Rudock as the victor, it was 
assumed those two would take 
all the snaps under center for 
Michigan unless the season took 
a severe turn for the worse.

So when sophomore Wilton 

Speight trotted out on the field 
instead of Morris to close out 
a game where everything had 
gone right for the Wolverines, 
confusion and speculation filled 
Michigan Stadium.

Following 
the 
35-7 
win, 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
cited respect for the veteran 
Morris as the reason for using 
Speight in meaningless minutes. 
But when addressing the media 
Monday, the coach addressed the 
rumors that the decision was to 
keep Morris eligible for a redshirt.

“That’s a possibility. That’s a 

consideration,” Harbaugh said. 
“You don’t know how it’s going to 
play out. You don’t have a crystal 
ball. We’re all seeing this exactly 
the way it is taking place.”

Though Morris has recorded 

just two starts in his career, he 
has never earned a redshirt. 
He was still listed as the No. 2 
quarterback in the Wolverines’ 
updated depth chart Monday, but 
has yet to see the field this season, 
keeping him in line, for now, for 
the added year of eligibility.

“We’re 
in 
control 
of 
it,” 

Harbaugh said. “He is the No. 2 
quarterback, but not the No. 2 
guy going in to take two kneel-

downs at the end of the game.”

BUMPS 
AND 
BRUISES: 

With two games under Michigan’s 
belt, 
the 
team 
has 
avoided 

devastating injuries so far. More 
fortunately for the Wolverines, 
senior 
running 
back 
Drake 

Johnson and sophomore receiver 
Freddy Canteen — both of whom 
were expected to contribute to 
the offense this fall — appear to be 
rounding into form.

Both 
played 
sparingly 

Saturday, but got their feet wet in 
game action.

“I had a feeling that, when you 

haven’t played in a while because 
of an injury, your nervous system 
can put your body in a position 
that it can’t recover from if you’re 
not 
careful,” 

Harbaugh said. 
“It’s 
almost 

like an iron fist. 
Your 
nervous 

system 
does 

that 
to 
your 

body. 
You 

want 
to 
get 

acclimated 
to the feelings and emotions of 
playing a game. … I think we’ll 
be better for that this week and 
next.”

On the other side of the coin, 

junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis 
has yet to be cleared to play 
against UNLV. Though still listed 
as the starting cornerback on the 
latest depth chart, Harbaugh is 
letting his team’s medical staff 
make the call on a timetable for 
Lewis’ return.

“I’ve 
never 
really 
gotten 

into the business of predicting, 
when it comes to concussions,” 
Harbaugh said. “I’m not into 
predicting. It’s not my area.”

Senior fullback Joe Kerridge, 

junior 
running 
back 
Wyatt 

Shallman, junior linebacker Mike 
McCray, sophomore tight end 
Chase Winovich and freshman 
tight end Tyrone Wheatley Jr. are 
also questionable for the week 
ahead with unspecified injuries.

TECHNIQUE THE KEY FOR 

OFFENSIVE LINE: It’s been 
well documented that Michigan’s 
offensive line showed night-and-
day improvement in Week Two 
compared to Week One. That was 
especially true in the run game, 
where yards per carry increased 
from 2.6 against Utah to 4.7.

Though it seemed to happen 

overnight, the Wolverines insist 
it wasn’t that easy.

“(Offensive line coach Tim 

Drevno) really 
stressed 
the 

practice 
and 

technique and 
fundamentals 
and practicing 
the way you’re 
going to play 
in the game 
on 
Saturday,” 

Harbaugh said. “So it wasn’t 
simple. It was a lot of hard work 
during the week. We’re striving 
for that again this week.”

Despite 
the 
growth, 
the 

improvement comes with the fact 
that Oregon State has a below-
average defensive front, while 
Utah had one of the nation’s best 
last season. Regardless of the 
opponent, the unit is trying to 
implement a simpler approach.

“We have to do it every play,” 

Magnuson said. “It gets hard 
focusing on a big goal, which is 
to become an offensive line, so 
play in and play out was out focus 
in practice, and it paid off in the 
game.”

Michigan ties for 11th 
at Gopher Invitational

Five golfers earn 

spot in lineup 

after coach holds 
qualifying matches

By CHRIS CROWDER

Daily Sports Writer

There are eight golfers on the 

Michigan men’s golf team, but 
just five spots were available 
for the Gopher Invitational. So 
before traveling to Minnesota, 
Michigan coach Chris Whitten 
held 
qualifying 
matches 
to 

determine who would compete 
in the weekend tournament.

The 

Gopher 
Invitational 
was the first 
event 
of 

the 
season 

for 
the 

Wolverines, 
and 
for 

those 
who 

competed, it 
was the first chance to maintain 
their spot in the lineup. In a 
sport where an outcome can be 
uncertain and frustrating, the 
top five golfers had to be precise 
and consistent.

Sophomore 
Kyle 
Mueller, 

freshman 
Nick 
Carlson, 

junior Tom Swanson, senior 
Chris O’Neill and junior Reed 
Hrynewich made the cut from 
the qualifiers for their right 
to play three rounds at the 
Windsong Farm Golf Club. 
Their next round of competition 
was against 15 other teams, 
which 
included 
No. 
14 

Oklahoma and No. 21 Baylor and 
a field of 76 other golfers in a 
crowded invitational, which ran 
from Sunday through Monday 
afternoon.

The five combined for a score 

of 895, good for an 11th-place tie 
in the tournament.

Michigan ended the first 

two rounds on Sunday near the 
bottom of the team standings. 
With a combined score of 604, 
the Wolverines finished 13th 
out of 16 teams. Weather and 
darkness delayed and postponed 
play 
for 
parts 
of 
Sunday, 

hindering golfers from posting 
their best scores. The standing 
was no disappointment, though, 
as Michigan was within five 
strokes of five teams ahead of 
it. Swanson and O’Neill both 
tied for 16th place individually, 
poised to lead the Wolverines out 
of the bottom of the standings 
toward a higher finish.

“(After the first round), we 

got back to playing normal 
golf,” Whitten said. “The first 
round 
was 

the 
atypical 

round. I don’t 
know if there’s 
really a good 
explanation 
other 
than 

being in the 
wrong 
spot, 

and the wind 
blowing really 
hard. But it 
played the same for everybody.”

Four of the five golfers made 

improvements from their first 
rounds to their second time 
on the course. Hyrnewich had 
the highest score, but also the 
biggest 
difference 
in 
score 

between the first two rounds, 
shooting eight strokes better 
in his later round on Sunday. 
Carlson, making his collegiate 
debut, also made significant 
headway, shooting a 75 after 
posting an 81 in his first round 
as a Michigan golfer. At the end 
of the first round, he racked up 
nine strokes on the 18th hole, 
but made a quick turnaround to 
make his weekend memorable.

“He ran into some really bad 

luck and compounded that with 
a bad shot or two (on the 18th 
hole),” Whitten said. “But he got 
right back to playing steady golf 
for us for the rest of the way. … 

He started his college career on 
one of the tougher courses we’ll 
play, and he handled it great.”

The 
Wolverines 
entered 

Monday’s 
final 
round 
with 

momentum and a familiarity of 
the course. Those two factors 
contributed to their success, 
as Michigan vied to make its 
way up the standings. The 
Wolverines only climbed one 
spot, finishing 12th, held back 
by a first round that prevented 
them from placing in the top 
10. Michigan shot significantly 
better in the last two rounds, 
but the effort wasn’t enough to 
overshadow the first round.

“After being behind by so 

much after the first round,” 

Whitten said, 
“the 
guys 

had 
to 
dig 

deep a little 
bit, 
toughen 

up and play 
better 
golf 

after that.”

Swanson 

shot 
a 

stroke 
lower 

compared 

to his last outing on Sunday, 
earning an even-par 71. Swanson 
— the only Wolverine to post 
a score that wasn’t over par 
— finished a team and career-
high tie for sixth place. Mueller 
and Carlson both shot three 
strokes better, each posting 72 
on the scorecard. Hrynewich 
remained steady with a 77, and 
O’Neill dropped two strokes to 
finish the weekend with a 76.

Without an abnormal first 

round, Michigan would have 
had a more impressive outing. 
But the challenge was another 
sort of qualifying round after 
the one the Wolverines had 
before the tournament. The 
lineup may change as the 
season matures, but for those 
who competed at the Gopher 
Invitational, 
the 
experience 

already gives them a leg up on 
the rest. 

MEN’S GOLF

“(After the first 
round), we got 
back to playing 
normal golf.”

Kings of the Pool

Michigan Scores

1. Swanson, 218
2. O’Neill, 223
3. Mueller, 226
4. Carlson, 228
5. Hrynewich, 239

NOTEBOOK

FOOTBALL

“You don’t know 
how it’s going to 

play out.”

Michigan punter O’Neill 
an Australian Zoolander

By MAX COHEN

Managing Sports Editor

Before Michigan punter Blake 

O’Neill ever considered playing 
American football, he was a 
fashion model in Melbourne, 
Australia.

“I 
was 
a 
little 
budding 

Zoolander,” O’Neill said Monday.

His 
modeling 
in 
fashion 

magazines and other publications 
provided a way to make some 
extra money while he completed 
his undergraduate degree in his 
native country.

At 
no 
point 
during 
his 

modeling career did O’Neill ever 
expect that he’d one day punt for 
the Michigan football team.

As 
many 
football 
careers 

begin, 
O’Neill 
first 
became 

familiar with the sport when he 
was a little kid, playing with his 
dad. But O’Neill and his father 
played Australian rules football.

O’Neill’s father had played the 

sport locally, so naturally, O’Neill 
did too. Describing Australian 
rules football in simple terms that 
an American would understand, 
with its many kicks and near-
constant action, is difficult even 
for a seasoned player.

“If you were to combine rugby 

and soccer, and then you pass 
with your feet, maybe that’s 
getting close,” O’Neill said.

In Australian rules football, 

O’Neill’s role was different from 
what it is in American football. 
Because the ball is moved with 

kicks and not through passing, 
O’Neill played a position called 
halfback, 
which 
entailed 

attempting to spread the defense 
and creating misdirection to give 
his teammates an advantage.

His 
decision 
to 
pursue 

American football came after 
he finished his undergraduate 
degree and decided it would be a 
good way to see the U.S. and add 
on to his education. He decided 
to 
attend 

ProKick 
Australia, 
an 
academy 

that 
helps 

Australian 
football 
players 
transform 
into 
American 
football 
punters 
in 

the hopes of earning college 
scholarships. O’Neill estimated 
that it normally takes about six 
months to make the transition for 
a punter from Australian rules 
football to American football.

O’Neill 
believes 
the 

Australian style of punting has 
its advantages. He kicks the ball 
at an angle, making adjustments 
depending on the situation, as 
opposed to the typical American 
punter who dropkicks the ball in 
a repetitive motion every single 
kick.

“Traditional punting, as great 

as it is, it really is one thing, 

and it’s high and long and then 
you have to cover down there,” 
O’Neill said. “Where if you can 
change the launch point, you 
can change the block point, you 
can change where your guys are 
covering, it really makes it tough 
to scheme for another team.”

The 
advantages 
were 

appealing to Weber State coach 
Jay Hill, who had success as 
Utah’s special teams coordinator 

with 
Utes 

punter 
Tom 

Hackett. 
Hill 

recruited 
O’Neill 
to 

Weber 
State 

out of ProKick 
Australia, 
and 

the move paid 
off. In his one 
season 
with 

the 
Wildcats, 

O’Neill 

finished sixth in the Football 
Championship Subdivision in 
punting.

This offseason, O’Neill jumped 

at the chance to complete his 
second year as a graduate student 
at Michigan. At times, he is in awe 
of the impact of college football 
in the United States, especially 
when he saw the magnitude 
of 109,651 people in Michigan 
Stadium on Saturday.

He is not alone in his journey. 

The Wolverines’ schedule is 
fraught with opponents who have 
Australian punters who attended 

See O’NEILL, Page 8A

“Traditional 

punting, as great 
as it is, it really is 

one thing.”

