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.”