4B — November 7, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
The news only worsened for
Maryland in the second quarter,
when Hills went down on the first
play and did not return. Caleb
Rowe replaced him under center,
and whatever momentum the
Terrapins had disappeared.
Most of the second half was
merely a formality. The stands
cleared out, and the clock ran
quickly. Early in the fourth
quarter, Rowe moved Maryland
into Michigan territory with a
39-yard pass. Moments later, the
Terrapins managed their only
points on a 37-yard field goal.
When it went through the
uprights,
the
fans
remaining
at
Michigan
Stadium
let
out a smattering of boos in
disappointment.
They,
like
Harbaugh and Durkin on Saturday
and like the two coaches on the
famed basketball court years ago,
were unhappy to yield anything.
MICHIGAN
From Page 1B
Speight puts on a show in Wolverines’ rout
Wilton Speight didn’t know
his coach would casually toss
his name into Heisman Trophy
discussion
Saturday
night.
It wasn’t long ago that Jim
Harbaugh wouldn’t even publicly
declare Speight the starter.
But after Speight completed
19 of 24 passes for 362 yards
and two touchdowns in No. 3
Michigan’s 59-3 dismantling of
Maryland, Harbaugh wasn’t shy
about touting a second player’s
campaign for college football’s
highest honor.
“The way he’s been playing
all season,” Harbaugh said, “it’s
time to throw his hat into the
ring.”
Harbaugh went as far as to say
Speight’s first half — in which he
racked up 292 of those yards on
13-of-16 passing — was the best
half of football he’s ever seen
from a Michigan quarterback.
Speight
was,
indeed,
exceptional. He made few —
if any — mistakes, he made a
handful of spectacular plays,
and he did so while pushing
Michigan’s offense to a new level
of effectiveness.
On the Wolverines’ second
drive of the game, Speight
handed off to Jabrill Peppers,
who ran right, then threw back
to Speight. Speight waited a
moment with the ball, and even
while a Maryland defender
barreled toward him, he stood
in and delivered a 40-yard strike
to fifth-year senior receiver
Jehu Chesson.
Speight’s presence was one
of the themes of the game. He
evaded tacklers, stepping slightly
inside or outside to keep plays
alive, and did so without being
especially fast. With 42 seconds
left in the half, Speight stepped
ahead of what looked destined
to be a sack, then reset and found
Chesson all alone in the back of
the end zone.
Michigan’s
redshirt
sophomore
quarterback
is
frequently compared to Ben
Roethlisberger of the NFL’s
Pittsburgh
Steelers,
and
on
Saturday, he looked the part.
“I watch a lot of Big Ben film
and I see how he anticipates
it, which is to wiggle there, a
wiggle here, then gets his eyes
right back to downfield to fire a
touchdown,” Speight said.
Asked why he was so effective
at
eluding
tackles,
Speight
credited his ability to running a
spread offense in high school. He
had to scramble, and now, he’s
seeing the benefits while playing
in a pro-style offense.
At a self-declared 6-foot-6,
245 lbs., Speight’s size plays a
role in his elusiveness, too. (“I
can’t imagine that’s that easy
to bring down,” he said.) He
has demonstrated an ability to
shake off tacklers, and in some
sense, he can empathize with
those who are tasked with
pressuring him.
But perhaps the most telling
difference is Speight’s patience.
Early in the season, he had a
propensity to force throws when
under duress. Often, they worked
out anyway. Lately, though, he
says he has felt a shift in the feel
of the game.
“I feel like everything is
slowing down,” Speight said. “I
feel like I’m becoming a better
leader throughout the game in
the huddle, and stepping into
situations that I need to and
letting them ride out when I
need to.”
That was evident on Saturday.
Speight reset and refocused
while under pressure, and rarely
were any of his throws off target.
But even though he likely
played the best game of his
career, Speight wasn’t about to
proclaim himself a Heisman
contender like his coach did.
“I don’t want it to take away
from anything Jabrill’s done,”
Speight said. “That was a
cool compliment that he gave
me, but Jabrill deserves to be
there in New York. Whatever
happens with the rest of my
season, statistics wise, we’ll let
it ride out.”
MAX BULTMAN
Managing Sports Editor