6A — Thursday, November 9, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Now the starter, Peters not short of confidence

Ask Brandon Peters about the 

bruising hit, and he’ll laugh.

It was one he had already 

experienced. As Peters pointed 
out, he once “got folded in half” 
by someone in high school that 
plays at Notre Dame now.

But last Saturday, he got 

another dose of it.

With just under 10 minutes 

remaining in the third quarter 
against 
Minnesota, 
Merrick 

Jackson darted into the backfield 
and 
found 
himself 
one 
on 

one 
with 
Michigan’s 
young 

quarterback.

What happened next may have 

given Wolverine fans some pause. 
Merrick turned Peters into a 
tackling dummy, leaving him on 
the turf, where he was slow to get 
up. According to Peters, he only 
had the wind knocked out of him. 
But the hit was one of the less 
enviable firsts that the redshirt 
freshman has experienced thus 
far in his short tenure.

“It’s probably the first time 

I’ve been hit since high school,” 
Peters said. “Welcome to college 
football.”

Welcome to college football, 

indeed. And the hit aside, it has 
been a peachy start for Peters.

He entered the game against 

Rutgers midway through the 
second quarter, receiving his first 
meaningful college snaps. He 
finished having completed 10 of 
his 14 attempts for 124 yards with 
his first collegiate touchdown 
pass.

A week later, he recorded his 

first start against Minnesota, 
completing 8-of-13 passes for 56 
yards and another touchdown. 
He 
said 
Tuesday 
that 
the 

Wolverines probably could have 
thrown 
more, 
but 
admitted 

there wasn’t much of a need to 
with Michigan’s ground attack 
making his job “10 times easier” 
by rushing for 371 yards and four 
touchdowns.

So instead, as Peters said, he 

simply made sure everyone knew 

what they were doing, knew the 
checks and managed the game. 
And at the end of the day, he 
found solace in his minimalist 
role.

“Obviously we didn’t need the 

pass game much that game,” he 
said. “That’s fine by me, as long 
as we get the win.”

The Wolverines did get the 

win, and a convincing one at that. 
They did so with Peters under 
center against Rutgers, too. And 
the level of competition aside, 
that’s a long way away from 
where he was at the beginning of 
the year.

At Big Ten Media Days in late 

July, Jim Harbaugh said Peters 
was caught in a “dead heat” 
with 
redshirt 
junior 
Wilton 

Speight and fifth-year senior 
John O’Korn, as each vied for the 
starting quarterback position.

But as Michigan moved on 

from spring ball, Peters fell out 
of that competition. When the 
season opener rolled around, he 
was third on the depth chart.

This drop, Peters admits, was 

the product of mental errors. 
As the playbook opened up, 
the issues arose. There were 
turnovers, fumbled snaps and 
missed reads, and he wouldn’t 
call the play right in the huddle.

Through all of it, though, 

Peters didn’t waver in confidence.

“You can’t get down yourself,” 

he said. “You always got to keep 
the same confidence because 
when you start getting down on 
yourself, it’s gonna snowball.”

But nothing snowballed, and 

now Peters is — based on Jim 
Harbaugh’s 
press 
conference 

Monday 
— 
unquestionably 

Michigan’s starting quarterback. 
And if you ask Peters if he 
expected this moment to come 
this season, even he isn’t entirely 
sure.

“At the beginning of the year, 

third string, obviously not many 
third strings get the chance to 
get in the game unless it’s like a 
blowout,” Peters said. “I saw the 
opportunity when Wilton went 
down.

“You never want to wish 

that 
against 
your 
teammate 

for someone to go down, but it 
happens, so you’ve just gotta be 
ready. When that happened, I 
saw an opportunity — second 
string, anything can happen, it’s 
one play away.”

That play — or series of plays 

— finally came in the second 
quarter 
against 
the 
Scarlet 

Knights, when O’Korn went 
three and out with just over 10 
minutes remaining. On the next 
drive, Peters’ two-week path to 
officially being named the starter 
began. 

According to Peters, Speight 

has played a large role along that 
path. 

“He’s been basically like a 

coach,” Peters said. “He’s helped 
me a lot, keeping me confident, 
keeping me calm, giving me tips, 
reminders, that kind of stuff.”

And 
ironically 
enough, 

Speight may be the only one 
left to challenge for Peters’ job. 
After fracturing three vertebrae 

against Purdue and undergoing 
a recovery process, Harbaugh 
said Monday that Speight has 
finally been cleared for non-
contact activity and has resumed 
throwing.

Peters 
knows 
that 
when 

Speight 
does 
finally 
return, 

the competition is open again. 
And he admitted that for this to 
remain his job, he needs to make 
plays, control the offense and 
avoid turnovers.

So far, he has done just that. 

And when asked to grade his own 
understanding of the offense, 
but more specifically, if he could 
do everything Speight could do, 
Peters showed no hesitation.

“Yes sir,” he said. “I got a 

pretty good grasp on the offense. 
There wasn’t much change from 
last year’s offense, a lot of it 
carried over. I’ve been kind of in 
this process for two and a half 
years now when I came early.

“I’ve got a pretty good grasp on 

it. I can do pretty much anything 
the coaches ask me.” 

After unique commitment, Solomon 
enjoying strong freshman campaign

Aubrey Solomon may have 

accidentally said “University 
of 
Miami” 
while 
picking 

up a Michigan cap in his 
commitment 
announcement, 

but nine months later, he has 
become a mainstay in the 
Wolverines’ defensive line. 

Solomon, a true freshman, 

has appeared in every game this 
season and started the last two 
against Rutgers and Minnesota. 
He has 12 tackles so far, and is 
making his presence known.

Michigan 
defensive 
line 

coach Greg Mattison got to 
know Solomon very well as 
a recruit, and ever since the 
Georgia native arrived in Ann 
Arbor last June, Mattison has 
seen him steadily improve.

The 
Wolverines’ 
veterans 

have played a big part in 
Solomon’s progression.

“The 
older 
guys 
really 

mentor him,” Mattison said. 
“You can see it every day. You 
get (redshirt junior guard) 
Bryan Mone coaching him on 
what he should be doing, and 
you’ve got (fifth-year senior) 
Maurice Hurst. The guys will 
be watching the film, and you’ll 
hear them say, ‘That’s really 
good, or, step this way.’ ”

Mattison 
complimented 

Solomon on his work ethic 
and ability to take advice from 
both older players and coaches. 
Mattison, who has coached all 
around the country, made sure 
to involve himself heavily in 
Solomon’s recruitment. After 
all, Solomon was one of the 
nation’s top five players at his 
position.

Solomon, who visited other 

schools like Alabama, Auburn 
and 
Southern 
California, 

decided on Michigan after a 
recruiting saga that lasted for 
half a year.

Solomon 
originally 

committed to Michigan in June 
of 2016, but then decommited a 
few months later after receiving 
a thank-you note from the team 
for a barbecue he never went to. 
Upset by the lack of attention, 
Solomon 
reopened 
his 

recruiting, 
but 

didn’t 
eliminate 

the 
Wolverines 

from contention.

After 
saying 

the 
Crimson 

Tide 
had 
a 

“huge lead” over 
other schools at 
the 
Army 
All-

American 
game 

in 
January 
of 

2017, 
Solomon 

eventually 
recommitted back to Michigan 
— even though he said the wrong 
school in his announcement.

It took a hectic recruiting 

effort 
to 
land 
Solomon 
at 

Michigan, 
and 
though 
the 

defensive lineman may have 

changed his mind once or twice, 
Mattison is confident that the 
now-Wolverine made the right 
choice.

“When 
I 
recruit, 
it’s 
a 

no-brainer for a guy to come 
here,” Mattison said. “ … You’re 

going to have 
a great head 
football coach, 
you’re 
going 

to 
have 
a 

great 
football 

program 
and 

you’re 
going 

to 
have 
an 

opportunity to 
play 
because 

we 
play 
the 

best players.”

Now 
that 

Solomon 
is 
here, 
Mattison 

believes he has taken full 
advantage of the opportunity, 
and when he has gone into 
the 
games, 
he’s 
played 

exceptionally well.

Hurst echoed all the same 

qualities.

“He’s done a really amazing 

job,” Hurst said. “He’s someone 
that works really hard and 
puts in a lot of good work and 
listens to his coaching. … He’s 
a naturally strong, big kid and 
he’s able to do a lot on the field.”

Solomon’s 
role 
on 

the 
defensive 
line 
was 

supplementary up until the last 
few games, but now that he’s 
starting, he has put himself 
among an elite class.

Hurst, sophomore defensive 

end Rashan Gary and redshirt 
junior defensive end Chase 
Winovich have all been key to 
giving the Wolverines the No. 3 
defense in the nation, and now 
Solomon is right up there with 
them.

For Hurst, though, it hasn’t 

been odd to have a true 
freshman 
starting 
alongside 

him. He wasn’t surprised at all 
by Solomon’s progress.

“He’s just a really gifted 

young talent,” Hurst said. “I 
think he’s going to continue to 
get a lot better as time goes on.”

Notebook: Michigan’s 
goaltenders working 
as unit at year’s outset

A year ago, Jack LaFontaine 

and Hayden Lavigne had just 
begun their collegiate careers 
as goaltenders for the Michigan 
hockey team. 

For the sophomores, a lot has 

changed in one year.

Now, after the Ferris State 

series, the two have each started 
four games, have guarded the net 
during an overtime performance 
and have taken on leadership as 
the sixth man despite still being 
underclassmen.

This new experience and 

increased playing time has given 
the netminders an opportunity 
to reflect on their performances 
early on in the season.

“On a personal note, I am 

so far happy, but not overly 
satisfied with my performance,” 
LaFontaine said. “I think there’s 
some tweaks I need to work 
out right now, but I’m working 
towards that on and off the ice. I 
think I haven’t reached my max 
potential, and I’m hoping with a 
little hard work I can meet that.”

Lavigne 
reiterated 
this 

sentiment of a desire to improve, 
naming that he wanted to hone in 
on cadence behind the net.

“These games where we are 

only giving up 25 or (around) 20 
shots, I kind of tend to doze off,” 
Lavigne said. “And that’s one area 
where I need to work on — being 
able to dial it in and eliminate 
those bad timing goals.”

The 
goaltenders 
have 

combined for five wins, and a 
solid goals-against average of 
2.365. Though their amplified 
roles this season add more 
pressure, the two have realized 
the benefits of having a two-man 
rotation, as opposed to three.

“With a two-man rotation, you 

really get to stay in the game,” 
Lavigne said. “You know what it 
feels like from week to week, you 
know what you want to improve 
on from week to week, which 
actually makes it a lot easier.”

Added LaFontaine: “Having 

a two-man rotation is a little bit 
easier. You can catch more of a 
groove physically.”

Eight games in, Michigan 

coach Mel Pearson is looking 
to have a go-to man set in goal. 
This starter may even emerge in 
the Wolverines’ upcoming series, 
which would result in a change to 
this rotation.

“We’ve had a pretty good 

sample size of where they are 
at,” Pearson said. “They’ve both 
played well, so at this point you’re 
not going to bury one guy. At 
the same time, if one guy gets 
hot, then he’s going to have the 
opportunity to play consecutive 
games.”

With this in mind, LaFontaine 

and Lavigne still view themselves 
as a unit that works in cohesion.

“I wouldn’t say it’s much of a 

competition, as much as we are a 
team,” LaFontaine said.

Hughes Shows Skills on 

Both Ends

The youngest player in NCAA 

Division I hockey has already 

started making his mark on the 
Michigan team.

Freshman 
defenseman 

Quinn Hughes had a breakout 
performance in Thursday night’s 
Ferris State rout, which Pearson 
deemed 
the 
blueliner’s 
best 

performance thus far this season.

“He 
doesn’t 
surprise 
me 

anymore. That was his best 
game,” Pearson said after the 
game. “When he’s on the ice, I tell 
people you’d pay to watch him. 
You really would. He’s a special 
player.”

In the game, Hughes got off 

a shot in the first period and 
three in the second — the most 
launched by a defenseman in 
the outing. In addition to his 
offensive contributions, Hughes 
stood his ground in the defensive 
zone.

“He didn’t have any blatant 

turnovers (Thursday),” Pearson 
said. “He seemed to be on the 
right side of the puck, he picked 
his places where he could jump in 
and try some things offensively.

“I thought he was real good. 

I thought in both games (of the 
series) he was pretty good, but 
Thursday stood out to me.”

The expertise of balancing 

offensive 
playmaking 
with 

staying back on defense did not 
come automatically for Hughes.

In earlier games, Pearson 

noted 
that 
the 
freshman 

struggled more with turning the 
puck over and getting trapped 
when 
attempting 
to 
shine 

offensively.

But following the weekend, 

Pearson 
believes 
that 
these 

kinks have been ironed out, and 
that Hughes now knows how to 
choose his offensive spots wisely. 
 

“He was trying to do a few too 

many things offensively, and put 
himself in sort of a bad position 
defensively,” Pearson said. “And 
I think he’s really grown and 
learned from that over the course 
of the last few weeks.”

Injury Update
Michigan’s already relatively 

small array of defensemen will 
continue to be a man down — at 
least for another week. 

Senior Cutler Martin, one of 

the Wolverines’ most veteran 
defensemen, will likely be out 
of the lineup until after the 
Wisconsin series due to injury.

“He’s got an upper body injury, 

it’s sort of week to week right 
now,” Pearson said.

Martin got hurt during his first 

shift against Penn State on Oct. 
28 while he was playing forward, 
and has been out ever since. 

“He went to hit a guy and 

fell awkward into the boards,” 
Pearson said. “… Obviously he 
likes to play the physical game, 
and he doesn’t mind getting 
involved physically.” 

As 
a 
multifaceted 
player, 

Martin adds depth to Michigan’s 
roster on both sides of the ice. But 
when he returns to full health in 
a few weeks, he is expected to 
come back on defense due to the 
shortage of defensemen available 
on the Wolverines’ line.

Added Pearson: “It will be 

good to get him back.”

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Freshman defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon has become a starter on the Wolverines’ third-ranked defense.

When I recruit, 
it’s a no-brainer 

for a guy to 
come here

TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

KATELYNN MULCAHY/Daily

Sophomore goaltender Jack LaFontaine has split time with his classmate.

ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters has control of the offense.

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

