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