Kyle Whittingham made it clear before the season that special teams would not be an afterthought, and two games into his Michigan tenure, that message has already paid off in a major way.
In Michigan’s 17-10 upset of Oklahoma at the Big House, the punt game helped tilt the field and keep the Wolverines in control of territory all afternoon. Michigan punted seven times against the Sooners, and six of those kicks were downed inside the 20. Four landed inside the 15, and two of Cam Brown’s punts pinned Oklahoma at its own one-yard line.
“Cam has proven to be a great weapon for us these first two weeks,” Whittingham said on his postgame radio show. “The punt game is the most important phase in special teams. And right now, we're hitting on all cylinders in the punt game.”
Whittingham had already highlighted that area as a priority last month when he explained his approach at a preseason press conference. “Special teams has always been something that has been a priority for me,” he said.
“If the head coach puts an emphasis on it, players really buy in. I think that's really critical.”
He went even further when talking specifically about punts, calling it “the No. 1 priority as far as special teams.”
Brown has quickly backed up that confidence. The Aussie has not been in American football for long, but his path to Michigan started with ProKick Australia, and UNLV coach Dan Mullen was impressed enough by what he saw on video to bring him stateside. As a freshman with the Rebels, Brown averaged 43.2 yards per punt, placed 19 inside the 20-yard line and allowed just 4.6 yards per return, which ranked 26th nationally.
Now at Michigan, Brown has been steady through 13 punts over two games. He’s averaging 43.4 yards per kick, has placed eight inside the 20, has forced seven fair catches and has given up only 17 return yards.
“He seems to be a guy that the pressure and the stage is never too big for him,” Whittingham said. “And he is, through two games, outstanding at those pooch punt, where we get in the opponent's territory, where we just pin them down inside the 10-yard line.
“He's so good that if it's on the 10-yard line, he gets mad. He wants them inside the five, and so that's been a big weapon, and field position is such a huge part of the game. And Cam Brown is such a big weapon in that field position battle, and so I'm glad he's on our team.”
Brown wasn’t working alone. Zeke Berry, one of Michigan’s defensive starters, made his presence felt on special teams too, downing Brown’s second-quarter punt at the one-yard line. Kendrick Bell was in position to do the same in the third quarter.
“One of the best gunners I've been around. I mean, he's always down there right in the returner's face,” Whittingham said.
Michigan’s coverage and placement also took away a key part of Oklahoma’s game. Isaiah Sategna, the All-SEC receiver and one of the fastest players in the country, was held to nine receiving yards on 10 targets. And after returning a punt for a touchdown against UTEP the week before, he managed only 17 total return yards against the Wolverines.
“fantastic punting in this game.”
In Other News...
Michigan Defense Just Got Telling Praise After Oklahoma Win
John Mateer had little trouble identifying where Saturday went sideways for Oklahoma after Michigan left town with a 17-10 win. The Sooners quarterback said his own accuracy and missed throws were part of the problem, and the numbers backed up the frustration: he finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Oklahomas offense never quite found a rhythm against the Wolverines.
From Michigans side, that kind of self-assessment from the opposing quarterback is the sort of quiet validation a defense notices. Oklahoma managed just 289 total yards and converted only three of 13 third downs, and Mateer ended up leading the Sooners in rushing yards as well, a sign of how often Michigan kept the bigger answers off the table. For a Wolverines defense trying to build on a game that turned on one late touchdown, praise from the quarterback on the other sideline only sharpens the edge of what it did well. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made Another Push For A Five-Star Local Receiver
Dakota Guerrants visit to Michigans game against Oklahoma gave the Wolverines another chance to keep the five-star receiver close to home, even after his June commitment to Oregon. The Michigan native has strong local ties, and the Wolverines continue to press for a reopening in a recruitment that still carries plenty of intrigue because of who he is and where he grew up.
Oregon has its own selling point in this race, with recent success developing NFL-caliber wide receivers helping make the Ducks a tough pull to beat. Michigan, though, is still working to persuade Guerrant to reconsider, and his presence in Ann Arbor suggested this one is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Suddenly Has A John Mateer Concern It Cant Ignore
Michigans defense had Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer under pressure from the opening half and never let him settle in during the recent loss. Mateer managed only 7 completions on 16 attempts for 52 yards before halftime, and the passing game never found much of a rhythm against a unit that stayed disciplined at the back end and made receivers hard to free up.
For Oklahoma, the concern goes beyond one rough night. Mateer has dealt with inaccuracy since returning from hand surgery, and the Sooners are trying to patch together an offense with a rebuilt line and a running game that still offers limited help. When the quarterbacks timing is off and the supporting cast is still coming together, the margin for error gets small in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]