Brady Hoke: I wouldn’t have punted on final play vs. Michigan State

If ever there was a Michigan football player who could relate to what Wolverines punter Blake O’Neill is going through, it’s former Wolverines placekicker Mike Lantry.

And much like the fumbled snap on the punt, a snap or handoff exchange could have been botched as well had the team gone for it. A successful punt, meanwhile, would have buried Michigan State in poor field position, since the Spartans had all 11 men at the line of scrimmage.

When mistakes are made, O’Neill said football is like life. That validates you. Jimmy (Harbaugh) is a good coach.

O’Neill said his teammates rallied behind him for support, but they weren’t the only ones. Michigan State had no one back to receive the punt and no one lined up on one of the gunners outside Michigan’s formation. He indicated his instincts playing Aussie football kicked in when he probably should have just fallen on the ball after failing to catch the snap, rather than trying to attempt the kick.

Harbaugh acknowledged Tuesday on a teleconference that running the ball outside to take more time off the clock was something he considered on first, second and third down.

“That’s team success”, said O’Neill, who credited Dymonte Thomas for downing one of his punts. “Jimmy (Harbaugh), I’m sure, they went over what they would do, how they wanted to do it, communication all over the place”.

O’Neill, though, said no one told him to do that if he bobbled the snap because they plan and practice to make plays the right way. 

“Look, I know it’s easy from where we sit right now”, Hoke said.

What about 1973? Michigan was facing an archrival of the Ohio State for the Big Ten title, a trip to the Rose Bowl and possible national championship implications. Yet despite all of that, despite rushing for a paltry 62 yards, despite passing for a mere 168 and failing again to connect on passes to open receivers downfield, despite defensive lapses that included allowing a 74-yard completion to a fullback, despite what seemed like more penalties and foolish plays than they had committed all season, the Wolverines not only put themselves in a position to win, they put themselves in a position in which they nearly couldn’t lose. People need to take the time to think about what they are going to say, and people will reach out with nothing but a positive stance. “You make errors in a football game, you learn from them, and you move on”. The 30th anniversary of that game – and Rob Houghtlin’s unforgettable game-winning kick – was just two days ago, as we noted earlier this week.