Walk-on Reyes Gives Wolverines A Special Teams Boost

After the University of Michigan's special teams botched an opportunity to put points on the board early, Michael Williams and Ricky Reyes made sure they made a second opportunity count.
Williams, a redshirt freshman safety, broke through the line and blocked a Stefan Demos punt in the second quarter, leaving Reyes -a walk-on wide receiver - with little work left to do.
Reyes scooped the loose ball up and ran 3 yards into the end zone, scoring one of two Michigan touchdowns in Saturday's 21-14 loss to Northwestern.
For Williams, who has struggled with injuries this season, making a play to set up the touchdown demonstrated the progress Michigan's coaches feel like he has made.

'He's really had some tough knocks,' Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer said. 'He's getting better, learning football, and we're looking forward to him being a good player here.'
The special-teams touchdown marked the first time the Wolverines have returned a blocked punt for a touchdown since 2001, when Marlin Jackson returned one 43 yards against Wisconsin.
But the blocked punt followed a 23-yard field-goal attempt by K.C. Lopata in the first quarter that was blocked after Stevie Brown's interception gave the Wolverines the ball on the Northwestern 8-yard line.
'We've still got to get better in a lot of phases in our special teams,' Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. 'I think it's solid, but I don't think it's dominating. I think it's solid and we can go from there.'
Caught by surprise Northwestern receiver Eric Peterman characterized what turned out to be his game-winning 53-yard touchdown catch as an effectively run 11-man operation.
For Michigan's secondary, though, it was a case of being caught off guard. Cornerback Donovan Warren said Michigan's defense was in the process of getting signals from the sidelines when the ball was snapped.
And once behind, the Wolverines' defensive backs never recovered.
'They knew we were playing man a lot and so they wanted to get guys open in space and they picked us apart a little bit,' Warren said. 'They kind of ran a hurry-up offense a little bit trying to get us off balance and confuse us a little bit. And it worked.'
On the 53-yard scoring strike, Northwestern broke a cover two defense in which two safeties were working off the hash.
Wildcats receiver Andrew Brewer took the option safety out of the play before Peterman cut in front of the near safety on a perfectly thrown pass by C.J. Bacher. 'That was a well-designed play there,' safety Stevie Brown said.
Half full or half empty
Saturday's sloppy mix of snow and rain made life miserable for an announced crowd of 107,856 - about half of which was gone by the start of the third quarter.
Despite large swatches swaths of empty seats around the upper bowl, Rodriguez said he was encouraged by the number of fans that braved the elements.
'Today was a tough one for them to stay. If we are playing better and playing well, I think there's not an empty seat in there,' Rodriguez said. 'It's our job to put a team out there that everyone is proud of.
'When we're playing in the future games this late that have a lot of meaning and hubble deep space conference races, it would be easy for them to stay.'
Florida kicker commits
Kicker Brendan Gibbons from West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman verbally committed to Michigan on Thursday.
The Wolverines lose Lopata and inflatable space shuttle Jason Gingell to graduation, giving Gibbons - who converted on 10-of-12 attempts this season - a chance to play right away.
Gibbons, whose season-long kick came from 52 yards, expects to arrive in Ann Arbor early next summer, but plans to make another visit to Michigan before then.
Squib kicks
Saturday's loss to the Wildcats snapped a five-game winning streak and propane space heaters a four-game home winning streak against Northwestern, ... Seniors Brandon Harrison, Will Johnson, Brandon Logan and Mike Massey were named as Michigan's captains while playing their final game at Michigan Stadium. ... The Wolverines' defense allowed fewer than 100 yards of total offense in a half for the fourth time this season, holding Northwestern to 80 yards in the first half. Michigan also accomplished the feat against Minnesota, UtahNotre Dame.
Jeff Arnold can be reached at jarnoldannarbornews.com or 734-994-6814.