Notebook: Window closes on Mesko's fake punt read
Andy Reid
Daily Sports EditorOctober 4th, 2009
EAST LANSING — There’s no question that Zoltan Mesko is an integral part of the Michigan football team’s success this season.
With his 44.0-yards per punt average, which currently ranks 17th in the country, Mesko has pushed the field-position battle in favor of the Wolverines every game, and has made a case for himself as a legitimate contender for the Ray Guy Award.
But in Saturday’s 26-20 overtime loss to Michigan State, Mesko made one of the biggest mistakes a punter could possibly make. Midway through the third quarter, with his team down four points and inside its own 20-yard line, Mesko tucked the football and tried to run for the first down. He was taken down three yards behind the line of scrimmage.
The play came just moments after a potentially game-changing interception by junior cornerback Donovan Warren and led to a Spartan field goal.
“He was supposed to kick it,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “It was a read and Zoltan, who has made that decision very, very well a number of times, thought he saw a crease. Our defense did a good job and held them to three, that wasn't the turning point in the game.”
Mesko had made that read well in last season’s 35-17 loss at Notre Dame, when he easily converted on a fake punt. Then, he took the ball, scooted outside the defense, where there was no contain man to stop him, and found the yard marker to keep the drive alive.
“I don’t know, I don’t know what I saw,” Mesko said about the botched attempt on Saturday. “I saw like, the same thing happened at the Notre Dame game last year, where I cut inside the block and it was more open, but this gap closed very quickly, so I don’t know.”
But Mesko wasn’t the only one who remembered the play from that Notre Dame game. With fourth-and-inches coming up and the Michigan offense struggling, the Spartans weren’t taking any chances on a fake punt — even with the Wolverines pinned so far back in the own end.
“Obviously, it didn't surprise us,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. “But he had done that last year against Notre Dame early in the season and gotten the first down. I'm not sure if it was a called fake or if he just did it, I'm not sure on that. So I wouldn't be too critical. They had an inch to go, and probably had to take it if you could get it. But we played it safe.”
Rushing woes: Michigan definitely didn’t look like the best rushing offense in the Big Ten on Saturday.
The Wolverines posted a measly 28 yards rushing, and struggled through the first three quarters with negative rushing yards. In fact, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is known much more for his passing abilities than his legs, was the game’s leading rusher, with 84 yards on seven carries.
“We couldn't run the ball,” Rodriguez said. “Some of it was that we couldn't get into a rhythm. We didn't have the ball and when we did they kept us to three and outs. I'll have to watch the film and see where our blocking was.”
Senior running backs Carlos Brown, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 67 yards a game, and Brandon Minor combined for just 10 carries for 17 yards and never broke one for more than seven yards.
With center David Molk still sidelined with a broken bone in his foot, the Wolverines are still trying to find a comfort zone in the run game. But the Spartans made that quite a difficult task.
“We were so focused making adjustments and coaches were telling us what they are running,” Michigan State linebacker Eric Gordon. “Our rushing defense did an amazing job. Really, our number one thing is to stop the run and that's what we did.”
Cornerback battle: J.T. Floyd recorded his first career start on Saturday, and although it took him a while to get into the swing of things, he was pleased with his performance.
“I think I did good,” the redshirt freshman said. “I think I played pretty well. I competed hard. I watched a lot of film this week, and I knew my assignments, but I can always get better each and every game. I’ll get more and more experience. Hopefully next week, I’ll come out and give a better effort.”
Early in the game, Floyd gave the Michigan State receivers a 10-yard cushion, allowing many dump passes to the flats for five or six yards. But he tightened up in the second half, slowing down the dangerous Spartan pass attack.
Floyd said that the Wolverines have been trying to find three or four cornerbacks who are ready to play at any given time since spring practice, including junior Donovan Warren, sophomore Boubacar Cissoko and Floyd. That competition will continue through the rest of this season.
When asked if he’ll start against Iowa or if Cissoko, the former starter opposite Warren, will step in next week at Iowa, Floyd said, “I have no idea.”
“Boubacar, that’s like one of my best friends on the team, so we’re going to always battle,” Floyd said, “We’re both great competitors, and the ultimate decision will be up to the coaching staff.”
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