[Fuller]
Kenny, when you first got here you were kind of thought more of as a punter. Did you ever think you'd be in the position where you'd be competing for and then winning this job as kicker?
Kenny Allen: "I've kind of always had it in the back my mind, but to be honest I didn't actually think that I would be pursuing the kicking job this much and then when the opportunity did arise it really started to become a reality."
How much in high school did you kick as well as punt?
KA: "I did everything in high school so yeah, it was kind of nice to get back to doing all three."
Kenny, how long did it take to settle into that role? Was it in the first game after you made some kicks?
KA: "Yeah, I think after the first game. After getting the first kick out of the way everything felt a lot easier. Kind of like a weight was lifted and then from then on everything was downhill, just smooth. Everything was a lot more comfortable."
Kenny, last week before the Oregon State game you got a full ride. Can you just talk about the timing of that?
KA: "Yeah, I’d say it's kind of ironic because I turned down a full ride from Oregon State coming out of high school, and then the week that we play them I’m put on scholarship here. So, it's just kind of nice to see that other people think I'm working hard and that I'm deserving of a scholarship. Yeah, it's nice."
[After THE JUMP: Allen, Blake O’Neill, Erik Magnuson, and Matt Godin]
When you got that letter in the mail that said ‘Open ASAP’ did you already know?
KA: "What do you mean? From Michigan?"
Yeah.
KA: "Did I know that I wanted to go there?"
No, I'm talking about did you get a letter sent to you saying that you’d been awarded the scholarship?
KA: "No, coach Harbaugh brought me in and I just talked to Coach."
Coach Harbaugh was just telling us that the area of the team that has made the most improvement since spring was the placement kicking: the coverage, the kicking, everything. Talk about what has gone into that and what’s it been like to see how that's evolved and be a central part of that.
KA: "Yeah, well, I think me and Blake can both say that’s something we've been working tirelessly on since spring ball started. He came in and saw some of that, and then all camp coach Baxter, coach Harbaugh, and some of the assistant coaches, we've been putting in a lot of effort and just a lot of hard work to improve every single day and not take a step back, and I think that that's something we accomplished and I think that’s something you can see when we step out on the field. I think that we've been doing a much better job."
Blake O’Neill: “I’d add to that obviously Kenny has gone leaps and bounds ahead. He won’t say that himself necessarily- he’s a humble guy- but from where he was when I came in on my visit in spring to where he is now is a huge improvement. It’s just a testament to his hard work.”
Just to follow up, Kenny, where have you made the biggest improvement?
KA: “I think the biggest improvement I’ve made- I don’t think it’s in field goal or kickoff, I think it’s in punting. I think I’ve gotten a lot more consistent as a punter from spring ball till now, so that’s what I’m happiest with.”
Blake, when you’re meeting with coach Baxter in special teams meetings, how pleased is he right now with- you guys haven’t made a big blunder. You haven’t blocked a kick but came close a couple times. How happy is he with the special teams production?
BO’N: “I think we’ve got some improvements to make. I think a couple of those you referred to there I take on my shoulders, improvements that I need to do. I think as far as our protection’s concerned and where our guys are at we’re looking really good and I think you can see a big improvement there. It’s more just patience now that we’re comfortable to really put the score on the board.”
Blake, obviously punting in college isn’t new to you but the setting is playing in that stadium. Talk about your surroundings and what has struck you.
BO’N: “It was quite surreal, to be honest. Ann Arbor itself is a great town and it’s remarkable to see what kind of an impact it has on the lives of people here. Certainly football’s big back in Australia in our own [?] but perhaps not to the levels of fandom that it is here. You know, running out in front of the Big House on Saturday was certainly a moment I’ll cherish.
Blake, with you having graduated undergrad in Australia and then doing one post-grad year at Weber and now a second post-grad year. How much eligibility do you have? Do you know?
BO’N: “This is my final year, yeah. I think I’ve stretched it as far as I can.”
Kenny, saw that you played soccer in high school. Which came first, soccer or football? And talk about how soccer has benefitted your game- leg strength and overall.
KA: “Yeah, I started with soccer first. That was my first love and I thought that I was going to play that my whole life, but then my brother started kicking and I couldn’t just let him be good at it so I started doing it.
“I think soccer really helps because it’s a different set of skills but for me it really worked on my foot control and hand- er, foot-eye coordination and I think that’s a good thing to help me be successful with field-goal kicking.”
The penalty that was called on…I don’t remember who hit the punter. Do you know the rule? Are you fair game if you’re outside the pocket, because that’s what coach Harbaugh was saying.
BO’N: “Yeah, my understanding is that you are. You end up turning into a quarterback once you’re outside the pocket, but Nick [Porebski] being a friend of mine, a little bit of my heart went out to him when he caught the helmet to helmet but look, that’s the nature of the game and they say punters don’t get hit, but I guess they do sometimes.”
Kenny, you got the first few kicks out of the way now. What’s the comfort level when you go out there for a kick now? Was it different than when you were out there for the first time?
KA:“Yeah, I think the first time’s always a little nerve-wracking but having gotten that one out of the way and a couple more after that, it just feels so much easier and, you know, I’ve got a good holder with Blake, good snapper with Scott [Sypniewski] and all the other guys, Andrew Robinson, all the other kickers and stuff, we all work. We all push each other, so it just make it that much easier when we’re in the game.”
You guys are off to a pretty good start as a unit, but can you look ahead and say what this unit that you’re a part of can do better moving forward, starting with UNLV?
BO’N:“Yeah, I think there’s things internally we’re looking to improve upon but I think we’ve made at least a good start, and being, I guess, a pretty new group together we’re getting very comfortable so I think you’ll see good things in the coming weeks.”
KA:“Yeah, I’d agree with that and also I’d say whatever our goals are just getting 100% of that. We don’t want to settle for anything less than that.”
Kenny, can you talk about coach Baxter and how he specifically has helped you improve, and his approach to your unit?
KA:“Yeah, coach Baxter’s done a great job with us. And specifically for me, he’s just helped me work on focusing on the things that I need to focus on as a player, so for punting in the spring time we really had an emphasis on punting to a specific- he really wanted me to work on my accuracy, so that’s what we did every single day and I think that after that I actually improved a lot. And then kickoffs, he had me do certain things to improve my kickoffs and had me work on it every day with him and then just start seeing results. He pushed me to work harder and be more consistent and I think it really paid off.”
Blake, not to give anything specifically away on special plays, but how’s your arm and how are your legs if you were called on to do something out of the ordinary?
BO’N: “I’d be happy to do it. Hopefully we don’t need to do it and the offense is productive enough that we won’t need to throw a fake in there, but yeah. I mean, last year I threw a pass for a first down and ran a couple times, but yeah, we’ll see how it goes.”
Kenny, going back to Utah and the 29-yard field goal, the first points of the Harbaugh era. Do you think about that and how meaningful that is maybe to you?
KA: “Yeah, I haven’t really stopped to think about that. I guess to me I just think about it as going out there to do my job. That’s kind of the way I like to look at it. Maybe some day I’ll reflect back on it and think that was pretty cool, but right now we just want to make every kick we go out there and attempt.”
[Upchurch]
Improvement was evident in the numbers. Was it pretty obvious from week one to week two?
Erik Magnuson: “Um, yeah. We established the run game a lot more, that’s for sure, but that started back on Friday after the Utah game. We put the emphasis on that in practice and that’s what our focus was.”
Did you guys grade out a lot better as a unit?
EM: “Yeah, yeah. Graded out well against Utah in some aspects but in the run game especially we graded out a lot better.”
How does emphasis in practice actually look as it plays out? What did you specifically focus on that you think moved this offensive line forward?
EM: “I mean, just attitude every single play. It gets hard especially as practice gets long and towards the end and stuff like that to focus on the big goal, which is becoming a dominant offensive line. So, play in and play out that was our focus in practice, and it paid off in the game.”
Physically what was emphasized for the offensive line in the week leading up to the Oregon State game?
EM:“Being more physical in the run game. Playing with a lower pad level and playing faster. You know, everyone can do that on the offensive line and we can improve on that a lot more.”
You briefly played tight end last year so you kind of have a feel for those guys. What have they done to become so productive, and how would you grade their blocking? It seemed like Ian Bunting and Poggi had a pretty good day on Saturday?
EM: “Yeah, both those guys are really good blockers but all of our tight ends have become really good blockers, and playing tackle when you have a tight end next to you and you have a combination block with him it makes your life a lot easier. So, they’ve done a good job.”
How much do you guys feed off DeVeon Smith when he’s running like he is and breaking tackles?
EM: “Oh, big time. When you have a running back that’s making you look good and making good cuts and, you know, running over defenders and stuff like that it really gets you going and you want to block that much harder. You want to fight that much harder and that much longer.”
/Matt Godin, who came straight from class, arrives
Can you talk about what you think your unit can do better against UNLV than you did against Oregon State?
Matt Godin: “In terms of D-line I think just running the ball and stuff, because that’s what we try to keep our focus on a lot is effort, so just keep the effort going.”
EM:“For us, we can play faster. We started playing more physical but we can play faster every play.”
Chris [Wormley] has had a couple big games to start the year. What’s been the biggest change in him that you’ve seen to kind of have this breakout?
MG: “Chris is- he’s a hell of a player. He’s improved in every area. We really don’t just try to focus on one area as a D-line to improve, and he’s doing a good job for us.”
Was there a point in the spring or throughout the summer where you saw things kind of click for him?
MG: “He just- he got a lot stronger in the weight room and we worked on technique every day as a D-line, and it’s all clicking for him now. Happy for him.”
DeVeon said after the game that coach Drevno called all of you into the room and yelled at all of you together. Does that make it better for the offensive line when you know it’s a shared responsibility? He wasn’t just blaming you guys; he was asking the running backs to be more responsible as well.
EM: “Yeah, I mean part of the running game is a lot more than just offensive line, as a lot of people don’t want to believe. But coach Drevno being our offensive coordinator and our offensive line coach, he made us all hold each other accountable so that was a big part of this week’s focus.”
When you say play faster is that just get off the ball quicker or is that know your assignment faster, react faster? What do you mean specifically?
EM: “Everything. Obviously knowing our plays is a big part of that, but I feel like right now everyone has a good understanding of that. It’s just playing without thinking, really. You known what to do. Just go out and play fast and play through the whistle, and that’s what we need to get better at.”
Do you think that happened Saturday?
EM: “Yeah, we got better at that but we can improve still.”
Matt, you’ve been one of the guys on the D-line grinding for reps the past couple years. Just the depth of it and just your thoughts about that now that you’re in a position to get a lot of playing time.
MG: “I think it’s amazing how much depth we have. A lot of position we’ll go three plays then you’ve got another group rolling in, and that helps us to wear down opposing O-line because they see one group and they don’t know who’s going to come out there. It’s good.”
Do you feel like that gives you an advantage, just giving you a corps of many?
MG:“Yeah, definitely, because you get a couple plays off to get your energy back and get back out there, so it helps.”
Two games in, what do you see as the potential for this offense and maybe some ways that it might grow during the season?
EM: “I think the sky’s the limit for this offensive line. We’ve got a lot of good players on it. As long as we keep improving every week the potential is big. I see us becoming an offensive line that is dominant every play.”
How about the offense as a whole?
EM: “Oh, same thing. We have a lot of potential. A lot of potential. And if we keep on clicking and keep on running the ball well, completing passes, everything like that we have a lot of potential.”
How much of an impact has Greg Mattison had on the defensive line, and do you see a difference between this year and last year under coach Hoke?
MG:“The only difference I really see if because he’s coaching us only right now so just more attention on the D-line. And it’s nice, because he’s a familiar face for everyone and, well, he actually coached D-line two years ago. He coached D-ends and stuff, so we’re all used to him. He brings a lot of energy to the table. We love him.”
What’s the biggest difference for Mason Cole from year one into year two?
EM: “Bigger and stronger. He’s always been a good player but just stronger now. That helps a lot on offensive line.”