Kornacki: Rudock Displays Resiliency When Challenged
9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 4, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Resiliency doesn't always result in victory, and it didn't this time. But it counts for something. How you take a shot to the mouth or respond to being on the wrong end of a game-changing play says a lot.
Players who can do that become leaders. They become better, and they turn the tide.
Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock showed that all-important resiliency Thursday night (Sept. 3) in the season-opening loss at Utah.
He came to life in the second half, and appeared to be driving the Wolverines to a game-tying touchdown when disaster struck.
Rudock underthrew freshman receiver Grant Perry down the left sideline, and the result was a pick six for Utah nickelback Justin Thomas midway through the fourth quarter. Thomas went 55 yards to make it 24-10, and Rudock sprinted after him to no avail.
But how Rudock reacted at that moment, and how Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh responded to the failure made a statement.
Harbaugh put an arm around Rudock, letting him know he was his guy and that Thomas made a great adjustment to make the play. The coach showed support when the player needed it most.
"He's being a coach -- he's being supportive," Rudock said of Harbaugh. "He wants us to win, and not get down on ourselves. Bad plays are going to happen. You want to limit them as much as you can, but he was very supportive. He told me to keep going, to keep working hard."
Rudock completed 27 of 43 passes for 279 yards with two touchdowns in the 24-17 loss to the Utes. His three interceptions were surprising because Rudock, a graduate transfer, was picked only five times in 345 pass attempts last year for Iowa. Though, Harbaugh clearly faulted Rudock on only one of the interceptions.
"He was seeing the field extremely well tonight -- seeing the defense, seeing the reads and making really good throws," said Harbaugh. "The second interception was probably the only ball thrown I can think of right now that wasn't a good, accurate throw. Everything else I can think of, he made the right read, made the right throw.
"The first interception to Grant, he thought Grant was breaking out and Grant turned and drifted a little bit. And we can get that cleaned up. The third one (for the touchdown), tip the hat to the Utah player, the nickel, he made a heck of a play on it. I'll say this about Jake, you throw an interception for a touchdown and then you come back and lead a touchdown drive, I thought it was outstanding. He shook that play off and came fighting back -- as did all of our team, which you like to see. But are there things to clean up, 'Yes.'"
-- DE Chris Wormley on Rudock
Rudock was trying to complete a third-and-three pass to Perry when Thomas made the play of the game against him.
"The guy made a good play and kind of jumped on it," said Rudock. "In hindsight, I'd throw it away. But I thought I could get it in there. I'm just trying to get a first down, and made a bad decision."
Rudock could've sulked at midfield, but instead he made hot pursuit for Thomas.
That showed something.
Rudock also displayed his resilience on the touchdown pass that made it 17-10 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.
He'd just been drilled on a late hit by Utah's Gionni Paul that resulted in a 15-yard personal foul and a first down. Had Paul not made a costly mistake in judgment, the drive would've ended for Michigan as Rudock came up well short of the sticks on third down.
But the Wolverines had life.
And guess what Rudock did on the very next play? After getting smacked in the mouth, he responded with a 19-yard touchdown pass.
Rudock threw into double-coverage, but put the ball high enough where only 6-foot-6 tight end Jake Butt had a great chance to catch it.
Rudock said, "Just knowing you can go to him, even when he's double-covered, Jake's a big body. So, it's always good to have a guy like that out there that you can give a chance to."
Then, on the final offensive drive of the game for Michigan, Rudock engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive culminated with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh.
"He's a competitor and a leader," said defensive tackle Chris Wormley, who had an outstanding game. "He's our quarterback and he knows how to get the job done. He knows how to win. That says a lot."
Butt added, "He's tough. He kept coming back."
The Utes constantly double-teamed Butt, and he still ended up with eight catches for 93 yards. Butt said he was a "decoy" on the touchdown play, and was meant to draw defensive backs to allow an open receiver elsewhere. But the ball came to him and he jumped above the defenders to snag it.
Darboh caught eight passes for 101 yards, and so Rudock began developing a feel for his receivers. Perry also caught three for 41 yards and Chesson grabbed three for 22 yards.
Rudock will see things on the game tape that are encouraging as well as those mistakes that need to be eliminated.
"The big picture is always about the game," said Rudock, pointing to the outcome as the true measuring stick. "That's the biggest thing. That's always the best way to judge a quarterback, judge a team. There are 11 guys on the field at one time, and we just couldn't get the win.
"And, obviously, three interceptions isn't helping our cause. A lot of games are decided off turnovers and explosive plays, and we missed a couple explosives."
Rudock had Chesson wide open thanks to a missed assignment in the Utah secondary. Chesson was streaking all alone into the right corner of the end zone, but Rudock overthrew him by a couple yards. That could've been a 41-yard touchdown for a first-quarter lead.
Utah cornerback Cory Butler-Byrd intercepted the pass intended for Perry that ended the first drive of the game at the Utah 14-yard line. That play, which Rudock called "a miscommunication" on both his part and Perry's, kept the Wolverines from putting points on the scoreboard.
"I put more blame on myself than Grant for that one," said Rudock.
He was accountable, and that's part of leading, too.
It didn't have the kind of ending Rudock longed for -- winning a game with his new team. But Harbaugh liked what he saw of his quarterback, who edged talented junior Shane Morris for the starting nod.
Rudock doesn't quit and isn't intimidated. He knows what has to be "cleaned up" from this game, and will turn the page.
Not getting the win frustrated Rudock, but the one thing he did win over was his coach and teammates. They looked beyond his imperfections and saw a leader.
