Michigan Wolverines football freshman wide receiver Mike Sainristil enjoyed the best game of his young collegiate tenure on Saturday night, hauling in a career-high 73 yards on three catches, along with his first-ever touchdown.
His 26-yard scoring grab was especially impressive, breaking two tackle attempts before juking out sophomore cornerback TaRiq Bracy to give himself a clear path to the end zone.
“It felt great scoring for the first time,” Sainristil exclaimed this afternoon. “I wouldn’t say I’ve overcome a lot during the months I’ve been here, but it was still a big relief.
“I wanted to get into the end zone for the first time, and it surprised me that my first one came against a big rival like Notre Dame.
“When I first got the ball, I thought I was going to get tackled because a safety was coming down on me. He whiffed and the next guy went for a shoelace tackle and missed, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m still up.’
“I made the cut off the corner who was coming and then got into the end zone.”
Sainristil was the talk of spring camp soon after he arrived as an early enrollee, with head coach Jim Harbaugh even declaring him a starter at the time.
The Massachusetts native faded into the background a bit during fall ball and once the season got underway, however, making a minimal impact through Michigan’s first seven games of the year.
Sainristil had hauled in just one catch for eight yards prior to Saturday, with Harbaugh admitting today the freshman’s confidence had waned for a stretch before he regained it recently.
“You want to find where you’re comfortable in fall camp, and do whatever you can to help the team,” he explained. “I knew I had to work to get my playing time, and I knew nothing would be given.
“I didn’t view it as a true starting position for myself [in the spring], because it was just spring ball and guys [junior wideouts Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones] were injured at the time.
“They came back and made the most of their opportunities, so my mindset was to work harder. [It was difficult to keep a positive attitude] at times.
“It’s more about the team though, and that's the motto we have here — the team, the team, the team. You can’t let what’s going on in your personal life affect you, even though it does at times.”
There is almost always an adjustment period for any collegiate freshmen following their high school days, and Sainristil admitted he went through that exact same learning period.
“It’s much faster,” the freshman said of the college game. “The duration of plays is a lot faster than in high school, so the speed adjustment was a big factor when I got here.
“I dropped every ball during our first workout, and Coach [Roy Round]Tree sent me a text saying everything will get easier once I adjust to the speed and tempo.
“He now emphasizes the jugs machines every Tuesday in practice, and that helps me out a lot. I also get a little extra time in with the quarterbacks.
“Coach Roundtree often tells us to ‘come out and have a day.’ The more effort you put into practice, the easier the games become.”
Notes
• Sainristil was one of eight early enrollees who arrived early this past spring, and was asked this afternoon if he's perhaps a bit closer with the freshmen he's been with since January as a result.
“I like the fact that we have the freshmen locker room, because it gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better," he explained. "I came in early with seven other guys, and even though it doesn’t differentiate us from the others, we do have a tighter bond since we’ve been here longer.”
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