Joe Milton’s First Start Showed Just How Far He's Come
Michigan redshirt sophomore Joe Milton admitted he shed a tear before taking the field for U-M’s game at Minnesota, one in which he played extremely well in throwing for 225 yards and two scores and adding 50-plus yards on the ground.
He wasn’t the only one who was emotional.
Senior fullback Ben Mason addressed the team before the game and acknowledged Milton with “this is your night, and we’ll do everything we can for you” in his pregame speech. His teammates were all clearly behind him, as well, doing everything they could to make it a smooth first start.
“I think he's wanted this for a long time,” quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels said Wednesday. “I think this is kind of what he's dreamt about, why he came to Michigan — to have a chance to play — and he finally got that chance.
"He's an emotional guy, and he's proud of the path he's been on and was excited to get his opportunity, and he should have been. He earned it. It was special for everyone to watch him.”
RELATED: Five Players To Watch: Michigan Wolverines vs. Michigan State Spartans
RELATED: Video Analysis: In The Trenches With Doug Skene - Minnesota
Milton was one of the first to the building after losses, showing up at 5:30 a.m. even before the coaches some days to put himself in position to help however he could. While many assumed veteran Dylan McCaffrey would be next in line, Milton surged past him by working with the receivers on a daily basis, spending time with quarterback gurus in the offseason (including former U-M quarterback Devin Gardner) and finally getting to the point where he was ready to perform.
There wasn’t one particular moment the light went on for him, McDaniels said. Milton’s debut was the result of steady, hard work and a will to compete and win that pushed him to the top of the depth chart.
On Saturday night in Minneapolis, he showed why he was No. 1.
“He’s just been progressing since I've had him and been around him over the course of two years now coaching quarterbacks,” McDaniels continued. “He's done a great job progressing both physically and mentally. This offseason, he continued to make strides mentally, have control of the operation and underwent our mental process and tried to execute plays with his physical traits and mental traits and has done good job of progressing and learning, which he still is.
“In a first start, you’re always looking for a guy to really be in control of procedure, the game. He played with great poise. He was comfortable in the pocket. From a starting point, that's a great start — being comfortable in your own shoes out there. Sometimes that can take some time making your first start, but I was really pleased with how much poise he displayed and his ability to be in full control of the operation and procedure, and I thought it showed.”
There’s always room for improvement. Milton missed a few throws (as all quarterbacks do) and there were some areas in the run game McDaniels wanted to see cleaned up, but the accuracy was outstanding for a first-game starter. Milton hit players in stride and gave them a chance to run after the catch.
It was one of the best things he did Saturday night, McDaniels praised, and they maximized the yardage per catch because of it. There had been talk the last few years that Milton struggled to make those throws or threw the short passes with too much zip, and some of that was warranted. McDaniels, though, disagree with the “raw” assessment thrown at his quarterback, noting experience is always the key.
The game slows down with reps, he noted, and when that happened for Milton — when he knew what he was looking at and trusting his eyes — the physical part came naturally.
“Any freshman coming into our building is going to have a learning curve, however long that learning curve is for a quarterback … coming into a college football building,” McDaniels said. “I think touch is two things. One, you drill some things, try to create throws he has to make. A lot of times when you want to throw with touch is to take RPMs off the ball. You can't throw your fastball (all the time).
"… The other part which is as or more important is when your mind slows the game down, you can typically get your body to respond the right way. That has a lot to do with throwing with touch.”
Milton showed Saturday night he’s made exceptional strides, but he’s still got work to do. There will likely still be some bumps in the road, but it’s clear his ceiling is what most Michigan fans hoped it would be … exceptionally high.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook