Kornacki: Kerridge, Bullough to Put Friendship Aside on Saturday
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 15, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Joe Kerridge and Riley Bullough started in the same offensive backfield when Traverse City St. Francis won a state championship in 2009.
They were buddies then and will always be friends. However, for one day, they are not going to be very sociable at all.
Kerridge will be the starting fullback for the University of Michigan football team and Bullough will be a starting linebacker for Michigan State on Saturday (Oct. 17), when the intrastate rivals meet at Michigan Stadium in a game with Big Ten championship implications.
"I love Riley," Kerridge said. "But when it comes down to this week, it's Michigan versus Michigan State, and all of that goes out the window."
Bullough is the Spartans' leading tackler with 55, and Kerridge often will be a lead blocker. They're likely to meet quite often near the line of scrimmage, where victories and defeats are decided.
"In the past," said Kerridge, "it was Max Bullough and I across the ball from one another."
Max, now a reserve linebacker with the Houston Texans and Riley's older brother, also was Kerridge's teammate at St. Francis. Riley is a junior this year and Kerridge is a senior.
"This year, it will be Riley and I," said Kerridge. "It's an exciting thing. Both families are very knowledgeable about football. I was the running back and Riley was my quarterback. And we played linebacker positions together. Max was the middle linebacker and I played on the outside. Max also was the tight end on offense.
"High school was a lot of fun, but high school is high school. And now we've moved onto college."
No. 12 Michigan (5-1) and No. 7 MSU (6-0) both are 2-0 in the Big Ten, and the winner will control its own destiny in the conference's East Division race.
Kerridge had a big play for the Wolverines in Saturday's (Oct. 10) 38-0 win over Northwestern, then ranked No. 13. He went 34 yards on a third-and-one play that set up Michigan's third touchdown.
"It warms your heart to see a fullback pop a run 34 yards," head coach Jim Harbaugh said with a smile. "Heart-warming and nice to see that."
Kerridge said, "It was cool because on third-and-one, you are just trying to get that first down. The line did a great job of blocking, and I cut behind (center) Graham (Glasgow) and then I was off. I came around him and saw the open space. Whenever you get to get out there, you have to make the most of it.
"It's exciting because (backup fullback) Sione (Houma) is getting a lot of carries, and it's great to see some action with the fullback. We've been used a lot more this year."
Harbaugh values fullbacks in his offense, and also values Kerridge's leadership.
"He's an A-plus-plus," said Harbaugh. "From Day One, in terms of work ethic and being a role model and an example."
Kerridge was elected as the offensive captain by his teammates along with defensive captain Joe Bolden.
"They announced both our names at a team meeting after the votes were tabulated," said Kerridge, "and it was a humbling experience. It was something special. To be picked by my teammates is something I hold dear to my heart."
That announcement by Harbaugh came in the full team meeting room at Schembechler Hall -- the same place where, in 2013, Kerridge listened to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady address the players at his alma mater and say, "You know what the greatest honor I've ever received as a player is? In my fourth year and my fifth year, I was named team captain. That, to this day, is the single greatest achievement I've ever had as a football player because the men on this team chose me."
Kerridge said he recalled that heartfelt speech when his name was called.
"It gives you goose bumps," he said. "You look at the captains' wall outside the meeting room, and sometimes you ask, 'Why am I up there with all these great names? What did I do and what do I need to do to truly help this team this year?' So, you put it on your shoulders because you were nominated by your teammates."
Kerridge (6-0, 248 pounds), who missed some playing time with an ankle injury, has seven carries for 51 yards and four catches for 27 yards. Blocking and leadership is what he brings to most plays, practices and meetings.
"You watch the way Joe Kerridge prepares each week," said tight end Jake Butt. "We have these sheets we fill out for special teams, and usually guys write one or two sentences. He fills out the whole, entire sheet. He even puts notes on the special teams that he's not on. That speaks to his leadership.
"He knows what he's doing and is a positive guy, and tries to bring others around with him. And he has a crucial role in our offense: cracking skulls. And he does it real well."
Kerridge also leads in the classroom, where he is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He's preparing for a career in marketing or sales after football, and was inspired by his brother, Will, a Michigan graduate who is a radiologist.
"I always look at is as he took all the smarts," said Kerridge. "But I'm always trying to push what I can do in the classroom. I had a role model like him -- especially what he did in medical school and now during his residency. It was mind-blowing.
"I might have a rough day sometimes, but he does 10 times what I do in a day."
What does Kerridge believe are his strengths as a leader?
"I'm not the biggest rah-rah guy," he said. "But I am when I need to be. When things need to be changed, I am usually a one-on-one person. I'll talk to you about what needs to be done, and what we can do together. But when I need to be, I am going to be up in your face. I like to meet people alone and see if there is something more to this problem and see if we can fix it."
Kerridge said he learned how to be a leader from his father, John, an architect, and Wolverine linebacker and two-time captain Jake Ryan, now a rookie with the Green Bay Packers.
"I moved in with Jake Ryan during my sophomore year," said Kerridge," and I think that was one of the biggest things for me. I saw a guy who bounced back from ACL surgery by doing what he did, and now he's playing on Sundays. Just to see what he could do and his demeanor toward football, how he led, was something that made me aspire to be like him.
"And my dad, for my whole life, has always been there. He's always sending me quotes with texts every single day. The best one was sent during training camp and I said it at the team meeting: 'Lead in silence. Let your success be your words.' That stuck with me in camp because camp is always a grind."
The success the Wolverines are experiencing this season says much about Kerridge's leadership capabilities. He's helped them turn it around after a 5-7 season, and is one of the unsung heroes of a team on the rise.
