Kornacki: Unstoppable Peppers Worth the Hype
9/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There was somebody who found a way to stop Jabrill Peppers on a day when he otherwise ran wild.
It was Wolverines tight end Jake Butt, who beat him in a game of rock-paper-scissors for the right to go first in interviews for the "Inside Michigan Football" television show.
"Dang!" shouted Peppers.
After a first-round draw with both choosing scissors, Butt went with paper and Peppers went with rock, and paper covers rock.
Peppers had everything else covered in Saturday's (Sept. 17) 45-28 comeback win over Colorado.
He had 204 yards in all-purpose yardage on eight touches and got his long-awaited first touchdown return.
When informed of that total, Peppers was surprised.
"That was me?" he asked, pointing to himself. "Wow...really? Two hundred and four yards, wow. Wowww! That's crazy. I didn't even think about it like that. I just tried to do whatever I could, man.
"We were down, and when you are one of the playmakers, one of the guys who makes the team go, you've got to take it upon yourself to just try to make something happen."
Peppers did more than make something happen. He changed the game.
The Michigan linebacker/returner/tailback slashed away at the University of Colorado's 14-point lead until it was gone and then helped build an insurmountable 17-point lead.
Peppers put the game away with a 54-yard punt return touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
"It was definitely a sense of relief," said Peppers. "I felt like a couple of those punts I had, I definitely could've taken one back. But when you get a line drive and great blocking, if you don't score then, they've got to put somebody else back there."
Peppers paused to chuckle.
"The hole was open, and it was upon me to make a couple guys miss," he continued. "I did that and started cramping at the five. I said, 'There's no way I'm not getting in this time!' I was tired of just being an almost-kind-of-guy, and so it definitely felt good to finally punch one in."
He returned four punts for 99 yards to become a field-position machine.
"I was trying to put the offense in the best position possible," said Peppers. "They moved me over to the offense, and I tried to get my little swagger back on. I thought I'd been a little rustier than I was, but I felt pretty good. The guys on offense were doing a great job of blocking."
Peppers, who hadn't played offense in the first two games, had carries of seven and 17 yards.
He tilted the field on defense, making Colorado seemingly have to move uphill at times. Peppers blitzed for a drive-killing sack, had 3.5 tackles for lost yardage, one quarterback hurry and finished with nine tackles.
He returned a kickoff 55 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown for the lead Michigan never relinquished and also brought back another kickoff for 27 yards.
Peppers turned up everywhere and showed why there is no better all-around player in the nation.
Would you trade Peppers straight up for any other college football player?
"No," said quarterback Wilton Speight, without hesitation, "not at all. He's the best athlete pound-for-pound in college, probably in any sport. He's a freak."
Receiver Amara Darboh added: "No, I would not. He's too important to our team. He's on offense, defense, special teams and can do it all. So, I wouldn't trade him for anybody."
When Colorado was beginning to believe it could pull off a big upset, Peppers found ways to keep Michigan in the game. Then he found ways to put the Wolverines ahead.
Peppers lined up as a linebacker, edge rusher, nickel back, cornerback and safety. He blitzed, dropped back into coverage and roamed sideline to sideline.
"They would definitely max protect a lot when I would try to come on a blitz," said Peppers. "I was surprised how clear I got through (on the 11-yard sack). But that just goes to the coaching. They do a great job of setting us up in positions to excel."
Are teams having a tough time figuring out where Peppers will be on plays?
"I think so," said Peppers. "I can play corner, linebacker and end up back at safety. I try to disguise where I line up. The line makes their checks, and once I get them to make their checks, I back right on up, and that frees someone up.
"So, it's definitely a mind game. You try to keep 'em on their toes, and I think we did a great job of that today."
Peppers' speed, tenacity, quickness and technique are easy to see. However, it's the mental side of the game where he might stand out most. Harbaugh said the only other player he's had who learns plays and schemes as quickly as Peppers is Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, whom Harbaugh recruited and developed at Stanford.
Jabrill brings intimidation and results but also joy.
While dropping back to receive a punt in the third quarter, Peppers began retreating to his position with a several scissor kicks, bounding with joy seconds after Ryan Glasgow and Mike McCray combined for a third-down sack.
"I just love playing football, man," said Peppers. "Football is my life, and playing for a coach like (Jim) Harbaugh, he's going to make you dig deeper on how you love the game, because he's going to push you. Sometimes, you might not like it. But at the end of the day, he's just trying to make you the best player that you can be.
"Once I really understood that, how to buy in and hone in on what all the guys are telling me, it just became more fun. And everybody likes winning. That's more fun as well, and you can be happy for the guys around you as well. I was just excited that they got that sack."
-- Head coach Jim Harbaugh postgame
Harbaugh couldn't be happier with Peppers.
"I feel great with the ball in his hands," said Harbaugh. "I mean, he is a dynamic player, Jabrill Peppers, with the ball in his hand. So, he made the difference. A lot of players played some great football today, but Jabrill was by far the best guy out there in all phases. It was outstanding."
Peppers leads Michigan with both 28 tackles and 9.5 tackles-for-losses after three games and also has two sacks, three quarterback hurries (sharing the team lead with Chase Winovich), one forced fumble and a ton of impact.
New defensive coordinator Don Brown's decision to make Peppers a linebacker who roams the field is paying big dividends.
"Some of his hits are momentum-changing hits," added Harbaugh.
Peppers turned the tide for the Wolverines on Saturday when water was rising against them.
"We started out a little sluggish," said Peppers. "But it it's not how you start, it's how you finish. When it came down to it, we toughened up and pulled out a victory."
Peppers credited team nutritionists and trainers and the long, hard practices with enabling him to play so many plays. However, a special hunger also played a part.
"You don't even think about being tired when you're down," said Peppers. "You are just thinking about what I've got to do to get this win, dig deep. That's why you fill your well in (preseason) camp. So, when it's time to go back into that well and pull something out, if you haven't filled that well the way you were supposed to, there will be nothing there. But luckily, we were pushed to limits we couldn't even imagine, and we reached deep and pulled out the victory."
Count on Peppers to do that unless, of course, the game is rock-paper-scissors.
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