Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock (15) looks to hand off the ball in the first quarter against BYU at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, September 26, 2015.
ANN ARBOR -- Jim Harbaugh's yet to see Jake Rudock get flustered.
He's seen mistakes and misreads, and he's seen his fifth-year senior quarterback have to fight through rough patches. But he still hasn't seen him lose his cool.
Rudock's played Michigan State before, but never like this. Saturday will be his first and only Michigan-Michigan State battle, and plenty will be on the line. There will be pressure, intensity, some highs and some lows. But Michigan expects Rudock to remain cool through it all.
It's a big part of the reason why he's the team's starter in the first place.
"He's playing his best football (right now)," Harbaugh said this week of Rudock in advance of Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State tilt (3:30 p.m., ESPN). "(He's been) consistently good each and every week. (He) doesn't get rattled."(We've) come to expect that."
Rudock will enter the biggest game of Michigan's season on the heels of his best game as a Wolverine.
The 6-foot-3 Iowa transfer went 17 of 23 for 179 yards and zero turnovers in a 38-0 win over Northwestern a week ago. Michigan hasn't asked Rudock to re-write record books this season, it's simply asked him to protect the football and win games.
For the season, Rudock's completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,135 yards, 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. The turnovers have been a problem, but in the end, he's 5-1 -- and he's the same quarterback mentally after a touchdown or a negative rush.
Which, for Michigan's offense right now, is highly important.
"Being patient helps, but there's other times where you don't want to be too patient, like if a pocket's breaking down or something," Rudock says. "There's a healthy balance (there) that's sometimes hard to find. "But you're trying to find it as much as you can."
Staying on schedule. Taking advantage of open looks down field. Not turning it over. Keeping Michigan out of rough spots and making sure every drive ends with a kick.
Those -- plus winning -- are Rudock's jobs.
And halfway through his first and only season at Michigan, the staff insists he's reaching a level of comfort during games and at practice. An intense film study, Rudock now feels more comfortable going to any teammate during or after a practice to correct a mistake, or offer a tip for any situation on offense.
"It's not always perfect, so we're constantly correcting and teaching and telling him and asking him and challenging him and wondering 'why,' " passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch says. "The most important thing is, you've got to be able to answer 'why.' The 'why'd you throw it there, what did you see?' You have to have an answer. If you have an answer, we can help.
"If you don't have an answer, you're predetermining the decision and that's what we try to avoid."
According to Fisch, Rudock's ability to answer the "why" after each throw he makes in practice or a game has gotten better and better, and appears to be at an all-time high. He knows the scheme and understands Harbaugh's game plans now more than he did six weeks ago.
Which makes sense, of course.
Earlier this season, center Graham Glasgow explained how Rudock was, in many ways, like a true freshman when he arrived on campus this summer. But now, he's viewed as a leader.
And Saturday, he'll have to put it all together in a highly-anticipated rivalry game. Michigan State's secondary has had its issues this season, as the Spartans now rank 10th in the Big Ten in pass defense (242 yards per game allowed).
The Spartans have allowed 26 passing plays of 20 yards or more. Only Rutgers, Indiana and Nebraska are worse in the league. Chunk plays may be open Saturday, but Rudock has to find them and execute. He can't over-shoot sure-fire touchdowns or miss an open receiver streaking down the sideline.
Last week against Northwestern, he found an open Jake Butt on a 32-yard play during the game's first offensive series. He found Jehu Chesson for 27 yards on the second drive. Both plays helped pull back Northwestern's defense a bit, and create more breathing room for Michigan's running game. He also rushed for his third touchdown of the season, another part of his game.
Michigan's quarterback play during the last two games against Michigan State has been rough, with three combined interceptions and zero touchdown passes. Rudock will have to turn that around.
And composure will be key.
"The rivalry games, I've played in them before," says Rudock, who went 26 of 46 for 241 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 picks in a 10-point loss to MSU at Iowa in 2013. "You try to not get too distracted by it, but you know it's a big game for both schools. ... You can't get distracted, but you still have to understand -- it's one of those games.
"Coach is always adamant about having really good practices. We're trying to do just that. One day at a time. ... You start looking ahead, and everything falls apart."
Source : http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/10/jake_rudocks_composure_impress.html
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