Michigan punter Blake O’Neill faced the media on Tuesday, and the fifth-year senior took full responsibility for the blunder that led to a heartbreaking loss against Michigan State over the weekend.
While the snap that O’Neill fumbled into the arms of a Spartan defender appeared a bit low, he said that had nothing to do with him muffing it.
“It wasn’t too bad,” O’Neill said, via Nick Bromberg of Dr. Saturday. “The protection was good, the snap was in my catch zone, and, if anything, just put me back out there for the next one and I’m sure I’ll make the kick.”
O’Neill, who is from Australia, admitted that his Australian rules football instincts were part of the reason he tried to scoop the ball up and kick it away after fumbling rather than simply falling on it. He said the only thing you can do in a situation like this is “pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again.”
When one reporter asked why O’Neill would even want to stand and field questions from the media, the punter had a great response.
“Why not?” O’Neill asked. ‘I think football’s a very interesting game. It has ups and downs, high and lows and I think that’s the beauty of it. I’m happy to speak if people are willing to listen.”
O’Neill made a mistake that just happened to be one of the costliest ones in Michigan football history. But before you think about hurling death threats like these at him on Twitter, remember that he’s a human and football is just a game. As O’Neill said multiple times, people make errors. It’s not like he wanted to blow the game. You can see more of his interview below:
