Michigan punter won’t let gaffe ruin life
Blake O’Neill, the Michigan punter whose botched play led to an extraordinary final-second Michigan State comeback Saturday, will not be fazed by the criticism and social media backlash he has received, according to the coach who turned him into an American football player.
O’Neill, from Melbourne, Australia, played his first game on the gridiron last year, converting to a punter after playing Australian rules football. He was trained by Nathan Chapman of Prokick Australia and spent a successful season at Weber State last year before switching to Michigan as a graduate transfer.
O’Neill’s mishap at the Big House on Saturday provoked an angry reaction from some Wolverines fans that included death threats, according to MLive.com.
“It is not nice for young blokes to have unpleasant things said about them on the Internet,” Chapman told USA TODAY Sports by telephone. “But all he is going to care about is that he wants to go out there and do the best for his team. Saturday was a rough day for him on a big occasion, but he’s got to take it on the chin and come back stronger.”
O’Neill, 22, is part of a growing trend toward Australian kickers and punters in college football, thanks in large part to the specific skills they have acquired playing Australia’s national game.
In Australian rules football, where players do not wear padding or helmets, O’Neill suffered a split liver several years ago. He has also worked as a male model and is pursuing a masters degree in sports management.
In the first quarter of Michigan’s 27-23 defeat to its in-state rival, O’Neill boomed a spectacular 80-yard punt that landed inside the Michigan State 1-yard line.
But the play that will go down in the folklore of the rivalry was the last one of the night. O’Neill fumbled the snap, and after he picked up the ball and tried to still get a kick off, it flew into the hands of the Spartans’ Jalen Watts-Jackson, who ran it back for the game-winning touchdown.
“It is a rough day, and when something like that happens in a big game you are going to cop a lot of heat,” Chapman said. “But Michigan fans should embrace him instead of trying to drag him down.
“He is a tough kid, and in this game you need to have a thick skin. I’ve reached out to him with a bit of tongue in cheek by text, and we will be here for him if he needs picking up.
“But he’s worked as hard as anyone to get here, and he’ll be looking forward for the next game to come around quickly and move on.”