Tuman proud of graceful grab

WARREN ZINN/Daily Even though Michigan tight end Jerame Tuman's patented slant route is often keyed upon by opposing defenses, the senior managed to make a spectacular catch in a crucial situation for the Wolverines last Saturday.

By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Editor

It was not your typical head-down, forearm-bared, shoulder-leveled Jerame Tuman reception.

It was much more elegant than that. It was stretching, reaching and cradling ever so carefully. It all took place in mid-air. It ended with a ballerina's toe-touch, one toe down inbounds, before the rest of the 248 pounds crashed to the ground out of bounds. It might have looked like Baryshnikov, but it was Tuman.

And he loved it.

"I was proud of that catch," Tuman said with a grin. "I thought it was a good catch. I'd like to think that I can make those kinds of catches all the time, but I was proud of that one."

Tuman's grab was all the more important because of Michigan's situation at the time. The Wolverines trailed, 9-7, with less than 10 minutes to play in the game, and were faced with third-and-seven from Iowa's 19 yard line. Brady lofted a pass toward the sideline, and when Tuman pulled it in, the Wolverines were suddenly in a much more favorable position: First-and-goal, from the Iowa 10. Jay Feely kicked the game-winning field goal four plays later.

It was a beautiful catch, no question - just not the type people have come to expect from the bruising tight end. And believe it or not, Tuman said yesterday that he actually visualized himself making such a catch only moments before actually doing it. That doesn't change the fact, however, that it was out of the ordinary.

His nine-yard reception in the first quarter, on the other hand - now that was prototypical Jerame Tuman.

Tuman gathered a Brady pass over the middle, and as he turned upfield, he found a defensive back in his way. One forearm-shiver later, however, the cornerback was flat on his back. Tuman rolled past him for a few more yards.

He finished the day with four catches - most among Michigan receivers - for 34 yards. It was the type of game that seemed to be commonplace for Tuman last season, but that hasn't been as frequent thus far in '98.

After a stellar junior season, Tuman was pegged this year as a preseason All-American. But the honor made certain that Tuman wouldn't take opposing defenses by surprise, as he seemed to do quite frequently last season. The all-too-familiar, delayed-slant-across-the-middle-of-the-field pattern - the one that Tuman and Brian Griese worked so many times to perfection last year - had become, in fact, all too familiar to opposing defenses. They took it away. So Tuman's reception rate has gone down. And after every game, he's asked if he's bothered by his apparently decreased role in the offense.

"I've never been the type of guy who really looks at those kinds of things," Tuman said. "I think maybe teams were expecting us to go to me a lot on offense, so it opened things up for some of the other guys.

"But it really doesn't matter to me. I enjoy patting someone else on the back just as much as catching a pass."

Making changes: Lloyd Carr said yesterday he's decided to make a change in the punt return game, where James Whitley has struggled. Carr said that the duties will likely be handled by Tai Streets, who handled a couple punts against Iowa.

Carr said the decision to replace Whitley was a difficult one.

"I said, 'You know, James, when things go poorly, and when you're being criticized, and when things aren't going well for you, that's when you have to remain confident in yourself,'" Carr said. "I said, 'You know and we know and everybody on this football team knows you can catch punts and you can run with it. That isn't going to change simply because you dropped a punt or you fumbled the ball."

Carr also said that Whitley could return punts again, maybe even later this season, if he continues to work in practice.

"That kid, you know, he's down, and I hurt for him," Carr said. "But I also have confidence in him. Someday, he'll be out there, and he'll catch a punt and run for a touchdown, and he will have learned something valuable."

10-07-98