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Posted on Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 2:16 p.m.

Martavious Odoms is 'full go;' kicker will be situation-based and more

By Rich Rezler

martavious_odoms.jpg

Junior wide receiver Martavious Odoms is "full go" for Saturday's Gator Bowl, coach Rich Rodriguez said on Friday.

AnnArbor.com file photo

JACKSONVILLE - The Michigan football team will have one of its top offensive players back in the lineup for Saturday’s Gator Bowl.

Coach Rich Rodriguez said Friday that junior receiver Martavious Odoms, once thought to be lost for the season to a broken foot, will be “full go” against Mississippi State (1:30 p.m., ESPN2).

“That’s probably the most pleasant surprise from a health standpoint. We didn’t think Martavious would be able to play at all, the rest of the year, after his injury,” Rodriguez said. “His rehab came along well, I think the training staff did a good job and Martavious really worked hard.”

Odoms was Michigan’s active career leader in receptions (86) and receiving yards (929) when he was injured against Michigan State. Sophomore Roy Roundtree surpassed Odoms in both categories during his six-game absence.

“You’ll see him in there rotating the same as the starters and getting back to the same role he was in earlier in the year, which is pretty exciting for us,” Rodriguez said.

Odoms caught 15 passes for 214 yards before his injury. He was also listed as the team’s starting punt and kick returner for the Michigan State game. Rodriguez said Friday he’ll be part of the return game in the Gator Bowl.

Getting a kick Asked if he’s settled on a starting place-kicker in the weeks leading up to the Gator Bowl, Rodriguez laughed and said, “I haven’t.”

Instead, he’ll call on sophomore Brendan Gibbons or freshman Seth Broekhuizen based on the situation.

“It depends on what hash we’re on and what the distance is,” Rodriguez said. “And if they do get the opportunity, it depends on how they perform if they go back out there.”

Broekhuizen made three of nine field goal attempts this season. Gibbons was 1-of-4.

Heating up in Jacksonville Gator Bowl officials are thrilled that the unseasonably cool Florida weather has turned, with temperatures hovering in the low 70s on Friday and expected to be around 75 at Saturday’s kickoff.

Playing its first warm-weather game in months has Rodriguez a little concerned, however.

“Seventy-five degrees feels like 95 to us. We have to have a lot more guys prepared to play. There’s going to be more people playing than when the game’s a little cooler and you don’t have guys getting cramped up and losing so many fluids,” he said.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen agreed that it will take some time to get his players’ bodies adjusted to warmer temperatures after a couple weeks of cool bowl preparation.

But, overall, the Bulldogs are looking forward to a little heat.

“We don’t have a lot of cold weather fans on our team,” Mullen said. “If you asked us if we’d rather play in hot weather or cold weather, I think everybody on roster would all say the hotter the better for us.”

Pahokee ties Odoms’ return to the lineup means he may have a run-in with former Pahokee (Fla.) High School teammate Pernell McPhee, a defensive lineman at Mississippi State.

McPhee was teammaptes with two other current Michigan players, Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne, at Pahokee. Any reunion will have to wait until after the game, however.

“We’re all good, close friends and we all hang out,” McPhee said. “But, you know, it’s game time now. So we’re going to be enemies on the field.”

Celebrating 2011 A reporter asked Michigan senior safety Jordan Kovacs how the team planned to ring in the new year. Before he had a chance to respond, Rodriguez jumped in with, “I can answer that for you.”

Rodriguez didn’t elaborate, but the answer probably didn’t include catching the fireworks display over downtown Jacksonville.

“We just plan on being back at the hotel, relaxing and thinking about the game,” Kovacs said.

QB will wear No. 36 Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf will wear jersey No. 36 during the Gator Bowl instead of his normal No. 14.

The 36 jersey was previously worn by sophomore defensive end Nick Bell, who died from brain cancer during the season. McPhee, fraternity brother Kendrick Cook and former roommate Charles Mitchell switched to 36 previously this season.

The number is an unusual one for a quarterback. But Mullen wore 36 as a high school quarterback in New Hampshire.

Quote of the day Mullen on defending Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson: “When you’re playing Denard Robinson, there’s a premium on hitting him, grabbing him, wrapping him up, surrounding him with 11 different guys on the field at one time. That’s the premium. When you play a guy like him, he has the ability to make the first guy miss and break the second tackle. So you better be getting a lot of guys to the football.”

Rich Rezler covers sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at richrezler@annarbor.com or 734-623-2552.

Comments

RWBill

Sat, Jan 1, 2011 : 10:41 a.m.

Can he play corner? That would be the best news. Good for him to recover so well, at any rate.

trigg7

Sat, Jan 1, 2011 : 1:39 a.m.

What a joke this team and coach are. MSU by 10.

tulsatom

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 9:08 p.m.

amzack, No I don't know everything they've done behind the scenes. I am making my observation based on things RR has said in public, like asking (during the season) if there were any walk-on kickers in the student body who wanted to try out and how he hoped to find a kicker on the way to Happy Valley -- not exactly confidence boosters for the kickers on scholarship. On one of the other threads I predicted a UM victory 34-31 and I am sticking by that. Happy New year to you and the rest of Wolverine nation.

amzack

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 8:53 p.m.

tulsatom: do you honestly think you know everything RR and the coaching staff has done to address the kicking problems? You actually think everything the coaches do is shared with the media? RR & company has done more than seek help from walk-ons and offer up "flipant" comments (which I would argue were not flippant if you heard him speak about it vs interpreting the tones of quotes in the paper). They have brought in sports psychologist for one thing, and who knows what else they've tried to help the kickers. We may differ on RR's fate for next year, but I hope you are like me and hope Michigan wins big tomorrow (which I'm guessing has zero effect on RR's fate). All the best in 2011 Tom, and Go Blue!

tulsatom

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 8:38 p.m.

Macabre Sunset: I wonder who gets the nod when it's a field goal down the middle.

Macabre Sunset

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 8:24 p.m.

I believe Michigan might have the first platoon system (left hash/right hash) for kickers in organized football history.

mjwinkie

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 6:02 p.m.

long live the King

tzgoblue

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 5:25 p.m.

Robert If RR announcement is that he is being retained, there will be several people looking stupid, however, it won't be any of the fans that want him fired. The real people that will look stupid work for UM and one of them will have initials of DB

Robert

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 4:39 p.m.

You negative fools will find anything to pick on Rich Rod for. Can't wait til you're all left looking stupid when its announced that he is here to stay.

tulsatom

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 4:26 p.m.

Here is what I would do about the kickers that RR hasn't done based on some of his previous comments like asking for walk-ons to try out and flippantly commenting about trying to pick up a kicker on the side of the road on the way to a road game or something to that effect. I would say to the kickers, "I believe in you. You can do it" even when they are coming off the field after a miss instead of publicly belittling them. A kicker's success is based on ability, practice, self-confidence, the ability to handle pressure, and the confidence and encouragement of the coaches. The Michigan kickers are lacking the confidence and encouragement of the coaches and I bet that is a big factor in their lack of success. My son used to miss a lot of his 3-point shots in basketball games and didn't think he could ever make another one although he could make them all day in practice. I spent time with him encouraging him and convincing him that a game situation is like a glorified practice and all of sudden he started making them. Maybe RR should try that approach for a change.

mgoblue48348

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 4:22 p.m.

I was told by another blogger that Rod Smith is the kicking coach

The Ben

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 4:20 p.m.

I actually like RichRod's approach to press conference questions. Who cares if he laughs? Games are serious business. Press conferences are not. If there is anything in college football that deserves some laughter, it's press conferences.

mgoblue48348

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:53 p.m.

Hey finally something RR will not be blamed for thank you Martavious. Although you could say he was slowed by RR and should have been ready for Ohio State. Go Blue

Mick

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:47 p.m.

TOSU, I agree w/you buddy, poor planning once again by RR, what else is new? I've become very accustomed to RR's silly responses when he obviously has no answer. But wait, an RR supporter will come in and explain all of this for us. ESPN is reporting that Charlie Weis is headed to Miami(The U) to become OFF Coor., I find that rather interesting and why the heck would he do that, head scratcher to me. Notre Dame looks well coached today and ready to play, what a concept! Brian Kelly was my personal 1st choice 3 yrs ago to be M's coach with JH as my 2nd choice. At the time I felt like BK had proven more than JH. However now I would want JH 1st, however I still think BK would have been awesome at U-M. I'll tell you what, ND will be on the rise with that guy, mark my word, all the more reason DB needs to pull the trigger on RR.

BleedMazeNBlue

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:44 p.m.

What would you do blu? He has sent these kids to sport psychologist. He has done everything in his power. What would you like him to do? What would please you that can be done? Put yourself in his shoes instead of being the critic on the outside.

Blu-n-Tpa

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:39 p.m.

Bled, After all that time and all those games and practices he doesn't know?! Who's COACHING these guys? No, really do you know who is COACHING the kickers? I would like to know?

BleedMazeNBlue

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.

"24 hours to gametime (I can't say "kickoff') and Rich-Rod LAUGHS that he doesn't know who his kicker is? Pathetic, really pathetic." It's a comical situation I must admit. Both of these kids can get the job done in practice. He answered the only logical way. They will send one of them out on the field and see how they perform. They will not be signing a new kicker until next year. What would you want him to say?

The OSU

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:17 p.m.

24 hours to gametime (I can't say "kickoff') and Rich-Rod LAUGHS that he doesn't know who his kicker is? Pathetic, really pathetic.

Blu-n-Tpa

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 2:53 p.m.

Asked if Michigan has a kicker, RR stated "yes, three of clubs." After almost 5 months of practices and games he doesn't know. I'm shocked. To paraphrase, "If you got two kickers, you don't have any."

tulsatom

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 2:50 p.m.

Martavious Odoms being able to play is definitely good news. Hopefully, he can make a big play or two receiving, returning punts (hopefully there will be some) and kickoff returns.