Asked to speak on junior kicker Dominic Zvada’s performance during Saturday’s postgame press conference, senior quarterback Davis Warren took a second to gather his thoughts. The short pause gave junior tight end Colston Loveland the perfect opportunity to chime in, and he only needed one word.
“Dawg,” Loveland said with a smile.
Warren agreed, echoing the same one-word praise before continuing to answer the question.
“He’s been kicking it so well all camp,” Warren said. “We’ve been yelling his name every time he drills one in practice. So it’s fun to watch him kick the ball and to know that once we get into his range, we’re guaranteed points.”
After putting on a show in fall camp, Zvada made an even bigger statement in his debut for the No. 10 Michigan football team. He was automatic against Fresno State, nailing all three of his field goal attempts from 45, 53 and 55 yards.
The performance earned him Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors, and he even started climbing the Wolverines’ leaderboards. His 55-yarder stands as the sixth-longest field goal in Michigan history, and he became just the second Wolverine to make two field goals from 50-plus yards in one game.
Transferring to Michigan from Arkansas State this offseason, Zvada announced his decision in late April after two fruitful seasons with the Red Wolves. He was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist as a freshman, missing just one field goal on the season and going a perfect 4-for-4 at Ohio State — the first kicker to do so since 2000.
Last season, Zvada racked up 92 points and started turning the heads of bigger programs — one of which, of course, was the Wolverines. After losing former kicker James Turner to the NFL Draft, Michigan wanted to add more experienced talent at the position. It’s still very early, but so far, Zvada has lived up to the standard set before him.
“We’re gonna keep being aggressive,” Warren said. “And it’s good to know, I mean, (since) I’ve been here, we’ve had (former kicker Jake) Moody, and then we had James Turner, and now we have Zvada. They’re all unbelievable. So it’s a big part of our team and important to us.”
Despite Saturday’s primetime season opener being his first real-life game in Michigan Stadium, Zvada didn’t feel like a stranger to the big stage. Speaking on Monday’s “Inside Michigan Football” radio show, Zvada explained how he visualized the moment through EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game.
Zvada would log onto the game just to kick field goals — yes, on every down — in the Big House. It gave him an opportunity to simulate the environment through a screen and watch the ball go through the posts.
So when the real-life time came, Zvada was ready. He rose to the occasion and put 12 of the Wolverines’ 30 points on the board.
“It’s just a great opportunity to keep getting reps, getting used to the atmosphere, used to the field, and just the speed of play,” Zvada said postgame. “So I’m really thankful that my coaches believed in me to put me out there. It was just a great night.”
With No. 3 Texas coming to town this weekend, Michigan hopes that Zvada can ride his Week 1 success into one of the Wolverines’ biggest matchups of the season. And if Loveland and Warren’s comments are any indication, his teammates have full faith in Zvada to continue filling the big shoes left by his predecessors.
The post Through Week 1, Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada living up to high standards appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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