The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 33 Redshirt sophomore Devin Gil and sophomore Josh Ross have shared Mc- Cray's vacated weakside linebacker spot, learning on the fly with different strengths. "J-Ross has got a heavy hit," noted middle linebacker Devin Bush Jr. "He's a big run-stop guy. He got really good in the pass game. Devin Gil run fits, too. He's more of a finesse guy. J-Ross is more of a brute — he's going to use his force against you. "Gil got a lot better in the scheme, and he's playing at a high level right now. He's doing a great job, [against the] run and pass, and blitzing." Hawkins remains the first backup safety in, while fifth-year senior Bran- don Watson picked off a pass against Notre Dame and has performed very solidly as a cornerback frequently ro- tating into the coverage. WORKING OUT THE BUGS Michigan's penalty barrage in the SMU game proved troubling, although Harbaugh and others on his staff weren't on board with some of the of- ficiating decisions involved. The head coach particularly took exception to the second Michigan targeting penalty in three games. The second one involved junior vi- per Khaleke Hudson, who was tossed early in the second half against SMU for helmet-to-helmet contact and had to sit out the first half of the Big Ten opener against Nebraska. Harbaugh pointed out afterwards that the play was in "the box," near the line of scrimmage, and pointedly won- dered if all such plays — where the combatants are trying to get low and gain leverage in the trenches melee — are going to be flagged going forward. For their part, the Wolverines feel they're going to be very strong on the defensive side of the ball, once they smooth out certain aspects. "We can do a lot better," Metellus said following the SMU game, in which he delivered a much-needed 73- yard interception return touchdown that staked U-M to a 21-7 halftime lead. "We strive on being the best defense in the nation. Today, we didn't really look like it. There are a lot of things we can do on our end to tighten it up. "We played through the penalties really well. We fought. I thought our defense had a lot of character. We kept getting flag after flag, and we kept finding a way to stop them, or making it extremely hard for them to get in the end zone. I just like how our defense held up to that challenge and that ad- versity." Asked specifically about the third- down struggles, Metellus noted: "I feel like we've been great on third down. It's just flags. Third down, we get off the field. We just have to keep doing what we've been doing, but limit the flags." ❏ Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich has been perhaps the brightest spot on the defense while notching 6.5 tackles for loss through three games, which ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for fifth nationally. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Biggest Question Marks For The Defense Michigan steamed toward Big Ten play not having convinced everyone they'll be the dominant defensive squad most predicted when they returned nine starters from last season. That doesn't mean they won't, but the lock-down defense wasn't completely locked down. Here are the three biggest questions looming for the early portion of the Big Ten season and October's meatiest portion of the schedule: 1. Can Michigan stay aggressive yet limit crushing penalties? Two targeting calls in the first three games kept a key performer off the field for an extended period. It hurt the Wolverines in a game-changing touchdown at Notre Dame and affected them against SMU. Plus, the Mustangs enjoyed more than an extra 100 yards of offense through Michi- gan's defensive penalties. That's plenty, when it's nearly a third of the total offense. Through three games, U-M has surrendered 60 first downs; more than a quarter — 17 of them, or 28.3 percent — have come via a referee's flag. Don Brown wants an aggressive defense, without question. The Wolverines have to walk a finer line between aggression and the sort of plays that cost penalty walk-offs. 2. Can the Wolverines return to form on third downs? Harbaugh spoke following the SMU game on just getting better every day, when asked about the key third-down situations. Michigan has the personnel to get it done, but there's a significant gap between last year's nation-leading 26.1 percent on third-down defense and the 34.8 percent — tied for 59th in the land — the Wol- verines posted heading into conference play. That's a number to watch as the league ramps up. The best defense is the one sit- ting on the sidelines, and that involves getting off the field when you can. 3. How will the depth develop and hold up? The Wolverines have gone without defensive tackles Aubrey Solomon and Law- rence Marshall for most of the first part of the season, and several others have stepped in, with varying degrees of success. Targeting penalties took two other starters off the field, and there has been the usual shuffling with in-game bang-ups. Michigan has players to rotate in, and it's doing so. How those individuals develop, get comfortable and make more plays along the way will have a say in the overall success. — John Borton