The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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30 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 first game playing nickel and safety, "all over the field" in Harbaugh's words, and didn't let up for three weeks. He notched six tackles in each of the first two games, and was mostly avoided in week three, but had been a star along with junior defensive end/outside line- backer Aidan Hutchinson. Those two in particular really helped the transition to a new defensive scheme, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said. "Just seeing the defense go in there and play so hard for [Macdonald], to see them running around and making plays … credit to him, having those guys so prepared," Gattis said. "It's exciting to see 97 [Hutchinson] back out there run- ning around. You see the type of domi- nant player that he is. There are plays that you just look out there and see him make — and you see Dax Hill make — where you go like, 'Wow! How impres- sive those two guys are!'" The way Hill hides different looks has been a big part of the reason for their success, Gray added. "That position makes a big differ- ence for us in the back seven because his disguises play a big role in the quar- terback's checks and stuff like that — whether he's blitzing or not blitzing, the coverage he's playing or not playing," Gray explained. "They're pretty much looking at him to see what we're in, so him moving around and giving them different looks is really good for us in the back seven." Redshirt sophomore Gemon Green picked off a pass and played his "best game" against Northern Illinois, Har- baugh praised, acknowledging the play of the entire group. "Vince, [redshirt freshman cor- nerback] D.J. Turner … Dax contin- ues to play at a super high level," he said. "[Fifth-year senior safety] Brad Hawkins, [redshirt freshman safety] R.J. Moten … really, really good. "They're just playing with a lot of want to, playing with a lot of energy, playing really hard. You're seeing it in the secondary; really, you're seeing it at all positions." LINEBACKERS ARE FLYING TO THE BALL And especially at linebacker, where Hutchinson was dominant in the first two games with eight tackles and 3.5 sacks along with a number of quarter- back hurries. Northern Illinois had no choice but to give him some added atten- tion, but he still managed a sack on two tackles in about a half's worth of action in the blowout. The Performances Of First-Year U-M Coordinators The Past 25 Years Michigan had seven different defensive coordinators in the last 25 seasons before Mike Macdonald got the call this year, starting with the 1997 national championship campaign. Here's how each fared in their first years: Jim Herrmann, 1997: Herrmann's crew set the NCAA Division I FBS record for fewest yards allowed per pass completion (8.8 yards per completion, 100–149 completions) and led the Big Ten in most statistical categories behind eventual Heisman Trophy-winner Charles Woodson. The cornerback locked down half the field in becoming the first (and still only) primarily defensive player to win the Heisman. Michigan allowed only 222.8 yards and 9.5 points per game in a dominant campaign. Ron English, 2006: The Wolverines dominated defensively for most of the season behind an outstanding line featuring Alan Branch and LaMarr Woodley, while future pros like linebacker David Harris and cornerback Leon Hall also stood out. Ohio State (42 points) and USC (32) got the better of them in the final two games of the season, but U-M still finished 15th out of 119 teams in points allowed per game (15.9). Scott Shafer, 2008: Rich Rodriguez's first coordinator, hired away from Jim Harbaugh's Stanford team, didn't really get a chance. He was essentially relieved of his duties before a game at Purdue, a 48-42 loss in which the Wolverines went to a totally different defensive scheme in a week. U-M finished 3-9, Shafer was out at the end of the year and Rodriguez would follow two years later. Greg Robinson, 2009: Michigan finished 1-7 in Big Ten play, and the defense was a big part of the problem. It finished 91st nationally in rush defense, 82nd in total defense and 77th in scoring defense, allowing 27.5 points per game. Robinson would go out with Rodriguez the following season. Greg Mattison, 2011: New head coach Brady Hoke poached Mattison from the Baltimore Ravens, and the results were better than anyone could have hoped. The Wolverines went from No. 110 nationally in total defense to 17th, allowing 322.15 yards per game, and finished sixth nationally in scoring defense (17.38 points). It was one of the most impressive one-year turnarounds in program history. D.J. Durkin, 2015: After giving up 24 points in a loss at Utah to open the sea- son, Durkin's defenses allowed only 14 points over the next five games. There were disappointments, including giving up 41 points in a win at Indiana and 42 while getting dominated at home by Ohio State, but this was a solid group. Don Brown, 2016: Brown inherited some outstanding players and made the most of it. His defense led the country in several statistical categories and fin- ished second nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 14.1 points per game. — Chris Balas Captain Josh Ross was praised by head coach Jim Harbaugh for playing "as good as any linebacker" since he's been back at U-M. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL