The Wolverine

September 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1477128

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 29 of 67

30 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022 BY CHRIS BALAS T he Michigan defense was one of the 2021 season's biggest surprises, with several first- year starters contributing to its great improvement. The back end became strength when several players, both safeties and corners, made jumps in their games. R.J. Moten, though, pretty much came out of no- where to claim his spot. A year after playing only one game as a fresh- man, Moten started five of 14 games, including the opener against Western Michigan, and became a huge part of the defense. He notched 34 tackles and broke up 4 passes, picked off 1 pass while making an impact as a sophomore. Pro Football Focus (PFF) now proj- ects him as the No. 6 NFL Draft-eligible safety in 2023. Sophomore safety Rod Moore insisted this year was going to be Moten's year to shine, and the junior is embracing those expectations. "Going into last year, I just wanted to play," Moten said. "I hated sitting on the sidelines just watching. I was never hating other people on the team, but I wanted to be out there. So last year it was just do everything you can to play. "Now, seeing what it really is and how much really goes into it, this year I'm taking care of my body a lot more and studying the game a lot more. I under- stand the playbook — now I've just got to understand how the offense is trying to attack us, different fronts, where I've got to fit now. It is taking a deeper dive into what I did the previous year." But there's no question the 6-foot, 223 pounder has the ability. PFF noted "the fluidity he plays with at that size is really a sight to behold," and now he's another year wiser. So are his most of his teammates. Though they lost a pair of elite ends in Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, and a first-round NFL Draft pick in safety Dax Hill, the guys who returned are as hungry as Moten was last year to elevate their games. Moten has seen it every day at camp, and he can't wait to unleash it on oppo- nents. "We're all stars. Every person that will play this year is a star," Moten said in response to head coach Jim Harbaugh's comment that Michigan could have an outstanding "no-star" defense this year. "I don't care what the critics say — I don't care what anybody else says. We will be the best defense in the nation." Everybody is "understanding what their one-eleventh is," Moten said, and knowing their roles within the defense. Pre-snap communication has been outstanding, and it has helped the de- fense hold its own against what should be a fantastic offense. They're all on the same page, Moten noted. And even though there's a new coordinator in Jesse Minter, it's still Year 2 of a very similar defense, given that Minter and last year's coordinator, Mike Macdon- ald, have worked together in the past. "I feel like everything's just the way it's supposed to be," Moten said. "We understand the defense. Our tackling has gotten better … our coverage has gotten better. We're able to put little things in. I really think the whole de- fense is what it's supposed to be right now. "… I love Coach Minter. I really do enjoy him. He's got the same mindset as Coach Mac, so nothing really has changed. Same defenses — just a little different. But his mindset is 'Michigan versus everybody,' and he wants to go win a Big Ten championship and bring home a natty [national championship." Moten, too, has similar team goals, VERSATILE PLAYMAKER Junior Safety R.J. Moten Is Ready To Pick Up Where He Left Off Moten, on U-M's defensive lineup "We're all stars. Every person that will play this year is a star."

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - September 2022