The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495881
APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 31 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL game. That heart … everything you could ask for. I honestly wouldn't want anyone else stepping on a football field with me." So far, Barner said, the fit's been as good as he'd hoped. The Michigan players have accepted him with open arms, and he feels he fits with the culture. "It kind of goes into why I came here, just because I'm a guy that likes playing a tough brand of football," Barner said. "You turn on the TV, you see Michigan running the ball. Play action, physical up front … I'm the type of player that loves to do that. … "I know how much football means to this place. Just that opportunity and the opportunity to go compete for a national title, Big Ten championship … that's the standard. It's not just like a goal that may be out of reach. That's the standard, and that's what we're shooting for." — Chris Balas MICHIGAN DEFENSE WORKING TO TURN 'WEAKNESS' INTO STRENGTH Michigan made the jump from "good" in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first several seasons to "great" in 2021 and 2022, win- ning back-to-back Big Ten titles. Now, the Maize and Blue are looking to launch from "great" to "elite," with winning the national championship in Houston Jan. 8, 2024, being the ultimate goal. Michigan ranked sixth nationally in to- tal defense, seventh in scoring defense, seventh against the rush and 20th against the pass in 2022. The Wolverines ended the season on a sour note in the College Football Playoff, though, allowing 51 points in a 51-45 loss to TCU. Michigan was a play away from making the national title game and taking on Georgia, which beat Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. The margins at this level, especially when attempting to make the climb to "elite" status are razor thin. But the Wol- verines are intent on improving and being better prepared to take advantage of the next opportunity to win the program's first national title since 1997. Pass rush is an area Michigan is work- ing to improve. Senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, a likely captain and perhaps the team's best defensive player, said the interior of the line, especially, is "obsess- ing" over it. Michigan ranked 32nd in the country with a 34.9 percent pressure rate and 33rd with 2.64 sacks per contest last season. Against its toughest two opponents, Ohio State and TCU, though, the Wolverines only registered 2 combined sacks. The Horned Frogs ended Michigan's season by making timely throws, some when the Wolverines had to blitz because they didn't get enough heat on quarterback Max Duggan with only four rushers. When asked if the pass rush could be the missing piece to Michigan winning the national championship, Jenkins said, "Yes, sir." "That's one of the weaknesses that we identified about ourselves in the room," the Michigan defensive lineman ex- plained. "We were able to establish our- selves as one of the main running threats in college football, and we wanted to really emphasize making the quarterback really fear us this year on pass rush. That's also been our emphasis. "We want to turn our weaknesses into our strengths, continue to chisel away at our strengths, as well, so we continue to dominate in every aspect of the game. We think we're moving in the right direction right now, so we're going to continue to trend upward from here. We've still got work to do." The edge rushers accounted for 19.5 of the team's 37 sacks last season. Line- backers and defensive backs notched 11, leaving only 6.5 for the interior defensive line, including 2 from Jenkins. Jenkins, who says he's up to 300 pounds after playing at 285 at the end of last season, believes Michigan has the ingredients to pick it up in that regard. "You're going to be seeing a lot of [sophomore] Mason Graham, [graduate] Cam Goode, absolutely a lot from [junior] Rayshaun Benny — he's a beast and he comes off the ball quick. As well as most of the guys across the board. [Sopho- more] Kenneth Grant, I could list them. "They all bring their unique traits on pass rush, so y'all are going to love it. They're gonna fly around." Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston is in his second year on the staff and has had a huge impact on the group, helping them reach their goals and hold- ing them to a high standard. "He's definitely influenced us to be not only a dominant defensive line, but also a technically sound defensive line," Jen- kins explained. "He's really improved our football IQ, really understanding not just what our job is but why we do our job and how we can do our job better in certain situations and how it'll impact the team." — Clayton Sayfie Second-year defensive line coach Mike Elston has already had a big impact on his position group, and he will be looking to help take the pass rush to an even higher level next fall. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF