The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 65 T here have been very few things for Michigan fans to be encour- aged about this season. One year after winning the national champion- ship, Michigan football is staring down a more-than-nominal chance of missing a bowl game. The Wolverines have not found a viable signal-caller despite playing quarterback roulette. The wideouts have been nearly invisible. The offensive line has fallen well short of expectations. The defense's tackling has severely declined. And the team does not look well-coached — from the schemes and calls drawn up by of- fensive coordinator Kirk Campbell and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to some indefensible game management miscues by head coach Sherrone Moore. It's clear the Maize and Blue need a reset this winter. However, there's one unit that has lived up to the hype, and it should not be underappreciated. Michigan's ferocious defensive line, of course. Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant were billed as the coun- try's best defensive interior duo in the preseason. They have not disappointed. Their traditional stats should be men- tioned — 7 tackles for loss (TFL) and 3.5 sacks for Graham and 5 TFL and 2 sacks for Grant through 10 games — but they do not do them justice. Although those numbers are great for that position, de- fensive tackles do not usually rack up traditional stats because it is easier for offenses to try to avoid them. Defensive tackles mostly make their impact by dis- rupting the play at the point of attack and opening gaps for their teammates to storm in and make plays. And Graham and Grant have been dis- ruptive monsters. Graham has the sec- ond-best Pro Football Focus grade (89.2) among defensive tackles nationally and is tied for the second in stops (23), which PFF defines as "tackles that constitute a 'failure' for the offense." Most impres- sively, he is playing at the same level as last season — 90.0 PFF defensive grade — despite averaging nearly 14 more snaps per game this season. Without the ben- efit of rest, he has not slowed down at all. The same thing can be said for Grant. His PFF defensive grade (80.6) is almost identical to his grade last season (80.4) despite averaging 47.7 snaps in 2024 ver- sus 26.9 snaps in 2023. This is even more of a compliment for Grant. Graham has always had a high-end motor, but there were questions whether Grant could be as effective at 340 pounds when staying on the field longer. Grant has proven any such doubters wrong and has remained an incredible force on the gridiron. Of the defensive tackles that have played at least 50 percent of snaps, Michigan is the only school with two ranked in the top 20 of PFF's defensive grades — Graham at No. 2 and Grant at No. 18. Michigan does not have only the best pair of defensive tackles either. The Wol- verines also can instill fear on the edge outside of Graham and Grant. Defen- sive end Josiah Stewart has the second- highest defensive grade on PFF in all of college football (91.9) — even higher than Graham. While his run defense has been grand (11 TFLs and 24 PFF stops), he has been an absolute terror with his pass rush. His 6.5 sacks are in the top 20 nationally, and his pass-rush win rate according to PFF is 25.1 percent, which is fourth overall and first among those who have played at least half of their team's snaps. He has camped out in the oppo- nents' backfield all year long. His edge-mate Derrick Moore has been no slouch either. Although his run defense has been so-so, Moore can put nearly as much pressure on the quarter- back as Stewart. Among defensive ends who have played at least half of their team's snaps, Moore is 11th in PFF's pass rush grade (85.3) and fourth in its pass- rush win rate (20.3 percent) with 26 total pressures. Moore's pressures have not material- ized into sacks for himself (only 2) like Stewart, but he has created havoc for the defense. Graham, Grant, Stewart and Moore have been relentless up front all season for Michigan's defense. They consti- tute one of the best defensive lines in the country and one of the best that the Wolverines have ever had in their pro- gram. This defensive line unit may not have the depth that it had last season or in 2016 when eight to nine players could rotate. But the starters are all elite. Unfortunately, one unit, even as good as this one, cannot salvage an entire defense. Injuries, leaks and other is- sues have plagued the back seven, and offenses have been able to effectively scheme around Michigan's defensive line with quick throws on screens, slants, and in routes. But that doesn't mean we're not watching greatness. Those four should be applauded for their effort and excel- lence, even in a down year. And they should be properly appreciated as they don the winged helmet for these final games of 2024 — and probably their ca- reers. ❑ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Down Year, But D-Line Dominated Junior Mason Graham had the second-best Pro Football Focus grade (89.2) among defensive tackles nationally through Week 11 and was tied for the second in stops (23), which PFF defines as "tackles that constitute a 'failure' for the offense." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett.