The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
Cleanup Crew U-M's Linebacker Corps Leads The Way For The Impressive Michigan Rush Defense M By Andy Reid ichigan fans look back on the Wolverines' 23-20 overtime victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl after the 2011 season — the program's second-ever win in a BCS bowl — fondly. Linebackers coach Mark Smith remembers it as a close call, one that was almost disastrous because of a decision he made. The Hokies dominated the time of possession, racking up a 13:40 advantage. Smith played junior middle linebacker Kenny Demens and true freshman weakside linebacker Desmond Morgan for the entire game. And no matter how well they played that day, Demens and Morgan were bound to wear down eventually. After holding Virginia Tech to 242 total yards and just nine points through three quarters, the Michigan defense started to slip up in the fourth quarter. The Hokies mounted a comeback, with a 16-play, 61-yard touchdown drive — capped by a two-point conversion — to tie the score at 17. With four minutes left in the game, Virginia Tech drove 11 plays and 83 yards to kick a game-tying field goal with just two seconds left on the clock. All told, the Hokies, who were stifled offensively for 45 minutes, tallied 130 yards in the final quarter. Luckily, the Wolverines pulled out a wild win, thanks to the overtime heroics of kicker Brendan Gibbons and a Virginia Tech touchdown that was reviewed in the booth and was somewhat dubiously ruled an incomplete pass. A win is a win — but Smith re-evaluated his use of the linebackers. "I learned a hard lesson — a good lesson — in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago," Smith said. "I basically played Kenny and Desmond the entire time. By the end of that game, they weren't playing very well. They were exhausted, beat up. At that point, I decided, 'I need to have enough guys that I feel comfortable rotating in, so they don't play tired at the end of the game when you really need them.'" The rotation of linebackers began,