The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/362774
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL holes that we could, and did, exploit, but we expect a much more physical defense this season." On the secondary: "There's no one that really hits you like some teams, so you knew you could get away with going over the middle or going up for a ball because you weren't going to take a lick. Some teams have these safeties that will just kill you, but Michigan wasn't one of them. They did have a guy [junior Jarrod Wilson] that was around the ball a lot, but he wasn't a headhunter." On redshirt junior cornerback Blake Countess: "I thought Blake Countess was tough to play against. He's not real physical, but he's one of those guys that knows what he does well and what he doesn't. And he sort of lulled us to sleep. We kept thinking that we could go at him, and I think that's what he wanted because he stepped in front of two balls, picked one, and we didn't throw at him very much after that." On freshman nickel back Jabrill Peppers: "If he's as good as they say he is, he could start on that team because they don't have that physical, in-your-face corner. Their guys are good, but they're not great. They seem to be missing that aggressiveness you get from Michigan State and Penn State, and some of the other teams. "I don't know if that's because they don't have confidence in themselves or if the coaches don't have confidence in them, but you could push them around and they didn't push back." On fifth-year senior linebacker Jake Ryan: "He's a menace. We schemed away from him last year. They had one guy, maybe two that could beat you, and he was one and we could isolate him. I think they moved him inside to middle linebacker and that's going to be a good move for him and for Michigan because he's the guy you want involved in every play. He's physical, he's smart, he has that extra gear and he has a killer instinct. He could play on any team in the Big Ten." On senior defensive end Frank Clark: "He's good, but he's not like [Michigan State's] Shilique Calhoun or [Nebraska's] Randy Gregory. He doesn't have that go-to move yet. He's strong, he's fast, but he doesn't utilize everything every play. "Maybe six or seven times a game, he's a beast, but the rest of the time you could handle him. Calhoun was a beast on 25-30 plays. I think that's more the norm for the best defensive ends." On this year's prospects: "I think they can be pretty good. Everyone is play- ing second to Michigan State right now. Ohio State should be really good this year. Their defensive line is going to be awesome. Penn State has a good defense. Iowa. Minnesota. "I think Michigan is in that middle range, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're top three or four by season's end."