The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/382426
and a lot of physical play. More than anything, I wanted him to be in there for him — for that stage, and for his growth. You want him to take the next step, to gain from this game." The same applies to Taylor, who notched only one tackle because he was rarely tested in the opener. The senior isn't big in stature, standing 5-10, but he's more than held his own physically. "I've been working a lot on tech- nique through fall camp, and I've just kept working hard technique-wise," Taylor said. "Coach Hoke said I had a great technique game. They didn't throw at us too much, but my tech- nique was great." Taylor is also a proponent of the more aggressive defense. "If we get beat, we'll just keep competing," he said. "That's our mindset for this year. Be aggressive, just keep competing and working at it. That's it." Pass defense isn't all on the second- ary, though — there's a complemen- tary aspect that starts up front with the pass rush, involves linebacker blitzes getting home and cornerbacks that can play physically. On the back end, the safeties have to be up to the task, as well. The Wolverines have been short- handed there, too. Sophomore Del- ano Hill missed the first game and played sparingly in the second due to a broken jaw suffered in camp. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Clark has had his moments and made some plays in the opener, notching three tackles and a pass breakup, but Hill was pushing him. Junior free safety Jarrod Wilson, meanwhile, has been the rock in the secondary. "Wilson's been very solid, very good," Hoke said. "Jeremy has shown really good signs in there. Delano getting back again puts a lit- tle more competition back there, and I kind of like what Delano's doing." And the pass rush? That could also improve and make it easier for the secondary. Michigan had just four sacks through three games. If the cor- ners are going to be on an island, players such as senior defensive end Frank Clark are going to have to get to the quarterback. When quarterbacks release the ball quickly, like the first three U-M played did in following their game plans, the defensive line has other responsibilities. For one, they have to get their hands up, Hoke said. "We've been pretty good in fall camp at knocking some balls down," he said. "That's one thing we've em- phasized. We try to knock a hole in the line of scrimmage. Obviously when you play man and it's still third-and-three, you've got to play tight man." They were successful in the opener, but they're still learning. There will be bigger tests, Mattison noted, in Big Ten play. "You've just got to know when to do it," he said. "The good thing is we have a lot of veterans. They've played a lot of football now back there." And if they improve like he thinks they will — and get the full comple- ment back — the defense will have a chance to be very good. ❑