The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/751827
32 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2016 BY JOHN BORTON J ourdan Lewis consistently re- ceives confirmation of that which he already knows: Michi- gan's 2016 defense excites even the toughest and most credentialed critics. The senior cornerback isn't letting the praise serve as a sedative to his preparation and potentially his perfor- mance. But it's good to know vener- ated former Michigan defenders are noticing and nodding. "Charles Woodson is one of the most notable ones," Lewis acknowledged, regarding the many encouraging mes- sages he's received. "He says: 'Keep doing what you guys are doing. You're doing the right thing, bringing back the tradition.' "It's just a great feeling to know you have guys like that — icons — coming back and telling you you're doing the right thing for Michigan." The Wolverines' might-is-right ap- proach on defense has worked won- ders, combining veteran coordinator Don Brown's aggressive schemes with a crew of talented, hard-knocks-hard- ened upperclassmen. The results speak for themselves. Through 10 games, Michigan stood first in the nation in six defensive cat- egories: scoring defense (11.0 surren- dered per contest), total defense (244.7 yards allowed per game), third-down conversion percentage defense (.197), red-zone defense (.647 TD scoring rate), team tackles for loss average (9.0 per game) and average passing yards allowed (131.6). In the big picture, the Wolverines roared into the final two weeks of the regular season No. 4 nationally in the polls, 9-1 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten and screaming toward what amounts to a playoff game in Columbus. A strong finish could vault the Wol- verines into the Big Ten title game and, quite possibly, the playoff itself. That would mean clamping down on Ohio State far more than Michigan did a year ago, especially in the second half of a 42-13 gut punch in Michigan Sta- dium last November. The Wolverines have surrendered more than 20 points in a game just twice all season. The toughest tests re- main ahead, but the builders of this of- fense-busting crew look to meet those challenges. THE ARCHITECT At the heart of it all stands the 61-year-old Brown, hair more salt than pepper these days, a fireball of ideas, TO THE END Michigan's Defense Remains Daunting For Foes DEFEND First-year defensive coordinator Don Brown has directed a unit that leads the country in points (11.0) and yards (244.7) allowed per game, in addition to several other categories, after 10 games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN