The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 21 Other than redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley Jr., however, this group has a long way to go in the blocking department. They need to get stronger, including redshirt junior Ian Bunting, and play with lower pad level. They too often get beat at the point of attack. This unit will benefit from the re- turn and continued improvement of sophomore Nick Eubanks, who showed off his receiving skills with a 48-yarder over the top vs. Florida in the opener. He's been out due to injury. DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT CARD Defensive Line: A There's been no drop-off from last year's group, which is now playing on Sundays in the NFL. Fifth-year senior tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. had already notched seven tackles for loss among his 31 stops through six games. Redshirt junior end Chase Winov- ich had recorded eight TFLs with 5.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries, while sophomore end Rashan Gary had five TFLs, two sacks and a team- best five hurries. Harbaugh has been pleased with the unit overall, and it all starts up front with a group that's been dom- inant. Backups like true freshman tackle Aubrey Solomon and soph- omore end Carlo Kemp have been contributing, too, to provide some depth. Linebackers: A There's no weak link on this de- fense, at least among the starters. Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. has been a missile on defense and led the team in tackles with 50 and ranked second with 4.5 sacks after six games. Fellow soph Khaleke Hudson (24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception and a forced fum- ble) has been very good. Fifth-year senior Mike McCray (39 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries) has also been solid, although his contri- butions have gone far beyond the numbers, Harbaugh said. "Both [Bush and McCray] are right up in that seven-, eight-, nine-tackle a game category — which you expect them to be," the coach explained. "Mike, as you'd expect from a cap- tain, is getting guys in position. On a critical play in the Indiana game, in- side the 5-yard line, they were going for the running play, we have a blitz call and the safety is lined up on the wrong side. "Mike was the one that got him aligned correctly, and we were able to negate that run." Linebackers coach Chris Partridge said the backups have continued to progress, but depth is still a question mark. The young linebackers behind the starters haven't gotten much time this year. Secondary: A Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill has emerged as one of the top young cover corners in the Big Ten, if not the country, having improved each week. He and fellow sophomore Da- vid Long have proven to be a solid 1-2 punch at corner, while redshirt ju- nior Brandon Watson has also proven capable. They have 11 pass breakups between the three of them. The safeties, too, have been stellar. Junior Tyree Kinnel and sophomore Josh Metellus have tackled well, with a few exceptions from the latter. The Wolverines ranked first nationally in plays of 10 yards or more given up (47) entering the third week in Oc- tober, and the defense is even better than many expected, with the excep- tion of maybe Harbaugh. "You put an expectation of where you think you're going to be, and you limit the upside," he said. "Let's get better each day, better today than yesterday, tomorrow than today. It's a simple formula. "We thought we'd be good. Coach [Don] Brown and our players thought we'd be good. We're playing good, and we're improving." Special Teams: B- Overall, this group has had some great moments, especially in the kicking game. Redshirt freshman Quinn Nordin emerged as one of the nation's top kickers through six games, having made 14 of 16 overall, with two from 50 yards or longer. Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill was tied for the team lead with two interceptions and six pass breakups after six contests. He also had three tackles for loss. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN