The Wolverine

December 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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DECEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 29 Simpkins said. "They wouldn't usually line up a safety on a slot. We're playing safeties against wide receivers, and sometimes strong safeties on tight ends. They are not as big as tight ends, so they're in jump ball situations, 50-50 balls. And sometimes, you take that risk. "As a defensive coordinator, that's part of football. Sometimes you take a chance and try to trick an offense. Sometimes it's blitzing when he nor- mally doesn't blitz. He's shown it usu- ally has a decent chance to succeed." While they've been victimized at times, the safeties have been relatively solid. Kinnel was named Big Ten de- fensive player of the week after a Sep- tember win over Cincinnati in which he racked up nine tackles and a sack, and had an interception he returned for a touchdown in a 36-14 win. Sophomore Josh Metellus has been solid, too, part of a pass defense that only allowed 55 passing plays of 10 or more yards through 10 games, the fifth-best mark in the country. The Wolverines were also tied for fifth in 40-plus yard pass plays allowed (two). Zordich credited the defensive line for applying plenty of pressure, mak- ing it easier for his corners to cover. Defensive line coach Greg Mattison said it worked both ways. "I would say the exact same thing about them," he said. "There's noth- ing worse than when you're a defen- sive line coach and you're rushing the passer and the ball comes out and the receiver is not contested. "Our defensive secondary does such a great job of aggressively covering receivers. When you're playing man to man on a wide receiver and that quarterback doesn't have somebody right there to throw to, wide open like they do a lot of times in zone coverage, you've got a better chance of getting to him. "Our D-line understands totally that we're allowed to be really aggressive because of what they do." Through 10 games, it's probably been better than anyone expected, even if Brown wouldn't admit it. They've set the bar extremely high for the rest of the season and the foresee- able future. ❏ Michigan's starters in the secondary have been very good this year, but there's plenty to like about the young guys behind them. Both teammates and coaches say they have complete faith in the backups, adding the sky is the limit. Freshman Ambry Thomas has played some nickel back this year and will be in line for more time at corner in the future, according to sophomore cornerback David Long. "Ambry's been here for a while now, so he's had time to adjust," Long said. "Getting settled in is a big part of being a freshman — I think he's fine, and he's obviously progressed since he got here." Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich, speaking before an Octo- ber loss to Penn State, said he's seen great potential in both of his rookie corners. "Ambry Thomas is coming along. He had to go in against Indiana because David got dinged up in there and was a little dizzy," he said. "So is [freshman Benjamin St-Juste]. Both those guys are working extremely hard. "I would say if they keep up this pace, in a couple weeks, I wouldn't be afraid to put them in more than what we're seeing now." Thomas said he's quickly adjusting to the speed of the game. "When I first came I'm thinking, 'It's college … everyone's going to be good,' so I decided to take a step down," he said. "But I realized you really can't do that. You've got to be that dog that you've always been. Now I'm really getting every- thing back. I've been touching the field a little bit more, and that's great." St-Juste, one of U-M's tallest corners at 6-3, has been mak- ing great plays in practice, defensive coordinator Don Brown added. "Ben St-Juste made a play recently in practice where I went, 'Wow, wow!' That's the side part of practicing two groups," Brown said. "They're all young. One looks like an old veteran group, while the other is all freshmen. They getting better because we're giving them equal work." The starting safeties have played a lot, but others are starting to work in. Former walk-on Jordan Glasgow, now in his third year in the program, has gradually seen a little more playing time on defense. Though he's played well, he refused to take much credit "I'm not very good at looking at myself, so I think it'd be better to ask someone else," he said with a laugh in early November. "I'm a pretty tough grader. For a defensive back, I'm kind of slow, so I've tried to get faster with all the strength workouts our coaches have planned. As long as you give it all you have, you'll get better." The former walk-on isn't as talented as some of the other players on the roster and doesn't presume to be. He had nothing but praise for two freshmen rising behind him. "J'Marick Woods and Jaylen Kelly-Powell are some of the most athletic freshmen I've ever seen," he said. "J'Marick is 6-3 and 195 pounds, and just destroys people. "It's pretty incredible to watch a freshman do that. Early in camp he just laid someone out, and we realized he doesn't mind risking his body to make a play. That's somewhat hard to find in football, even though it's such a violent game." — Chris Balas Backups Are Earning More Playing Time Sophomore safety Josh Metellus has laid big hits, totaled 35 stops in 10 games, forced a fumble and blocked a kick. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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