The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835
30 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 Defensive Backs PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MVP SOPHOMORE CORNERBACK LAVERT HILL Hill became one of the best cover corners in the Big Ten by the middle of the conference season, and he was re- warded with second- team All-Big Ten hon- ors by the league's coaches and the As- sociated Press. The sophomore usually drew the toughest assignment on the field and still finished second among conference corners for lowest passer rat- ing (32.5) when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. Michigan's pass defense ranked first in the Big Ten and nationally (142.7 yards per game), and Hill was a big rea- son why. He notched a pick-six in a win over Cincinnati, had another highlight- reel interception in a victory at Indiana in which he earned defensive player of the game honors, and finished the sea- son with seven PBUs. He also totaled five tackles for loss among his 24 stops. Unsung Hero SOPHOMORE CORNERBACK DAVID LONG Hill stole all the headlines at the po- sition this season, but Long deserves plenty of credit as well. He split time with redshirt junior cornerback Brandon Watson early in the season, but earned the majority of the reps as the year went on. Long helped anchor a second- ary that paced the country in passing yards allowed by 15.6 yards per game. He also intercepted two passes, including one in the end zone against Maryland Nov. 11 that he re- turned 80 yards the other way. Regular-Season Grade As good as Hill was, Long wasn't far behind. According to Pro Football Fo- cus, he finished first in the Big Ten and third nationally for lowest passing rating allowed when targeted (19.4), plus he changed the Penn State game in the first half of an eventual loss with a big pick and had the long interception return at Maryland. The Wolverines finished second in the Big Ten for pass efficiency defense at 100.2, behind only Wisconsin's 96.3, and were third nationally in that category. Only three schools allowed fewer pass- ing scores than the nine U-M surren- dered, while the 47.6 completion percent- age given up ranked second in the land. Junior Tyree Kinnel and sophomore Josh Metellus were solid at safety, both earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors (though they struggled at times in coverage when asked to blanket wide receivers), while redshirt junior Brandon Watson proved to be a solid third corner- back. Rank Team Pass Yds Allowed Pass TDs Pass Rating Per Game Allowed Allowed 1 Michigan 142.7 9 100.2 2 Georgia 158.3 13 108.1 3 UT San Antonio 160.1 13 112.2 4 Wisconsin 160.6 10 96.3 5 Wyoming 160.7 10 112.0 6 Tennessee 161.7 15 127.8 7 Alabama 163.7 7 98.9 8 Clemson 165.1 14 105.0 9 Washington St. 167.4 8 104.6 10 Air Force 171.1 16 144.1 status Of schOlarship players GRADUATED: None ELIGIBILITY REMAINING (YEARS): S Brad Hawkins (3) CB Lavert Hill (2) CB Jaylen Kelly-Powell (3) S Tyree Kinnel (1) CB David Long (2) S Josh Metellus (2) CB Benjamin St-Juste (3) CB Ambry Thomas (3) CB Brandon Watson (1) S J'Marick Woods (3) A- NUMBERS TO KNOW Michigan's starting defensive backs came into the 2017 season having made exactly one combined start — sophomore safety Josh Metellus in last year's Orange Bowl. However, that inexperience didn't prevent the group from allowing the fewest passing yards in the entire country. The graph to the right shows just how stingy U-M's secondary was this season. Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich "[Sophomore corner- back] Lavert [Hill] is starting to mature. He's starting to under- stand that he can be a really good football player. We're staying on him every day and helping him under- stand the game." Lavert Hill