The Wolverine

January 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 31 of 75

32 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan defensive coor- dinator Don Brown's in- stincts told him Khaleke Hudson could put a bite into foes at the all-important viper spot. After all, the sophomore athlete demonstrated much of what suc- ceeding Heisman finalist Jabrill Pep- pers demanded — speed, quickness, aggression and intelligence, for start- ers. At the same time, the hybrid out- side linebacker position in Brown's take-no-prisoners defense isn't ex- actly a low-profile endeavor. It's one of the keys to making miserable the lives of opposing offen- sive coordinators. B ro w n re c a l l e d t h e p ro c e s s o f picking Hudson, acknowledging it wasn't a lock. " H e ' s p h y s i - cal, he's strong," Brown offered. "I wasn't sure how well he would tackle, and in the blitz game how much of a factor would he be? Then there's the comfort factor in the scheme." Those doubts didn't last long. Hudson figured out quickly what the man they call "Dr. Blitz" demands, in terms of venom from the viper. "He took care of that himself," Brown stressed. "That's a good thing. He put the time in. He studied. He's learned the position." The sophomore passed his exams. In his first year as a starter, Hudson became a second-team All-Big Ten performer in the eyes of the media, third team by the coaches. He gar- nered Bronko Nagurski National De- fensive Player of the Week honors following a dominating effort against Minnesota, including setting a Michi- gan record and tying an NCAA mark with eight tackles for loss. Hudson enters Michigan's bowl game second on the team in tackles for loss (16.5, to redshirt junior defen- sive end Chase Winovich's 17) and sacks (seven, to Winovich's eight), fourth in tackles (72), tied for second in quarterback hurries (five), and tied for first in both interceptions (two) and forced fumbles (two). Not bad, for openers. "We all got better in every phase — running to the ball, reading, react- ing to things, covering, executing," Hudson assessed. "When the sea- son started, everyone was saying we were young, we lost a lot of players [from 2016], and they didn't know if we'd be as good of a defense. "I feel that we proved them wrong. We still feel we can get a lot better. We're not even close to how good we can be." Those same statements might ap- ply to Hudson, who absorbed knowl- edge while delivering punishment in his second season in a winged hel- met. He insists the best — team-wise and for himself — is yet to come. FROM MCKEESPORT TO MICHIGAN Getting Hudson into The Big House represented the first step of his journey. That move wasn't a lock, since the prep standout from McK- eesport, Pa. — a dozen miles outside of Pittsburgh — didn't lack local op- tions. He'd posted 1,000-yard seasons as a junior and senior running back, while delivering a preview of com- ing attractions with 60 tackles and three interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — on defense. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's 2015 High School Football Player of the Year could call his own college shots. When it got down to a final four, schools fell by the wayside like would-be tacklers. UCLA — too far away. Pittsburgh — too close. He hit it off well with the coaches at Penn State, but in the end the an- swer for him became clear. "I just felt like Michigan was the place to be," Hudson said. "It felt like a family when I came on my visit. I love these coaches here." That's certainly true with Brown, who arrived the same season Hud- son rolled in. The dovetail to Ann Arbor proved fortuitous for both. Hudson spent his freshman sea- son grooming in a backup role with the nation's top overall defense. He served on Michigan's special teams units in all 13 games, blocking a pair of punts as a rookie. He also performed at safety in a couple of contests, before us- ing Michigan's pre-bowl practices to further underscore his defensive prowess. He became part of the next wave, unquestion- ably talented but questioned exten- sively because of the host of NFL performers head- ing out the door. Pundits saw a huge step back- w a r d s c o m i n g for the Michigan defense, because of the personnel losses. The young guns, not surprisingly, didn't view it that way. They went out and became the na- tion's No. 3 total defense, yielding an average of 268.6 yards per game in the 2017 regular season. They led the nation in fewest passing yards allowed per game (142.7), and stand No. 3 nationally in third-down con- versions allowed (27.1 percent) and pass efficiency defense (100.17 rat- ing). They're fourth nationally in tack- les for loss (8.5 average), seventh in sacks (3.25) and 14th in scoring de- fense (18.3). Don't look for any shocked expres- sions in Brown's defensive meeting room. "It's not really surprising to me, be- cause of how hard we worked in the spring and in camp," Hudson said. "It's just how Coach Brown runs the defense. We're an aggressive defense, playing man to man. We're in the op- ponents' face all the time." Nor is Hudson surprised about VIPER WITH FANGS Khaleke Hudson Attacked In His First Season As A Starter Hudson finished the regular season tied for first on the team with two interceptions, nine passes defended and two forced fumbles; ranked second with 16.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and seven passes broken up; and fourth with 72 overall stops. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - January 2018