The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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and that disparity simply cannot be that big if U-M is to contend for the confer- ence crown in 2013. The Wolverines should be extremely stout in their front seven, saying goodbye to only three starters — strongside end Craig Roh, defensive tackle Will Camp- bell and middle linebacker Kenny De- mens — with a plethora of reserve interior linemen and ends seeing the field for sig- nificant snaps this past fall, and a load of redshirting freshmen ready to compete for playing time as well. There is certainly work still be done in the defensive backfield, starting of course with replacing senior leaders Jordan Ko- vacs at safety and cornerback J.T. Floyd. Opposing quarterbacks actually finished with a pass efficiency rating of 120.71, ranking U-M eighth in the Big Ten. Yet, while the Maize and Blue may not have allowed many big plays, they gave up too many important completions. Michigan must do better at limiting long third-down conversions. The defense, though, will feature more Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jake Ryan led U-M in tackles during the regular season, with 53 solo hits and 31 assists for 84 total stops, including a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN man, it felt like when I got on the field, the field was bigger. If you get a chance to play, that's when you get better and more comfortable. "The guys look up to me a lot now. They did when I was a receiver. It comes with being able to contribute. If you're not con- tributing to the team, how much can some- one look up to you? That's a big factor." Gardner would benefit from an im- proved running game that has to be better than this past season, when running backs produced only 78.3 yards per contest. He'll need to bring along some young, untested wide receivers in offering ad- ditional threats to juniors Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo, and freshman tight end Devin Funchess, while his most important task will be calming a young offense line. That would be a lot to ask of a first-year ally or worse in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, passing defense and pass efficiency defense. In 2011, un- der coordinator Greg Mattison, the Maize and Blue made incredible jumps, and this fall, they again ranked among the coun- try's best, listing 20th in scoring defense (18.8 points allowed per game), 12th in total defense (311.2 yards allowed per game) and second in pass defense (155.2 yards allowed per game). Mattison will look at those numbers, In 2010, Michigan ranked 90th nation- DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS starter, especially Bellomy in his redshirt sophomore season or Morris in his true freshman campaign, but with Gardner a veteran that has been to Columbus and was a difference maker in three November wins, Michigan's offense won't be start- ing from scratch next fall. "There is some momentum with Devin," Hoke said. 22 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2012 and a rush defense that ranks 56th (156.0 yards allowed per game), and demand better from his unit next season. And with key personnel returning along the defen- sive line, at linebacker and in the second- ary, he should expect more. "I'm not a stat guy. I never have been," Mattison said. "There's only one stat that matters — whether we win or lose." Michigan's defense didn't play poorly in its four losses, but it did yield more yards in its defeats (348.0 per game) than in its wins (292.8) and many more points (25.8 in its losses versus 15.3 in victories), talent next year than it did in either of Mattison's first two seasons, and he and his defensive coaches have already proven they will maximize their players' abilities. It helps that the Wolverines' upperclass- men, starting with Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen in 2011, have passed on a winning attitude and a demand to be their best on that side of the ball. "If you stick together and play ex- tremely hard, there is a chance of good things happening — that's what we'll al- ways build on," Mattison said. Michigan's schedule in 2013 is, on pa- per, much more favorable. Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio State will all be com- ing off impressive campaigns, but U-M plays all three at home. There is no Ala- bama goliath on the schedule either, with a road trip to face a mediocre Connecticut, and non-conference matchups with Cen- tral Michigan and Akron. The Wolverines do pick up Penn State and Indiana, dropping Purdue and Illinois, but the Nittany Lions are poised for a crash with NCAA sanctions beginning to take their toll, and IU is still a few years away from presenting a consistent threat. With Gardner at the helm, and a poten- tial championship defense shutting down opponents, a win over ND is quite pos- sible, and Michigan could be 7-0 heading to East Lansing, setting up a five-game November slate with MSU, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa and Ohio State that will decide their Big Ten title-game fate. ❑