The Michigan defense’s first two challenges of the year couldn’t have been much more unique. Coordinator Don Brown’s group first played a team that got the ball out immediately before having to face an Army team that ran several variations of option football.
The Wolverines were preparing for it all year, and they held the Cadets to some of their lowest totals in year in what was a war in the trenches.
“They fight to the death,” Brown said. “That’s just the way it is when you play those academies. My hat’s off to them. |I think they do a great job coaching. [Coach Jeff] Monk[en] and I got back to 2006 when I was coach at UMass, he was at Navy when we played Navy down there.”
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Brown even jokingly invited reporters up to watch the film and view the carnage from Saturday’s affair, one in which senior nose tackle Carlo Kemp took 22 shots to the lower legs alone.
“This Army team … I’d be shocked if they lose again. I really would,” he said. “Their slot really, really good; their quarterback is a veteran, knows his stuff, and the offensive line is a bunch of animals, and I say that with great respect. They come off the ball, know how to block you and they kind of get it.”
So they’ve played a Middle Tennessee State team that was more run-and-shoot than spread and an Army team that would give any team in the nation fits with its attack. They fired off the ball on every play and made every single play important.
In that respect, Brown found out a lot about his guys. He’s got really good players, he said, and they’ve got good chemistry. They are playing “as hard as they can play,” he noted, and that’s half the battle.
“What else can you ask for?” he said. “Life is good.
“I’m just telling you, that right there was as good a performance as I’ve been around. Why? They were on the brink of failure and just found a way to kind of keep plugging it in. Is it what it is.”
The early bye week comes at a perfect time, allowing them to heal their bruises below the knees and prepare for a Wisconsin team that absolutely manhandled its first two opponents. The Badgers trounced South Florida, 49-0, on the road before hammering Central Michigan, outgaining the Chippewas by 500 yards and holding them to less than 100.
Many believe the Wolverines’ defensive line won’t be able to hang with a Badgers line that will outweigh it by 30 to 40 pounds across the board. Brown was asked specifically about how he would respond to those concerned.
“A bunch of crap,” he said succinctly. “We’ve got a lot of guys, now, so we’ve got to start rotating them in. Again … who have we played? A 10 personnel team with no tight ends and played the triple option, which I’ve already told you we have a style we play, divide our work load.
“This is a little different deal now. We finally can play Michigan defense where can run our stuff we’ve run all preseason, all spring practice. Quite frankly when I’m writing Wisconsin cards, I’m kind of, ‘woo hoo!’ I can whip ‘em out like that because it’s all the stuff our guys know and are comfortable with. We’ll jump in at a high level.”
He said we should see more of redshirt sophomore Donovan Jeter, one of the spring and fall camp standouts who was sidelined for the opener, and — if possible — redshirt junior Mike Dwumfour, who was injured on his only play in the opener. He’s sporting a large cast on his arm.
“You see Dwumfour with this big thing on his hand. We’ve got to figure this out, and we’re hoping to get this figured out, find a way,” Brown said. “It’s hard to play one handed.”
But guys like freshmen Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith could see some action, too — Smith has been called one of the strongest players on the team — and Brown will likely have a plan. He did against Army, and he’s confident in his group.
“I’m just really proud of how the kids played,” he said. “We have a great defensive staff. We were in it, in the foxhole, digging in.”
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