Due to junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson leaving last week's game at Indiana with a leg fracture, redshirt junior end Luiji Vilain received extended playing time in the 38-21 loss, getting in on 52 snaps and making three tackles. Hutchinson is out indefinitely, and may miss the remainder of the season, meaning the opportunity is there for Vilain and others, including redshirt sophomore Taylor Upshaw, to get valuable game reps.
"Everything is much faster," Vilain told former Michigan All-American offensive lineman Jon Jansen on the 'In The Trenches' podcast. "I’d say I’m getting more comfortable and just trusting in my technique. I feel like the game is going to slow down a lot more for me as the weeks go by and with the more reps I take."
Even from the beginning of the Indiana game to the end, Vilain feels like he improved and became better acclimated.
"I started out a little weak, in my opinion," Vilain said. "But as I got more reps and as I got going in the game, I feel like I got better and better. That’s what it’s all about — getting those reps, learning from my mistakes and getting better.
"I’d say once I got my pass rush going, I kind of just adapted to what they were giving me, and I felt like I was close to getting there a couple times."
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Vilain is leaning on senior Kwity Paye for advice and guidance as his role increases.
"Kwity, he knows a little bit more than me, as far as game reps and stuff like that," Vilain explained. "So I just ask him little things and like, ‘Hey, what moves work with this tackle? And what are you seeing?’ He asks me the same thing and we just help each other out."
The Wolverines' defensive front faces a stiff challenge on Saturday, with the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers, known for their offensive line play, come to Ann Arbor for a primetime showdown (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC).
"Every snap you take in practice, you gotta tell yourself, ‘These guys are going to come off the ball really hard. They’re gonna be strong,'" Vilain said. "You just gotta key in on those things and constantly remind yourself, and by the time you get to the game, you’re as ready as you can be.
"They always have a good o-line, and this year they have a really good quarterback who can pass the ball, so that opens up the offense a little bit more. We’re doing everything we can to prepare for all facets of their game."
Michigan fell to Wisconsin, 35-14, in 2019, getting thoroughly dominated in every fact. The Wolverines allowed the Badgers to gain 487 yards, including 359 on the ground.
"We talked about it a little bit, but we’re trying to really focus on this year, and we kind of scolded the mistakes that we had and are making sure that we’re not making the same mistakes over and over again," Vilain said.
Wisconsin has an improved passing offense this season, with redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz completing 20-of-21 passes in the team's only game this season, against Illinois, for 248 yards and five touchdowns. The Wolverines are tasked with finding the correct balance of staying in rush lanes while still trying to get after the quarterback when he does drop back to throw.
"One thing [coordinator] Coach [Don] Brown always says is that we have to stop the run to open up the pass," Vilain said. "Once we do that, we hold our own on the run. Things like that are going to open up for us, passing and all that stuff. Just focusing on stopping the run."
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