Defense/Special Teams Notes: Third-Quarter Meltdown Dooms Michigan
For two-and-a-half quarters, Michigan was in control of its eventual 24-10 loss to Wisconsin.
Then almost all at once, the Wolverines collapsed on both sides of the ball. Michigan’s defense allowed back-to-back long touchdown drives at the end of the third quarter that were sandwiched around redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters leaving the game with what appeared to be a head injury on U-M's possession.
It was a stunning change of events. Michigan held the Badgers to just 99 yards of total offense in the first half, but followed that up by allowing 226 yards in the second half — 138 of which came in the third quarter.
“The game was in our hands coming out into the second half, and we just didn’t execute,” fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst said. “There has to be more execution, especially coming into this next game.”
Michigan fell to 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten.
The key play for Wisconsin came on third-and-13 from its own 31-yard line. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook rifled a pass to sophomore wide receiver A.J. Taylor, who took it 51 yards to the Michigan 18-yard line. He beat freshman defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell on the play.
A few plays later, Hornibrook found Taylor again for a 24-yard touchdown to put Wisconsin in the lead for good.
Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill missed the game with a concussion.
For the most part, Michigan took care of business on third down. Wisconsin entered the game at the best team in the country on third down, converting 52 percent of the time. Michigan entered as the best in the nation at stopping teams on third down (23.7 percent). The Badgers finished five of 15 (33.3 percent).
However, it was as if the air got let out of the balloon once Peters left the game for both the Michigan offense and defense.
“It’s one of those games where we have to capitalize on every opportunity we get,” sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. said. “Like Mo [Hurst] said, today went not as planned. We had a couple of opportunities we should have taken advantage of. It’s one of those games where we’ve got to put everything on the line.”
Bush came out with an injury late, but said after the game that he is fine. In the third quarter, he nabbed his first career interception. It gave Michigan the ball at the Wisconsin 29-yard line, but the Wolverines had to settle for a 39-yard field goal.
Sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson was the statistical leader for the defense. He had nine tackles — which tied for the team lead with sophomore safety Josh Metellus — a team-high 1.5 sacks, plus a pass breakup and nearly recorded a safety. Hurst had half a sack, and fifth-year senior linebacker Mike McCray also notched a sack.
Special teams had good and bad moments. Redshirt freshman kicker Quinn Nordin made his first field goal since the Indiana game. He is 15 for 20 on field goals this season. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told him during last week’s game that he needed to make his next attempt or else he’d give someone else a chance, and Nordin came through. He was visibly excited on the sideline after the make.
The first score of the game came on a punt return of 50 yards by Wisconsin redshirt junior cornerback Nick Nelson. He picked the ball up after it bounced on the ground, and scampered his way out of a mess and into the open field all the way to the end zone.
Miscellaneous Notes:
· After assisting on a pair of stops in the backfield, including a sack, Hurst now has 33.5 tackles for loss in his career, which ranks 20th in school history. He passed Greg Morton (1974-76), Dhani Jones (1996-99) and Chris Wormley (2013-16).
· Hurst has recorded at least half a sack in six straight games.
· When Michigan kicked a field goal to go up 10-7 in the third quarter, it was just the second time all season that Wisconsin trailed in the second half.
· Hudson’s 1.5 tackles for loss brings his season total to 16 — a team high. That’s tied for 13th most ever in a season at Michigan and matches the career high set last year of the man he replaced at the viper position, Jabrill Peppers.
Redshirt junior end Chase Winovich totaled a team-best 2.0 in the game to bring his season total to 15.5, tied for 23rd in single-season history at U-M.
· Bush’s first career interception was the team’s ninth of the season and the first by a true linebacker this year.
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