On how he's seen the defense grow over the course of the season

Well, I think that, you know, the different adjustments with, you know, guys playing more snaps and, you know, things of that nature and just the growth of the unit together. We had a lot of guys that have, you know, for example, like Zeke Barry, I don't even think he traveled until this year. And, you know, those guys getting used to having game time reps and playing together and, you know, we've had a lot of injuries. We've had a lot of guys moving in and out of the lineup, but the communication, especially the last three games, have been great. You know, the Oregon game, that was a tough start, but I think, you know, from halftime of Oregon to now, we've been playing really well defensively.

On Zeke Berry having to play multiple roles

Right, and usually, you know, when you look at a kid like that or, you know, you even talk pro football or any level, really, you know, it usually goes from corner to safety, not safety to corner. And, you know, I looked at him as a safety nickel when we were playing him back in the spring and we had to make the move to put him outside. LaMar's done a great job with him and, you know, his confidence has grown every game and, you know, he's developed into a really good corner. I mean, you know, you get a corner, who can tackle like that. And, you know, as a ball hawk like that, it's a lot of fun to watch.

On the challenges not having Will Johnson presents

Right, and, you know, we've had some other things that's happened. I was really glad to see Aamir step up in the Northwestern game, but this game we have coming up is a completely different animal. You know it, they got three werewolves out there that, you know, that we gotta try to cover and it's gonna be a great challenge for us. But you mentioned the three werewolves out there.

On what concerns him about Ohio State's offense

Everything. I mean, seriously, they're just, they're a machine right now offensively. And, you know, we know that it's gonna be a physical game. You know, to me, that's advantaged us, you know, in the physicality area. But, you know, we have done a great job of, you know, patching together a secondary essentially all season. So, you know, that's gonna, it's gonna be a test because, you know, you gotta have some premier guys to go against premier guys and, you know, it's gonna be a great challenge for us.

On how the front four has helped the secondary

I mean, I think that we have to have, you know, I mean, that we have to have an advantage there going into every game, I'm saying. And, you know, they've done a nice job. I mean, Jay Stu has had a tremendous year. I think he's eight and a half sacks now. You know Mason, he's gonna be a first-round draft choice. And KG, I think same way of KG as I do Mace. And, you know, they've played a lot of reps this year compared to what they've done in the past. And I just, it's gonna be a fun game and, you know, we'll see where it happens.

On playing Rayshaun Benny with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant

Well, I think that, you know, every game has its own little tweak and, you know, we've been talking about this for, since we've gotten here, of different things that we haven't shown and it'll be a fun game.

On how much of the defensive package hasn't been called

Well, I mean, it's, somebody asked me this the other day, a pro scout said, how much of your package have you run since you've been here? And it's really about, honestly, about 25% of the package. So, we have a big library to pull from. The kids do a fantastic job to adjust into anything different that we do and, you know, I think also this is one of those games that you just line up and go play, too. So, you know, it's gonna be a great challenge for us. You know, we know we're the underdog going into it and as long as we don't play like the underdog, we'll be all right.

On what makes Mason Graham special

I think it's, you know, it's a lot of things. That's a tough question, really, because, you know, it's the kids' football smarts to start off with. You know, I love it when a scout comes up to me and say, does he get it? And he gets it. He's very intelligent, but when you put on the tape on games, I'm not saying he doesn't play at that level of practice, but you really see the physicality turn up on game tape where he's just playing in the lineman. I don't think there's a defensive player, let alone defensive lineman, that uses their hands as well as he does and he already knows how to defeat blocks at a high level and, you know, to me, he's an instant, throwing the line up wherever he goes.

On the number of players Graham impacts by simply being on the field

Well, I definitely, I think it's the front seven, you know, because there's a lot of communication between he and Ernie, and I think Ernie's really stepped up as well the second half of the season, especially, and Jaishawn, and there's, you know, conversations between both Mason and KG. You know, you saw KG the last game, you know, he's saying things and talking and everything else, so it's, and obviously, you know, they're always talking to the edge guys on rush plans and everything else, so it's, he's brought the whole front along with him, front seven, I think.

On what Mason Curtis has done to earn more time

Well, you've seen, and in your football career, you've seen those guys that you, you know, first of all, you don't know what position they're gonna play. You know, we settle on him at safety, you know, I think it was two other positions. Edge, when he first got here, then wide receivers, you know, Bell wanted to look at him, and then he ended up at safety. But he's one of those guys that no matter what period is, if it's a beat Ohio period, if it's a scout period, if it's a opportunity scrimmage, he's always around the football. The football always finds him. Another Michigan great, Ty Law was that way in the NFL. And, you know, it's fun to watch, but it's also like when he gets a pick, nobody's surprised because he's been doing it since we've put him back there. And he, you know, he understands the package, it's important to him, he loves this university, he loves playing with the teammates that he has, and it's, it was for me, that whole entire game was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had in coaching. So when it's, to me, when a guy can hit like that and does not get a targeting foul, is a credit to his athleticism, which he's very athletic.

On Brandyn Hillman

I love the aggressiveness that he has. And I think that one of the good things about in this system is, he's a great blitzer, so let him blitz, just early on until he gets the nuances of everything else. And I think he's continued to try to work at understanding the system and you want him out there playing as free as he possibly can because he's a lot of fun to watch.

On how to prepare young players for big environments

I think you just, you keep it simple. You just go back to the basics and you keep it simple of, you know, that this is what you've been training for the entire year is for this game. And you don't need to put a bunch of new checks in and a bunch of new stuff and just go out there and let them play. And I think that the young players will feed off the older players that are playing in this game whether they start or they're a backup, whatever it is, but they'll see it live in front of them first or the young players that are gonna be out there. They'll feel it when they're out there, how big this game is.

On main things he wants to see his players go out and do on Saturday

I think that you need to, this is gonna sound like a double-edged sword, you need to stop the run and not let any ball get over your head. And to do that, you're gonna have to stop the run sometimes with a lighter box. And we've been pretty good at doing that. So that's gonna be the biggest challenge. I know Chip, I've gone against Chip before, he's a very talented play caller and it's gonna be a great challenge.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and BlueSky