Michigan’s defense held Cincinnati to just 200 yards of offense in Saturday’s 36-14 win at the Big House.
A big reason for the Wolverines’ early-season defensive success has been due to the play of sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson.
Although he didn’t see much time on defense last year, Hudson came to Michigan as a safety, but explained that he’s feeling more and more at home in his new viper role.
“I’m comfortable there,” he said. “I’ve been there for two games now and am starting to get into a groove. The more practice I get, the more everything slows down for me.”
Hudson looked right at home at the position on Saturday, racking up two sacks among his six total tackles.
Two other players that looked right at home on Michigan’s defense were sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill and junior safety Tyree Kinnel, as both ran back interceptions for touchdowns.
“That’s a good feeling when one of your teammates makes a big play,” Hudson explained. “We all came together and celebrated after it — that’s probably the best feeling for me. I do my best to block for my teammates whenever they get a chance to score.”
Prior to Hill’s pick-six, sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary was called for a targeting call that would’ve ejected him from the game, but the call wound up being overturned.
“It was a fun moment, because Rashan hit the quarterback again right after that, and the crowd definitely reacted to it,” Hudson said with a grin. "It was great having the crowd behind us. It was also good he didn’t get kicked out, because he would’ve been out for the first half of next week’s game too.”
Michigan held just a three-point lead over Cincinnati with 3:01 left in the third quarter, until junior receiver Grant Perry scored on a 33-yard catch to extend the lead to 24-14.
Hudson said the defense knew it couldn’t let up after that score though.
“As a defense, we had to keep our foot on their necks,” he explained. “We had to keep going until the scoreboard read all zeroes.
“Grant is a great receiver though. He’s quick off the line and is fast once he catches the ball — he’s going to be huge for us this year. His quickness, speed and knowing what kind of leverage he should have is what makes him so good.
“[Even before his touchdown], there was no added pressure on us. We never got nervous, and just kept playing our game.”
Those sound like the words of a grizzled veteran — coming from a sophomore.
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