Michigan is fifth in the country in total defense through three games, ninth in rush defense and seventh in pass efficiency defense despite having lost 10 starters on that side of the ball.
Sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary said recently it’s “scary” what defensive coordinator Don Brown still has in the playbook that other teams haven’t seen, and Brown admitted he hadn’t gotten very deep into it.
“We’ve got a lot left,” he said. “We played a lot of three down (linemen) in the first week. When you break something out of the box and it’s working well, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist. Right? ‘That’s working pretty well … let’s keep doing it.
“We were a little more diversified in week two, and week three, we put three big guys up there to stop the fullback, which is a piece that went completely unnoticed in that [Air Force] game. They always hand the ball to the fullback, and the guy ends up gashing you for 40. That never happened. The guys up front and flow ‘backers did an outstanding job.”
The Wolverines held Air Force to 232 yards total, the Falcons’ lowest output since 2012. They dominated Florida, not allowing an offensive touchdown, and Cincinnati only had one long drive against the Wolverines.
Each game was different, and U-M was up to the challenge in every one.
“They were three, really unique challenges,” Brown said. “Obviously, Florida with their ability despite them having two top-notch players out. They still have a lot of firepower, and I thought we did a good job going into that environment for our first trip going on the road. That was kind of the piece I was most concerned about … young guys on the road for the first time, how are they going to respond?
“Things didn’t quite go our way in the beginning, but we stayed really even-keeled, just kind of kept playing in the game, stayed in the moment, kept executing at what I thought was a very, very high level. Really kept the pressure on the quarterback.”
Against Cincinnati, the Wolverines did a great job against the Bearcats’ rub (pick) routes, he added.
“I don’t know if that’s a legal term, but I think that’s what the offensive guys called it,” he said. “They did a good job with the screen game … I was unhappy with a couple of the blocks, but the reality is those tunnel screens are tough, and I’ve got to do a better job making sure we’re ready to play that.
“And then I really tip my hat to our guys. Tuesday and Wednesday we took 230 snaps of option football. The game plan was called on the line of scrimmage, because they have certain formations where they’re going to run the triple; other formations they’re not going to run option football. Everything is on the line of scrimmage getting called, and I think we had one error. That was pretty good.”
The one element that’s stuck out to him through three games … his team’s speed.
“We can run, now,” he said. “We’re pretty fast. We get off blocks and run to the football as well as any group I’ve been around. That’s kind of a good thing. Forget all the scheme and all that nonsense. Guys can get off blocks, run to the football, and one of the things that doesn’t go unnoticed is I think we’ve tackled, really, really well. Sometimes early in the year that’ not always the case, but has been the case for us the first three weeks.”
The IQ, too, has been outstanding he said. The players are absorbing what they’re teaching, and adapting to the different styles. Cincinnati was as fast as any team he’s coached against in terms of getting the ball out in the passing game, Brown insisted.
“We were still able to four sacks with 17 quarterback knockdowns,” he said. “We still got around them, but boy that ball was coming out quick.
“Then you go to the triple option (of Air Force). That’s a huge undertaking. We had really one major gaffe. They brought No. 1 [the receiver] back inside, brought him back out into motion. The corner should have hung on to him, the safety should have spun high, and it ended up 2 on 1 over there and no post player. The rest was pretty much squared away, but that’s on me. I didn’t do a good enough job presenting it to him during practice week.”
Holding that outfit to 230 yards, he noted, is no small achievement.
“In preseason you get quality meeting time. Coming to a meeting, sitting there and taking in material is an option,” he explained. “What’s important to me as a player, being able to absorb that info, write it down, take notes, watch the tape, listen to coaches sand take the information. It’s really critical to learn how to do that.
“Now we’re in season, and the meeting time is shorter. Our guys crunch the material in, but our guys know how to absorb. I really tip my hat to the players. Last week again on Tuesday and Wednesday, we asked them to run to the football in practice. When you have 230 reps in two days, that’s a lot of running.”
Thursday they took some off them physically, and Friday was a ‘stay sharp mentally Friday, he said.
On Saturday it was ‘play 100 miles an hour.’
“I thought we achieved that,” Brown said.
Yet another feather in the cap for the architect of one of the nation’s top defenses, with the promise of more good stuff to come.
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