Michigan redshirt junior linebacker Mike McCray has been named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Week.

McCray, new to the starting lineup this year, started off the season in a flurry, posting a team-high nine tackles in Michigan’s 63-3 rampage past Hawai’i. McCray’s effort included a pair of sacks among 3.5 tackles-for-loss, along with a forced fumble.

McCray paced a defense that posted a 35-0 shutout over the opening 20 minutes, and kept the Rainbow Warriors completely off the board, except for a 55-yard field goal.

“It felt really good,” McCray said afterward. “We talked about it all week – going out there and showing everybody what we were about. We had a great defense last year, and we want to do better than we did last year. I felt we made a big statement.”

McCray had been talking all along about Michigan’s new linebackers holding up their end of the bargain in a strong defense. His effort backed that desire with action.

“We talked about going out there and sending a message,” he said. “We lost three seniors last year at the linebacker position. We just wanted to go out there and prove something – that we belong.”

Redshirt junior fullback Khalid Hill noted: “I was proud of Mike McCray. He was down for a minute, and his first chance, he comes out and produces big. I was very proud of him.”