Michigan’s upcoming opponent, Air Force, has only played one game so far this season, but rushed for 473 yards in that contest.
Its offensive scheme of choice — the triple option — has been known to give opposing defenses fits, largely because of its rarity nowadays.
In fact, fifth-year senior defensive tackle noted Mo Hurst noted that he hasn’t played against an offense like theirs since high school.
“I play with their offense sometimes on NCAA Football, so I have a little bit of familiarity with it,” he laughed. “There are a lot of things that go into it, and a lot of people you have to account for. It’s tough for a defense to switch up their whole scheme to prepare for it.”
Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich noted that Michigan’s defense has been preparing for it since the Rome trip this past spring, and that they know Air Force’s offensive attack better than the Falcons’ themselves.
However, Hurst noted that Winovich may have been exaggerating a bit.
“I wouldn’t say all that,” he said with a laugh. “We did prepare quite a bit in the spring, though, and took the time to get ready for what we’ll see this weekend.
“Chase just talks a lot. I love him — he’s unique. I’ve suggested he gets banned from talking to the media though.”
While Hurst had fun poking fun at Winovich, he talked more seriously about redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight, and the criticism he’s received.
“He’s a friend of mine more than anything,” Hurst said of Speight. “Outside of football, I’ve seen him do amazing things. You never forget the games he’s led you to victories, like two years ago against Minnesota. You have to put your faith in both him and your teammates.
“[In regards to the fans], everyone gets emotionally hijacked sometimes, and there’s some passionate fans out there. We try to keep our mouths shut for the most part, and stick together as a team.”
Speaking of sticking together, Hurst said that sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary getting called for targeting on Saturday was a poor call.
“He was pretty worked up,” Hurst said. “It was a bad call, even for roughing the passer. The quarterback was hit a split second after he threw the ball. That definitely worked Rashan up, and he made some great plays after that. The crowd got really loud too — that was the loudest I’d heard it in a while.”
While players often receive an emotional high after the crowd gets riled up, Jim Harbaugh recently said many of his internal emotions are long gone, noting he just has “burnt wood” inside.
“He’s told us that before,” Hurst chuckled. “It was kind of funny, but kind of scary at the same time.”
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