Michigan Football: Mone Holds One Of The Keys To A Big Year

Michigan lost one nose tackle to the NFL in Ryan Glasgow, and could have another soon if Bryan Mone meets his potential. The redshirt junior is one of the keys to a big season, and he needs to stay healthy.

He hasn't the last two years, and it hasn’t been his fault. The behemoth has had some freak injuries, but he’s now 100 percent and ‘a beast,’ according to sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary.

“He’s a huge part of that defense this year,” former Michigan lineman and current college football analyst Doug Skene said. “He needs to keep those linebackers clean, allow them to fly around and make tackles.

“That linebacker corps is fast, but they’re not going to be speedy if there are 300-pound linemen attached to them. It’s Mone’s job to keep them off them.”

And that’s his plan.

“Mentally, going into this season, I’m trying to do better than last year,” he said. “Really, I didn’t do much last year, so I’m trying to improve my game, playing harder and putting my heart into every game.

“I was pretty frustrated last year just because I put everything into it. I feel like God works in mysterious ways. I’m just going to do my job, work hard. Do my role.”

By all accounts, he and the rest of the first team linemen are excelling against an improved offensive line. There are a few surprises behind him, he said.

“[Redshirt freshman] Michael Dwumfour [is explosive],” he said. “Lawrence Marshall (now reportedly up to 290 pounds and playing well) is explosive, too.

“Rashan is really freakish. It’s a blessing to play by him and Mo Hurst and Chase Winovich. It’s just fun.”

NOTES

• Like Hurst, Mone agrees that the offensive line is an improved group.

“They’re doing really good. I feel like they improved a lot this camp,” he said. “That o-line is pretty good.

“[Fifth-year senior center Pat] Kugler’s been doing really good. I feel like he’s better now … the whole line. Pat got a lot stronger from last year. Props to Kugler … he’s doing his role.”