Even though he hasn’t been on the field as much as some other Michigan defenders this season, redshirt junior linebacker Noah Furbush has had a nose for the ball.
He recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in the season opener against Florida, and then recovered another one this past Saturday against Purdue.
“You could call it a knack,” he laughed. “I’ve had two very fortunate situations where the ball just popped out right in front of me — but a lot of that is just running to the ball. There were plenty of other guys who were in the same spot as me that also could’ve jumped on it, but that’s a testament to our defense. We run all over the field — if we miss an assignment, we make up for it by running around.”
Another Wolverine defender who has been known for his speed so far is sophomore linebacker Devin Bush.
The Florida native had a hit on Purdue redshirt junior running back D.J. Knox last Saturday that went viral.
“He had an awesome hit,” Furbush laughed. “They played it on the big screen on Monday — Coach [Don] Brown rewound it a few times.
“It’s been huge to have Coach Brown here in his second season, especially for me just to have that continuity. We knew what to expect coming into this year, so that helped a lot.”
Under Brown’s tutelage, Michigan has once again posted the No. 1 defense in the nation — the Wolverines are allowing just 203.3 yards per game through four games.
However, Furbush made it clear there is still plenty of work to be done.
“It’s something we have to take in stride,” he explained. “We haven’t accomplished any of our goals — we haven’t won a Big Ten or national championship yet. We’ve beaten a lot of the teams we want to beat and have played in a lot of big games, so what we’ve done is great, but we have so much more to do this season. It’s important we just keep looking ahead and not let that stat weigh us down.”
Anyone who knows Furbush shouldn’t be surprised that he has this mindset though.
“My actions speak for themselves,” he said. “I don’t necessarily talk a lot — I don’t say what I want to do, I just do it.”
It was recently announced that Michigan’s home game against Michigan State on Oct. 7 would be played in primetime for the first time ever. Furbush gave his thoughts on that as well.
“We like the noon game schedule,” he said. “It’s been our battle rhythm so far, and it’s just what we’re used to. It’s going to be cool though because night games are fun.”
Before the Wolverines face the Spartans, though, they have a bye week. Jim Harbaugh has made it clear that it’s not a “week off” for his team, and Furbush echoed that same sentiment.
“It’s an improvement week,” he confirmed. “I also want to catch up on a lot of homework.”
If those are his top two goals this weekend, the redshirt junior clearly has his priorities in the right place.
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