Defense/Special Teams Notes: U-M Defense Comes Up Big When It Matters Most
The Michigan Wolverines' football defense did its part throughout much of Saturday's game against Army, holding the visitors to 243 yards, and the unit really stepped up big when the game was on the line.
With the Black Knights facing a second-and-eight and trailing 24-21 in the second overtime session, sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson busted through the line of scrimmage to sack senior quarterback Kelvin Hopkins for a three-yard loss.
With Army then facing a third-and-11 and needing points to keep the game alive, Hutchinson and junior defensive end Kwity Paye swarmed Hopkins and knocked the ball loose, with the latter recovering the fumble and ending the game.
"It was just a great performance by him [Hutchinson] ," head coach Jim Harbaugh said in the postgame. "Aidan sweated through his entire uniform and looked like he just played a football game. It was a heck of a fight. He really contributed to the victory, and I'm very proud of him — big hug afterwards."
On Army's first 64 plays of the day, the U-M defense did not record a single tackle for loss — on the final two plays, they registered two, including Hutchinson's first career sack.
"We knew the game was on the line," the sophomore declared afterward. "The offense kicked a field goal, so we knew if they scored a touchdown, it’s game. We all came together as one unit.
"As I said before the season started, this is a tight unit. Those are my brothers out there. We came together and we did what we do.”
The Wolverine defense had forced two crucial turnovers prior to that point, including an interception by senior cornerback Lavert Hill at the goal line in the third quarter, when Army was looking to make the score 21-7. U-M tied it up at 14-14 on the ensuing possession.
The other turnover came when the Black Knights fumbled at their own 25-yard line in the opening frame and senior safety Josh Metellus ran it back for a touchdown, but the official controversially ruled that his knee was down and negated it.
RELATED: Offense Notes — Charbonnet's Effort Overcomes Fumble Issues
Moody Makes Crucial Field Goal, Extra Point
Sophomore kicker Jake Moody's final stat line may not look all that impressive — he made his lone field goal attempt of the day and both of his extra points — but the youngster came up huge when the club needed him most.
His 43-yard field goal in the second overtime gave the Wolverines their first lead of the day (and for good), while his extra point in the first overtime session was needed if U-M hoped to keep the game alive.
Redshirt junior kicker Quinn Nordin, meanwhile, also connected on an extra point, but missed his lone field goal try of the day — a 54-yard attempt to end the first half.
"We were still alternating kickers today," Harbaugh revealed afterward. "And that was a big kick by Jake Moody there in the overtime. Clutch kick in the second overtime was the difference in the game."
Redshirt junior punter Will Hart only booted one ball away during the contest, but it was a monstrous 61-yard punt at the beginning of the third quarter.
Miscellaneous Notes
• Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Donovan Jeter played after missing last week's contest with injury, while redshirt junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour (injury) sat out.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Devin Gil did not play a single snap on defense, but saw action on special teams throughout the game.
• The fumble recoveries by Paye and Metellus were the first of both their careers.
• The Black Knights' 3.3 yards per rush were the lowest they had been held to in a game since Navy limited them to 3.1 on Dec. 12, 2015.
• Michigan held Army to two completions on only five passing attempts, marking the fewest passes completed by a U-M opponent since Rutgers also only connected on two on Oct. 8, 2016.
• Saturday's victory was the closest non-conference regular-season home win of the Harbaugh era, with the 29-13 triumph over Air Force in 2017 standing as the previous closest.
• Army committed eight turnovers all of last season, but the Wolverines forced them into three on Saturday.
• The Black Knights' 10-game winning streak came to an end with the loss. It was the second-longest streak in the nation behind only Clemson's 16-gamer.
• Hill's crucial interception in the third quarter was the fourth of his career. The other three were pick-sixes against Wisconsin last year and against Cincinnati in 2017, and another INT versus Indiana in 2017.
• U-M evened the all-time series with Army, 5-5, and has actually now won five in a row against the Black Knights (the last meeting prior to Saturday was in 1962).
• The 43 passing yards Michigan's defense allowed were the fewest since surrendering five to Rutgers on Oct. 8, 2016.
• Redshirt freshman linebacker Michael Barrett's 25-yard completion to freshman safety Daxton Hill on U-M's fake punt in the first quarter signified the first career pass for the former and the first career reception for the latter.
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