When the Michigan Wolverines' football team took the field for the Sept. 21 game at Wisconsin, its defense was gashed for 487 total yards, including a whopping 359 on the ground.
All the concerns the fan base had possessed about the lack of experience and depth on the defensive line came to fruition that afternoon as the Badgers rushed for five touchdowns, averaged 6.3 yards per carry and put 28 first half points on the board.
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Defensive coordinator Don Brown's unit appeared to be in the worst shape it had been in during his four years on the job, with many deeming hopes of a significant turnaround impossible following the lifeless performance in Madison.
A flip was seemingly switched for both the players and the veteran coach after the loss to the Badgers, however, with the Wolverines pitching a shutout the following week against Rutgers and never having looked back since.
While a blanking of the Scarlet Knights isn't exactly anything to write home about (Rutgers has been shut out three times this year), the Maize and Blue turned in an equally dominant defensive performance the following Saturday against Iowa when they held it to just three points and one yard on the ground.
Sure, there have been a few defensive lulls mixed in over the past month and a half (allowing 21 first half points at Penn State, for example), but the fact remains that the unit has undergone a complete transformation, and doesn't even resemble the crew we saw during the first three games of the year.
The most substantial improvements for Michigan's defense have occurred in the front seven.
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Mike Dwumfour missed all but one snap of the club's first three games (saw one play against Middle Tennessee State before exiting with injury), but returned in the Sept. 28 blowout of Rutgers and has played at least 17 snaps in every game since.
His return to the lineup has been invaluable, as redshirt sophomore Donovan Jeter and junior Ben Mason weren't ready to contribute at a high level in his absence.
The rush defense has only allowed 66.6 yards on the ground per game since his return, 142 fewer than the 208.6 they had been yielding.
A bit of a youth movement has also occurred in the back seven and has been incredibly beneficial, in the forms of redshirt freshman linebacker Cam McGrone and freshman nickelback Daxton Hill.
The former stepped into the starting lineup following junior Josh Ross' injury in the loss at Wisconsin, and has performed at a incredibly high level ever since.
Despite averaging just 11 snaps through the Wolverines' first three games of the year, McGrone has still managed to rack up 45 tackles, seven stops behind the line of scrimmage and 3.5 sacks.
Hill, meanwhile, has steadily seen an increased role as well, playing at least 17 snaps in four of the team's last six outings after receiving a combined three snaps through the club's first three contests.
The freshman has shown a knack for consistently being around the ball, evidenced by his two fumble recoveries against Notre Dame and his tipped pass that led to an interception against Iowa.
A Michigan defense that was left for dead in late September now ranks as the seventh-best unit nationally, and could potentially be on its way to a fourth consecutive top-three finish under Brown.
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