Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown coaches the No. 1 defense in the country, but he has some unfinished business.
Brown’s defense gave up 42 points last year to Penn State in a 42-13 blowout, and the Nittany Lions were hurrying to try to score late in the game. Brown said he’s thought about that game every morning since, primarily how he failed to put his players in position to win.
“Some people get driven by positives, some get driven by the negatives. The thing that drives me is when I don’t give players the best possible chance,” Brown said Wednesday. “I want to make sure I remind myself of that, becuase that’s all you’re trying to do, make sure you give your players the best chance. I didn’t feel like I did that, so I own it.
“At the same time, you’ve got to move on and you learn from it. I think that’s what happens in 41 years. You’re going to win some battles, some you’re not going to win, but at the end of the day you’ve got to get better and keep improving.”
That means having all the tools in his toolbox at his disposal, he added. He didn’t want to overload his guys heading into last year’s game at Penn State, and he wasn’t going to implement something they hadn’t practiced — they only get two hours per day, after all — so they were vulnerable.
PSU and quarterback Trace McSorley made them pay.
“Don't say ah, we’re good without that,” he said. … “The one thing that happens is you don’t give your guys enough credit sometimes, say, ‘I don’t think I can put that in because they won’t be able to handle it.’ Well, that group is pretty smart, and now they’re really smart. It’s part of coaching … how much is too much.?
“Coach [Jim] Harbaugh says to me all the time, more is more. You’ve got all your answers and you’re able to go to those, but you can’t predict. Some games are like the MSU game where you go in with a plan for third down, three plays into third down you throw that in the trash and move on. Some games you are able to kind of execute at a high level based on the things you’re going in with. The reality is you’ve got to be able to adjust and move and groove.”
Brown is as good as anyone in the country at making those changes. The Nittany Lions got him last year, though, and they tried to run it up at the end.
Brown brought out the video of PSU players smiling and laughing on the sideline last year to remind his guys of the feeling.
“I just wanted them to see,” he said. “It’s not a good feeling, and we’re all personally accountable for it. You take the good with the bad, but you’ve got to learn from it.
“I wanted them to see it, be reminded of that feeling. I think the point was made.”
NOTES
• McSorley is only completing 52.8 percent of his passes this year, but he’s become a threat as a runner. He’s eclipsed 100 yards twice, including 175 against Ohio State, and had 92 in another game.
“He’s a really good player,” Brown said. “He’s everything, means everything to them, so I think he’s a highly competitive guy, has a really solid understanding.
“They do a lot of freeze cadence, see him look over and changing plays, doing those things He has a really good handle of what he’s supposed to do, getting guys in the right places, taking it into his own hands when it’s important. We certainly have a formidable challenge looking us in the face.”
• Brown recounted a play in the third quarter of the Michigan State game that earned his respect. Michigan junior quarterback Shea Patterson had just fumbled on a handoff to senior running back Karan Higdon; he came to the sideline with guns blazing.
“The guy’s a warrior … we fumbled, he came up and got in my face, said if you get me the ball back, I’ll fix it, I promise you I’ll fix it. I said, ‘you got it.’ He took care of his business, made good on it. I kind of like guys like that who will fight you in the alley.
“If you ask me thing that stuck out to me the most, that’s probably the thing that stuck out about the guy in our first eight games. He’s a competitive guy, and he’s accountable, too.”
• Brown said the 2018 defense might be the best he’s ever had in the way they practice.
“They build days upon days of it and you don’t even realize it, but we practice full speed every day. It’s impressive,” he said. “Some teams you’ve got to chase them to practice the right way, and you’re living in their grill. This group you just let them go. They know how important it is to play fast.”
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