Minus one dropped “can of corn” as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh described it, senior cornerback Lavert Hill did his part in locking down half the field in Saturday’s 40-21 win over Middle Tennessee State.
It was the other corners, however, who really made a statement.
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What was supposed to be a huge question mark was instead one of Saturday’s most pleasant surprises. Junior Ambry Thomas was one of the players of the game, while redshirt freshman Vincent Gray was also in consideration.
Gray was solid in coverage but even better in run support and with his instincts to the ball.
“I felt very comfortable about the way I played. I felt natural,” he said. “I was just thankful for this opportunity I was given.
“I kind of thought I was going to be nervous going into it, but I kind of just locked into my zone. I just listened to music and stuff like that, so I was ready.”
He played like it. He had a number of open field tackles, including a fourth down stop late in the game to get the ball back for the offense.
There was talk in spring and fall camp that Gray had been making a name for himself, and he lived up to the hype. Though he got pushed around a bit downfield and needs to get stronger — he’s 185 now, rail thin at 6-2, and hoped to be 190 when the season started — his debut couldn’t have gone much better.
Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich isn’t one to sugarcoat, and he let Gray know he still had things to work on.
“He’s honest; cutthroat. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything,” Gray said. “He’s going to tell the truth. I’d say he was preparing me very well for these moments, these opportunities to play. He’s been honing in on my technique and knowing the plays and stuff like that. I feel like he prepared me very well.
“He said I had a Iittle bit of technique errors to work on, but for the most part he thought I did really good. Just a little bit of things personally for me to clean up going forward.”
There was one big one — a touchdown in the back of the end zone on which he lost his man. He received an earful when he got back to the sideline.
“They ran a little rub route. We were in straight man, so they ran a little rub route and they give the receiver space,” he said. “It’s hard to catch up after that. We call it tailpiping …we have to run directly behind the dude. I’ve got to do a better job tailpiping next time.”
For the most part, though, he was outstanding, noting he wasn’t intimidated at all after being taught by guys like Hill and David Long. Thomas was even better, surprising since he wasn’t even expected to return from colitis until later in the non-conference season.
“Probably like a week before the game, he started getting his regular reps again, started looking like Ambry Thomas again,” Gray said. “We pretty much knew about a week ahead of the game he was going to be back and ready to go.
“I’m so proud of him. It was crazy. I talk to Ambry every day. He played a big impact in helping me get to where I’m at as a player and a person. I was so proud of him. I look at him as a big brother.”
Together they alleviated one huge concern about this year’s defense. There are bigger tests to come, of course, but “the other corners” are off to a great start.
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