The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/575020
stadium is going crazy." LINEBACKERS HAVE PLENTY TO PROVE While the front and back of the de‑ fense have been extremely solid, the linebackers have had their ups and downs. Veteran senior starters Joe Bolden and Desmond Morgan aren't the speediest set in the Big Ten, and they struggled at times in pass cov‑ erage through three games. Missed tackles were an issue in the opener against Utah, and backups James Ross, a senior, and Ben Gedeon, a ju‑ nior, earned long looks in the UNLV game. There was significant improvement from week one to week two, former Michigan linebacker Ron Simpkins said, especially in tackling. "They still missed a few, and they bounced a couple of times, but for the most part, when they had a chance to grab someone, they got him on the ground," Simpkins said. "That was important. "The linebackers played much better. They flowed toward the ball. They didn't get hung up. They didn't fill the wrong area. They made some tackles in the open field." There were a few mistakes against the Rebels, but the entire defense should have been proud of the effort, Harbaugh said. "They wanted to get a shutout. They played really fantastic football and darn near did get a shutout," he said. "But UNLV's got a vote in that. Give them credit. "We made one particular mistake that extended that drive. A line‑ backer lost leverage and extended the drive." Durkin has been a calming influ‑ ence and done a great job so far, Mat‑ tison said. His adjustments after Or‑ egon State drove the field for its early score were critical, and there wasn't any panic. "You knew it was a breakdown here and there that caused it," Mat‑ tison said. "We knew we were going to make the adjustments we had to on the sidelines. "D.J. does a great job with making sure he knows what's going on in all parts of it. He just got everybody to‑ gether and said, 'This is what's hap‑ pened and what can't happen,' and they adjusted to it. "It's been very good. On every play we're all together. D.J. will call the group together, explain it exactly and break it down into each position." There's no question they're well coached, Ray added. However, it's the players who will determine the outcomes against the best teams on the schedule. The bigger tests are coming up, and there's still a lot to prove. "I see a team with the talent to go 8‑4," he said. "I definitely don't see a ton of NFL guys running around … they don't create turnovers and they don't create sacks. If you want turnovers, you need athletes to make plays. When the ball is in the air, ath‑ letes come down with it. And they don't seem to have a true pass rusher, either." Not that we've seen yet, anyway. The season is young, though, and now is the time to emerge. ❏