The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/603303
BY JOHN BORTON F ormer Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr said it often, and it's no less true today: "Win- ning is about finishing." The Wolverines need a red-hot finish in a fiercely contested Big Ten race, and they're relying on a dinged-up defense to supply the branding iron. Coordinator D.J. Durkin's crew hasn't been stringing shutouts together lately, like the three in a row from late September to mid-October that had Michigan fans pondering a new bak- ery franchise: Durkin's Donuts. The unit has also been hit by signifi- cant injuries, losing senior Buck line- backer Mario Ojemudia to an Achilles injury and, most recently, nose tackle Ryan Glasgow to an injured pectoral muscle versus Rutgers. Michigan's defense could have used Glasgow and a whole lot more in a fre- netic, 48-41 double-overtime shootout at Indiana. The Wolverines gave up 14 more points than they'd surrendered in a game all season and a sobering 527 yards of total offense against the Hoosiers' hurry-up scheme. Head coach Jim Harbaugh came out of that game breathing a sigh of sur- vival relief. "The good news is we found a way," he said. "You're pleased when your team can do that. We're beat up; we're getting tired, running low on manpower in spots, and it showed. We played like it at times. There were blocks we must have liked so much we weren't getting off of them. That showed up a little in the game." Ironically, just days earlier, one me- dia entity declared the Wolverines fea- tured the best defense in the nation. Pro Football Focus insisted they're bet- ter than Alabama's defense, tougher than Ohio State's, and more suffocat- ing than those of Clemson and Mis- souri. It cited the Wolverines' statistical wizardry this season and the fact that heading into the Indiana game, Michi- gan hadn't allowed a single foe to score 30 points in a game. Opponents had managed 11.9 per game against the Wolverines, and for good reason. The web site cited junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis, which it considers the top player in the nation at his posi- tion. It also pointed to the Wolverines' defensive line, an aggregation of QB- hungry stalwarts that came together forcefully under Durkin and defensive line coach Greg Mattison. "Every member of the defensive line rotation has a positive grade, and they STOP SQUAD The Wolverines Are Looking To Finish Strong On Defense