Analysis: Final thoughts on Wink Martindale, defense's incredible improvement

Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale took some heat early in the year when the U-M defense — with no help from an offense that did next to nothing much of the year — struggled to stay on the field. By the end of the season, though, Martindale's group was playing as well as anyone in the country, and its defensive performance was better than either of his predecessors' against Ohio State ... and quite possibly the best defensive showing of the year in college football.