How the Michigan football defensive line is faring against elite O-line
The Michigan offense is expected to be dynamic this year, without a weak spot at any position. Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine, in fact, said he expected the group to dominate when he watched practice on the crew’s road tour today.
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That wasn’t the case, possibly lending credence to Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s comments at Big Ten Media Day. Harbaugh said he had a “sneaking suspicion” this year’s defense could be even better than last year’s, and it’s playing well.
It starts on the interior defensive line, which has a chance to be outstanding. There’s a blend of veterans and newcomers that could be as talented and deep as Michigan has ever seen.
“Defensively, we have made some real strides in the interior defensive line,” Harbaugh said. “[Michigan first-year] line coach Mike Elston is doing a tremendous job coaching them. Mazi Smith is doing a tremendous job coaching guys out there.”
The offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best last season, and they group is a favorite to win it again. By all accounts, they’ve been outstanding in Michigan fall camp. And with three veterans returning and the addition of Rimington Award favorite Olu Oluwatimi at center, the athletic Trente Jones at right tackle, they have the ability to dominate.
They’ve been tested by the Michigan defensive line, however, which continues to make strides … and then some.
“It wasn’t but a couple of days ago where it was super noticeable, and our defensive line got the better of offensive line that was pretty well thought of in terms of an offensive line,” Harbaugh said. “So, we’ve made some real, real improvement in the defensive line interior.”
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Two true freshmen have helped in that respect. Mason Graham was outstanding in the spring, and he’s picked up where he left off. Mammoth lineman Kenneth Grant (350 pounds) ran a sub-5.0 40-yard dash and has been outstanding in this Michigan fall camp.
“He’s a tremendous athlete for any size, really,” the Michigan coach said of Grant. “If he was 100 pounds lighter than what he is, you’d say, ‘Man, he’s a really good athlete. He’s really light on his feet.’ And it’s really important to him. He really studies the game.
“Yeah … really good. I really love both those players. They’re both going to play a lot of football at a position of real need.”
The goal (again), Harbaugh said, is to play complementary football. That means controlling both lines of scrimmage to help Michigan win another Big Ten title, which it did last year for the first time since 2004.
It won’t be easy. But there’s a wealth of talent on this Michigan team and still weeks to jell before the opener, even more before Big Ten season. It’s been an encouraging few weeks for a defense with plenty to replace and a lot to prove.
