Michigan DC Wink Martindale has wrinkles for Ohio State: 'We have a big library to pull from'

The Michigan Wolverines head into this weekend’s game at Ohio State as three-score underdogs, but defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has his side of the ball buzzing over the last month or so. And that has provided some optimism that U-M can go down and hang with the nation’s second-ranked team.

Martindale and the Wolverines have not allowed a touchdown in 6 quarters of play with a patchwork secondary. He sees guys getting more game reps as a reason for why things have settled down.

“The different adjustments with guys playing more snaps and things of that nature and just the growth of the unit together,” Martindale said on Monday’s edition of Inside Michigan Football. “We had a lot of guys that have, for example, like Zeke Barry, I don’t even think he traveled until this year. Those guys are getting used to having game time reps and playing together and, we’ve had a lot of injuries. We’ve had a lot of guys moving in and out of the lineup.

“But the communication, especially the last three games, has been great. The Oregon game was a tough start. But from halftime of Oregon to now, we’ve been playing really well defensively.”

Michigan’s secondary will play arguably its best array of pass catchers this year with what OSU brings to the table in Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate. Martindale and the Wolverines are on high alert for everything the Buckeyes can throw at them offensively.

“This game we have coming up is a completely different animal,” Martindale said. “They got three werewolves out there that we got to try to cover. And it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

“They’re just a machine right now offensively. We know that it’s going to be a physical game. To me, that’s advantage us in the physicality area. But, we have done a great job of patching together a secondary, essentially, all season. So, that’s going to be a test because you’ve got to have some premier guys to go against premier guys.”

Martindale clarified saying that he believes Michigan’s advantage comes in the form of a dominant defensive line that Ohio State will have to account for.

“I mean that we have to have an advantage there, going into every game,” he said. “They’ve done a nice job. I mean, [Josaiah Stewart] has had a tremendous year. He’s at 8.5 sacks now. Mason, he’s going to be a first-round draft choice. And KG’s the same. They’ve played a lot of reps this year compared to what they’ve done in the past. And I just, it’s going to be a fun game. And, we’ll see what happens.”

There is a lot of film to sift through at this point of the year, but Martindale says there are aspects of Michigan’s defense that have not come off the playsheet this year. That gives them a lot at their disposal when it comes to the OSU game plan.

“Somebody asked me this the other day, a pro scout said, ‘How much of your package have you run since you’ve been here?’ And it’s honestly about 25% of the package,” Martindale said. “So we have a big library to pull from. The kids do a fantastic job to adjust into anything different that we do. And also this is one of those games that you just line up and go play, too. So, it’s gonna be a great challenge for us.

“We know we’re the underdog going into it. And as long as we don’t play like the underdog, we’ll be all right.”

Martindale will make his first trip ever to Ohio Stadium on Saturday, as will many of Michigan’s players. They key to conquering the environment is to not let it overwhelm you, he says.

“You just go back to the basics and you keep it simple,” Martindale said. “That this is what you’ve been training for the entire year is for this game. And you don’t need to put a bunch of new checks in, a bunch of new stuff, and just go out there and let them play.

“The young players will feed off the older players that are playing in this game, whether they, start or they’re backups, whatever it is, but they’ll see it live in front of them first, or the young players that are going to be out there. They’ll feel it when they’re out there, how big this game is.”

So what’s the biggest key to pulling off a defensive game plan that gives Michigan the upper hand? It’s going to be extremely difficult.

“This is going to sound like a double-edged sword, you need to stop the run and not let any ball get over your head,” Martindale said. “And to do that, you’re going to have to stop the run sometimes with a lighter box. We’ve been pretty good at doing that. That’s going to be the biggest challenge. I know Chip [Kelly], I’ve gone against Chip before, he’s a very talented playcaller. And it’s going to be a great challenge.”