Michigan defense should receive a boost this weekend vs. Rutgers
The Michigan secondary has missed standouts Will Johnson and Rod Moore the last several weeks, though their replacements have played pretty well in their absence. Transfer Josh Wallace stepped in for sophomore corner Johnson, while sophomore Keon Sabb and veteran Quinten Johnson have both had some nice moments filling in for Moore.
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But it’s clear this defense is better with Johnson and Moore, two All-Big Ten candidates, on the field. Veteran nickel Mike Sainristil seemed to confirm last week what we’ve heard (and been saying) — both guys were closing in on a return sooner than later. He was excited at the thought have playing with them.
“Once the whole secondary is back, the whole pack is back, it’s going to be … I’ll just leave it at that,” Sainristil said. “I can’t wait to be out there with everybody at 100 percent.”
Though they haven’t disclosed the injuries publicly, none of them are season-threatening, as some fans have feared. Several sources have said they’re being extra careful with the secondary stars because they could. ECU, UNLV, and Bowling Green weren’t expected to test the Michigan secondary no matter who was back there, and for the most part, they didn’t. But there’s a big difference between the starters and the backups, both in experience and (for now) talent level.
“I think we’re really, really close to having a full tilt back there,” Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said in being cautious not to expand. “So … we’ll leave it at that. “It will be — hopefully — fun to see the guys back out there.”
They are grateful, though, for the job the others did the last three weeks. There were very few big plays against, and one — a first pass on the sideline over Michigan veteran corner Keshaun Harris — was perfectly placed and questionably overturned (looked like a drop, was initially called a drop when it hit the ground). Sabb got some critical experience, and Johnson a key pick against Bowling Green.
A pair of freshmen have stepped up at corner, and both looked the part of future starters. Michigan sophomore Zeke Berry was hurt in the UNLV game, but he looked good against ECU, too. They’ll all be big parts of the defense down the road.
“All those guys that haven’t played for us before, when you look at Jossh Wallace, Keshaun Harris, Jyaire Hill, DJ Waller, Keon Sabb at safety, Quinten Johnson even getting more run than he’s had in the past,” Minter aid. “When you think about the course of the year over hopefully a 12, 13, 14, 15-game season, you’re going to need depth. Things come up. So, I am really pleased with how those guys have played, how they’ve learned to prepare, which I think is just as big of a piece.
“They’ve learned our process and game planning our process and studying opponents, so now they have some more confidence because they’ve played in games. I expect all those guys to still have roles for us, even when we get healthy.”
This week, though, they should welcome back the starters. It comes at just the right time given it’s the Big Ten opener. Rutgers isn’t the standard, but the Scarlet Knights have improved. Having more experienced help in the defensive backfield should make it easier to fend off any upset bid.
