Why Derrick Moore told Josaiah Stewart to 'chill, chill, chill' during Michigan-Illinois game

Michigan Wolverines football senior EDGE Josaiah Stewart had his jersey ripped on the team’s first defensive possession in a 21-7 loss to Illinois last weekend — and it wasn’t on the play that he drew a holding call.

Stewart was held on the prior play, before he started to drag down Luke Altmyer‘s on a third-down pass rush, after he shook free from his blocker. Altmyer intentionally grounded the ball as Stewart got his grip on him. No receiver was in the area, he wasn’t out of the tackle box and the ball didn’t get back to the line of scrimmage, but the officials determined it wasn’t intentional grounding.

Josiah Stewart is playing at a championship level.
3rd down
The tackle held him so much, Stewart’s jersey gets torn.

And he still forces a throw away.

Stud. pic.twitter.com/CEkN04FuHB

— Due# (@JDue51) October 20, 2024

The Wolverines got the stop nonetheless, and they got a kick out of Stewart’s jersey being torn in the shoulder area.

“We were actually laughing about it,” junior EDGE Derrick Moore said. “I think he came to the sideline, and he was kinda mad, because it should’ve been an intentional grounding call. He came to the sideline kinda hot, but at the same time, we were just laughing about it on the sideline.”

Stewart was a bit upset the play before, too, before he realized the holding was called.

“The play before, he drew a hold,” Moore explained. “I had gotten a QB hit, and I looked back, and he was complaining to the ref like, ‘It was a hold! It was a hold!’ I was like, ‘Bruh, chill, chill, chill. They called a flag.’”

Stewart is having a dominant senior campaign, and he’s stepped up as a leader, earning a captain role midseason. Not only is he the FBS’ active leader with 27 career sacks, but he’s second in the Big Ten with 5.5 this season despite missing a game with injury.

He’s receiving extra attention from defenses, and trying to gain any edge he can, including attempting to convince Moore to switch sides of the line with him.

“Even in the game, he’d be like, ‘Bro, they’re double teaming me,'” Moore said with a laugh. “I’d be like, ‘Bro, kill ‘em, bruh.’

“No matter where we go at, he’d be like, ‘Bro, can we switch sides?’ I’m like, ‘Bro, they’re going to follow you no matter where you go.’ That’s just how it is.”

Moore has posted just 1 sack himself, but he’s been extremely impactful as a pass rusher, totaling 18 pressures, just 2 fewer than Stewart (Moore has missed a game with injury, too).

The two are on a similar level in terms of generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but Moore views Stewart as a mentor.

“J-Stew earned the captain role this year. I feel like J-Stew has been a great leader going into this year,” the Michigan EDGE said of his teammate. “For myself, even a guy who plays next to him, I look up to J-Stew. I watch everything he does. We talk to each other about pass rushing or even just about football. We hang out a lot and watch film a lot. He’s taught me a lot, just playing next to him and things like that.

“I’m actually proud of him, how the season’s been going for him. He worked his tail off this offseason, and I’ve been there to watch him, seen it. I just feel like now it’s all just showing out on the field.”

This weekend’s game against Michigan State poses another challenge for Moore and Stewart, the Wolverines’ starting pass-rushing duo. Michigan State runs a lot of max protection, per Moore, meaning extra blockers will stay in the formation to attempt to prevent the Wolverines’ defensive line from getting shots at the quarterback, Aidan Chiles.

“We talk about it a lot, we’re going against a great quarterback this week,” Moore said. “He likes to run around a lot, he’s got a good arm. Their offensive line is pretty good, and they do a lot of six-mans, seven-mans to protect him back there. So we gotta do a good job of getting to him, but at the same time getting to him and containing him in the pocket, as well.

“The key is really just finding a way to beat it. But at the same time, if you’re beating it, just trying to get to the quarterback. Just figure out how to keep the quarterback in the pocket. At the same time, I feel like you can double team any of the guys on the D-line, and they still will find a way to beat it.

“At some point in time, the quarterback will scramble and run around, and unfortunately he’s going to end up running into somebody and get a few years. We just gotta line up and play the next play.”