Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny: Jack Tuttle strong start at Washington brought up 'team morale'
Michigan Wolverines football averaged 2.9 yards per play and put up no points in its first three drives while falling behind 14-0 in a loss at Washington. That prompted a quarterback change, with the Maize and Blue going from junior Alex Orji to graduate Jack Tuttle, who led three-straight scoring drives before the offense fizzled out in a dismal fourth quarter.
When the offense was hot, though, it gave everyone on the team a spark. The defense settled in, and the Wolverines came all the way back to take a 17-14 third-quarter lead. Senior defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny said Tuttle’s productivity at quarterback even gave his side of the ball a lift.
“It definitely did bring up the team morale,” Benny said. “It brought up the energy. But we gotta keep that going regardless of how the game’s looking.”
Tuttle finished the evening 10-of-18 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan’s defense was put in tough spots at the end of the game, with Washington cashing after receiving stellar field position due to turnovers by Tuttle, a fumble and an interception. The Huskies traveled only 58 yards to score 10 points.
The Michigan defense has long embraced “sudden-change” situations but didn’t get the job done in this instance, and has been put in too many of those spots this season, with the Wolverines ranking 126th nationally with 12 total turnovers.
“Excited to give us a chance to be the ones to make the game-winning play or make the game-winning drive, however you want to look at it,” Benny said of the defense’s mentality in those positions. “We’re excited for it. Sudden change situations, we look forward … not we look forward to it, but it’s something we’re always prepared for. When it’s our time to go out there, we don’t complain, we just go.
“I feel like how we practice, we practice so hard, so we’re prepared for anything. [Michigan head] Coach [Sherrone] Moore does a great job of putting us in all different types of situations that we might face in the game so that when we see it, OK cool, let’s get to it.”
Michigan is looking to bounce back to its second loss of the season, sitting at 4-2 during the bye week with a trip to Illinois on the other side.
“It’s a fresh start,” Benny said of the second half of the campaign. “It’s a whole new part of the season. We’re just trying to get everybody back from injuries, anybody whose body is banged up, we’re trying to get everybody back on board to where it’s a whole fresh new start to the season, where we can just roll after this.”
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Rayshaun Benny surprised himself coming off injury
Benny injured his leg in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl and spent the bulk of the offseason recovering. He had a slow ramp up in fall camp and wasn’t sure how much he’d impact early in the season, but he had a big start to the year. Benny had a sack in the season opener and has totaled 21 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, through six weeks.
“Yeah, definitely,” Benny said when asked if he surprised himself early in the year. “I didn’t know really what to expect, just because it was all so new. But once I was able to get out there and got the first snap, got those little jitters out, I was ready to roll. And then I know my guys got my back.”
While amped up for the start of Michigan’s season, Benny was also a bit uneasy coming off the injury.
“I don’t know if nervous or doubt or anxious [was the feeling],” Benny noted. “I had a whole lot of feelings. I was excited, though, ultimately. And I went out there and gave it my best.”
The rest will benefit Benny and Co. this week. The Wolverines also have another bye week in mid-November.
“Healthy,” Benny said of what he wants out of the bye week. “Get the body back right, get ready for the second half of the season.”
