A bizarrely depleted Michigan defense put on a very respectable show last Saturday against UConn. SB Nation’s Maize N Brew breathes a stoic sigh of relief -- for now:
Michigan Vs. Notre Dame: Scouting The 2010 Wolverine Defense That Almost Wasn’t
Michigan’s secondary acquitted itself well against a decent UConn passing attack. However, with the scattered efficiency of Zach Frazer and the inability of UConn’s receivers to simply hold on to the ball, it’s tough to get a real read on how well this unit performed. Three secondary players managed PBUs, but they weren’t really challenged through the air in the manner I anticipated they would be. Michigan will have to duplicate this effort against Notre Dame’s potent air attack for the Wolverines to have any hopes of pulling out a win in South Bend. If Michigan’s zone breaks down or this unit has any trouble tackling, the stats are going to look a lot worse than they did against UConn.SB Nation’s Rakes of Mallow examines what this means for Week 2’s Michigan-Notre Dame matchup:
No one expected Michigan's defense to be a world-beater this year, and I didn't see anything in the UConn game to change that opinion. They were feast or famine on the run defense, accruing a decent amount of tackles for loss but also giving up double-digit gains. The secondary didn't cover anyone and after some early pressure, the pass rush really didn't get to Frazer consistently. If Dayne Crist and company can take a step forward from their effort against Purdue, they should be able to put up points. Will they be able to put up enough points to keep up in a race against Denard Robinson? That remains to be seen.
Michigan and Notre Dame kick off at 3:30 p.m. EDT this Saturday.
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