As part of its conditioning program this summer, the Michigan defense ran six 50-yard dashes in rapid succession.
Just as the inferno in their lungs began to subside, the players then ran 20 20-yard dashes.
And, after that, 10 50-yard dashes.
“After that you would be tired,” Wolverines nose tackle Terrance Taylor said. “But that’s just the beginning.”
It was all sheer practicality. The Michigan spread-option offense has been so spotty to date that one might suggest coach Rich Rodriguez has no real option but his defense, a collection of well-heeled veterans conditioned to compensate.
In two games, Michigan’s offense has scored five touchdowns, one shy of what Rodriguez’s West Virginia team totaled in its opener last season. Until that engine begins to hum, it falls to the Wolverines’ defense to keep the team from careening off the road, a task that continues Saturday at Notre Dame.
“I would hope our defense would have that mentality if we’re scoring 50 points a game, or if we had a veteran offense,” Rodriguez said.
“But do we rely on them more now than we’ll have to in the future? Probably so. If we get an opportunity to make a play or an interception that could change field position or score points, those are things we’re really going to need. That’s where we’re at right now.”
It required adjustments after a shaky start and a personnel shift at linebacker, but Michigan’s defense has allowed no touchdowns and just three field goals in its last six quarters. To think: The Wolverines’ offense managed just 23 points over the same span, meaning the margin for error is about as thin as a blade of Michigan Stadium FieldTurf.
But with seven players with 12 or more career starts to their credit, including a stalwart defensive line with 63 career starts combined, there is little choice but to shoulder the burden.
The last hump was meshing with new coordinator Scott Shafer, hired away from Stanford. Surrendering 22 first-half points to Utah in the opener brought about some emergency rapport.
“We have a veteran defense that has been there before,” cornerback Morgan Trent said. “I don’t know if we got caught up in changes and this and that. Just go out there and play, regardless of who the coach is. This is Michigan football. Don’t worry about what’s called, just go out and play.”
That, plus inserting senior John Thompson at a starting linebacker slot, put Michigan in position to allow just 1.5 yards per rush in its second game against Miami of Ohio despite the defense being on the field for 20 more snaps than the offense.
Philosophically, the defense should be in better position to carry the water than the offense. Rodriguez’s offense is a mini-revolution. Shafer’s approach, meanwhile, isn’t a dramatic shift from that of his predecessor, Ron English.
“A fast, physical, nonstop defense,” Taylor said. “[Shafer] wants everyone to get to the ball and get a hat on the ball. A real aggressive defense that’s running around all the time. It’s kind of an easy transition, because coach [English] wanted the same thing.”
Said Trent: “It’s all about getting to the ball — attitude and enthusiasm.”
Going by the available evidence — Michigan’s offensive struggles, some auspicious defensive play by Notre Dame in its opener — matters likely hinge on the Wolverines’ defense, one way or another. But what else is new?
“We talked about that as soon as the new coaching staff got here,” Taylor said. “Because we have veterans and returning players, we’d have to keep it together until [the offense] got in the groove.
“We take pride in being that group, to go out there first to set the tone. We’re going to hit people for four quarters and we’re not going to stop.”
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bchamilton@tribune.com
