Film Don't Lie: How to Attack Michigan's Attacking Defense
Heading into his fourth year at Michigan, not a lot has gone according to plan for Jim Harbaugh. If there is one thing that went right, though, and it was hiring Don Brown away from Boston College to be his defensive coordinator after DJ Durkin left to become the head coach at Maryland.
In his last year at BC, Brown had a defense that was first in yards per play and second in Havoc Rate. A new situation didn’t change much for him. His defense was still fantastic. In his first year at Michigan Brown’s defense was second in yards per play and first in Havoc Rate Despite losing a ton of talent and experience (they were 127th in returning production on defense) heading into last season, his defense was still outstanding. They were 10th in S&P+, sixth in YPP, and once again first in Havoc Rate. It’s pretty clear that he can coach.
This year it sets up a lot more favorably for him. His defense has 83% of their production returning (15th) and they are loaded with talent at all three levels. If you’re looking at pre-season position rankings, they are considered near the top in all three.
I’m not going out on a limb saying that this Michigan defense is likely going to be the toughest test the Notre Dame offense will face all year. And that test is happening in week one (gulp).
The Irish will be challenged, but it should not be an insurmountable one despite all the returning talent. There is a blueprint to have success against them and it was laid out by Ohio State and Penn State.
They were dominant all year on defense with the exception of those two games. Not coincidentally those were the only two top-40 offenses according to S&P+ that Michigan faced all season. Those were also the only two teams to score 30 or more points against Michigan. And they were the only two teams to rush for over 200 yards against them.
They showed how it’s possible for teams to have success running the ball against the Wolverines.
QB Run Game and Tempo
Michigan stuffed runners at or behind the line of scrimmage on 28.9% of runs in 2017. That was the best in the nation and it’s proof how tough it is to run on them.
It’s not just the athletes they have in the front seven that make it so. It’s that Brown always gives them a numbers advantage because he feels comfortable matching up with his secondary in coverage.
Ohio State’s JK Dobbins and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley were two of the better backs in the nation. Both rushed for over 100 against Michigan, but those numbers are a little misleading. 69 of 108 yards for Barkley came on one run. He only ran 14 for 39 on his other carries. Dobbins had 101, but had a 35 yard run on the final drive to seal the game. The majority of his runs were three yards or less.
That’s how a lot of the running game is going to go against Michigan when the Irish play them. There will be a lot of "bust", but hopefully a few "boom" runs mixed in as well.
What helped OSU and PSU in their games were the contributions from the quarterback position. OSU had 91 yards rushing from their two quarterbacks and PSU had 87.
Designed quarterback runs often evens up the numbers for the offense. It did on this play where OSU used the back as a lead blocker on the QB counter. He picks up safety Tyree Kinnel (23) who is crashing down to support the run. They leave backside end Rashan Gary (3) unblocked and with him having zone read drilled into his brain, he hesitates and JT Barrett (16) is able to run free for a big gain.
Brown loves to play man coverage that often means opportunities to gain yards scrambling as well. With defensive backs with eyes on their receiver and their backs frequently to the line of scrimmage, a quarterback can move the chains if he escapes the rush.
Barrett was able to take advantage of it on OSU’s first touchdown of the game. We know Brandon Wimbush can do that and if it’s him behind center, then making plays with his legs is going to be critical.
One other thing that helped these teams have more success running was the use of tempo. Notice I didn’t say uptempo. It’s not about snapping the ball at a breakneck pace on every play. It’s more about the threat of doing that.
Hurrying up to the line and forcing Michigan’s defense to prepare for the snap right away, whether the play is run with 25 seconds left or if the play clock is about to expire, is important because it makes Brown’s defense more vanilla than he wants it to be. He can’t run all of the games up front and dial up the blitzes he loves to call on all downs if Notre Dame is threatening with tempo.
Both Ohio State and Penn State did and it helped them run the ball.
This is the second snap of the game and PSU’s offense hurried to the line after an initial five yard gain. Michigan is playing pretty much base defense because of it. That allows for Penn State to dictate the terms of what will happen rather than allowing Michigan to attack with blitzes and stunts to flip the dynamic.
PSU makes a shift in the backfield before the snap to have Barkley (26) in the quarterback position and Trace McSorley (9) as the back. They run what would look like a standard zone read, but the left tackle steps down before coming back out to block Gary (the backside end). Normally that is the player that would be optioned. They pull the backside guard and the linebackers flow with that, but the play was designed for Barkley to cut back where there is no one waiting for him. From there it’s a house call.
It was a beautifully designed play and then a great player finishing it off for a touchdown, but it might not have gone down this way without Michigan playing base because of the tempo. They have a lot of talent on their defense, but they aren’t as good without the scheme that helps them be so disruptive.
Our Dudes are Better Than Your Dudes
Even with ten new starters and losing eight players to the NFL Draft, Brown’s defense managed to finish first in Havoc Rate and first in 3rd down defense. A big reason behind those rankings has to do with Brown’s ability to bring pressure. He did it at Boston College and he’s done at Michigan. They don’t call him “Dr. Blitz” for nothing.
The reason why he is able to dial up so many blitzes and be effective with them is that he has corners who can cover at an elite level. He can send five, six, or even seven rushers on a given play and feel pretty good about it because his corners are so good. Per Pro Football Focus, David Long and Lavert Hill finished second and third in the nation last season in fewest receptions per snap.
They were helped greatly because of the rush in front of them, but the fact that they could play so tight on receivers helped quarterbacks be more hesitant when it came to throwing the football as well.
The strategy for Michigan’s defense is pretty simple most of the time. “Our dudes are better than your dudes.” They believe they have the players in the secondary that can cover anybody.
The Wolverines only gave up 5.8 yards per attempt through the air last season (6th), but both Penn State and Ohio State far exceeded that number when they passed against them. Penn State averaged a whopping 10.8 yards per attempt and Ohio State averaged 8.3. For OSU, that number was boosted when Dwayne Haskins was inserted into the game for an injured JT Barrett.
Barrett only managed 3.8 YPA on eight passes. Whether it was because he didn’t have the confidence or ability to make the necessary throws to beat man coverage (or if Ohio State’s coaches didn’t believe in him), the game changed when Haskins (7) replaced him. Haskins had a ridiculous 13.4 YPA on his seven throws and it included this dime over the shoulder of receiver Austin Mack (11) on 3rd and 13.
Notre Dame is going to have take those kind of chances down the field and throw those 50/50 balls up for grabs to Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool, or even true freshman Kevin Austin. Michigan is going to play man coverage on the outside a lot. They are going to clutch and grab too. The Irish are still going to have to attack there even when those players seem like they are well covered.
The Irish can learn a lot from what Penn State did as well. They took plenty of deep shots down the field and were able to get receivers into favorable matchups.
They went empty with Saquon Barkley in the slot and had him against a linebacker in the 4th quarter. Barkley beat him for a touchdown.
They had 6’6” tight end Mike Gesicki matched up against 6'0" hybrid linebacker Khaleke Hudson. Gesicki was able to win a jump ball on a big 3rd down conversion in the red zone that led to a touchdown.
They frequently had DaeSean Hamilton (5) lined up in the slot because they knew Brown would have a safety lined up in man coverage against him. He won repeatedly against those safeties like he did here.
If McSorley puts this out in front more then it’s probably a touchdown.
What Barkley did as a receiver when matched up with linebackers in man coverage is exactly why moving Jafar Armstrong and Avery Davis to the running back mix could end up being big in a game like this. Those two are athletes that you’d expect to win against a linebacker in coverage. It’s not different than expecting a tight end like Cole Kmet or Alize Mack to win against a hyrbrid linebacker on a jump ball as well. It’s not complicated, but those situations could be critical.
Plenty of man coverage from Michigan also means plenty of opportunities to run crossing routes over the middle of the field to create big yardage after the catch.
Ohio State gashed them late in the game with KJ Hill (14). It’s not a pick. It’s a just a rub route where the defender has to adjust slightly to avoid running into his teammate. It creates the space necessary for big yards.
Here’s another great example of them getting exploited on crossing routes. Barkley was WIDE OPEN on this play and it could have been a touchdown if McSorley put this on him. It was more of an obvious pick by Gesicki (88), but there was no call on the play.
When you play man to man as much as Michigan does, these plays will open up if it’s executed correctly. The ball just has to be delivered accurately.
That was another example of a back being moved to a receiver spot and getting the right matchup, but PSU had another 3rd down play where the running back lined up in the backfield and they were able to leak him out into the flat.
Michigan is overloading the left side and is (unsurprisingly) going to blitz. It’s rare on a 3rd down where they show blitz and don’t do it. Andre Robinson (6) is in the game and they send him out right where the blitzers were coming from. That means that Mike McCray (9) has to come all the way over from his inside linebacker spot to cover Robinson. McCray doesn’t get there in time before Robinson converts the first down.
Tony Jones Jr., who can catch the football as well as he can pick up a blitz, could be used in this same way as a response to extra rushers. Last season Dexter Williams scored a touchdown against Michigan State doing something similar to this as well.
Brown’s defense is aggressive, attacking, and relentless. Sometimes that can be used against them and they are often vulnerable on those kind of plays in addition to play-action and run-pass options. That’s something Notre Dame needs to take advantage of on September 1st when they take on the Wolverines.
The hype is well-deserved. Michigan’s defense is capable of overwhelming opponents. They have big time athletes at all three levels of the defense and teams with inferior talent are going to find it very difficult to accomplish much against them.
In order to have success like those two teams did, coaches not only have to be smart with how they counter against what Brown will call, but skill players have to be able win in one on one situations. If a team’s receivers and running backs struggle to do so, it’s going to be a frustrating game for an offense. But if players like Wimbush, Boykin, Kmet and others are able to win their matchups when it matters, then Notre Dame putting up 30 or more points against their defense should almost be expected.