Joel Klatt credits Wink Martindale for stifling Ohio State offense in 'The Game'

Joel Klatt made sure to single out Michigan defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale as someone who deserved immense credit for the Wolverines’ upset victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 14.

The team’s defense came through in a big way, and Klatt believes Martindale’s impressive game-plan was the reason why. On the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the FOX analyst explained some of the tricks the defensive coordinator had up his sleeve for The Game.

“Here’s where I’ll credit Wink Martindale,” Klatt stated. “Early in the season, I saw a lot of exotic coverages and exotic blitzes on third down. He got more basic, which allowed his players to play. And the defense late in the year resembled more of what Jesse Minter was doing with this defense, what Mike Macdonald was doing with this defense over the last couple of years. And I just, I’ve got to give Wink Martindale a ton of credit, a ton of credit, because he had to learn the college game quickly. What he was doing early, he was not stubborn enough to do late in the season.

“Now, maybe injuries have to, you know, are playing into that. And I’m sure that they are, with Will Johnson. But the game plan that he had against Ohio State was really brilliant. Let the guys eat up front, and then stay safe in the back end. They did not allow Ohio State to get past them deep, even when they tried a deep pass to Jeremiah Smith. Like, the interference wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I’ll be honest, it’s like — that’s not a terrible strategy, and a very NFL strategy, by the way. And interference is a lot better than a touchdown catch. And they used that, you know, a couple of times. I’m not saying that that was the absolute plan, but that’s what the result of those attempts down the field was.”

Alas, it’s only Martindale’s first season in college football, and there was some uneven play from the Wolverines throughout 2024, but he made good in Michigan fan’s eyes by helping the team continue their winning streak over the Buckeyes. It was certainly one of the more splendid defensive performances of the season, from any team.

Moving forward, Wink Martindale’s defense and Michigan as a whole will be hoping to ride the momentum they’ve gained to a bowl win, and a bounce back season in 2025. This past weekend’s victory could be a launching point for another magnificent Wolverines run.