Defense/ST notes: With 'a chip on our shoulder,' Michigan dominates Colorado State in debut

The Michigan Wolverines football defense started out with a bang in a 51-7 season-opening victory over Colorado State. The unit, in its first game under coordinator Jesse Minter, performed like a well-oiled machine despite having to replace seven starters from 2021.

The defensive front was disruptive and came in waves. The Wolverines rotated players in and out on both the edge and interior, flashing the depth that was questioned all offseason.

“We have so many EDGEs and so many different guys at D-line who can do different things for this football team,” Michigan senior EDGE Mike Morris said postgame. “Me and [senior defensive tackle] Mazi [Smith] talk about it all the time — there are a lot of guys in the D-line and in the EDGE room that can play winning football, so we just switch it up as much as possible, give everybody a break.

“We had like eight guys rotating at one point, and everybody ate, so I feel like we bring a lot of versatility and depth to each and every game.”

Nine Wolverines combined to make 11 tackles for loss, including seven sacks, Michigan’s most since last year’s 21-17 win over Penn State Nov. 13.

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The Michigan defense allowed just 219 total yards — 137 passing and 82 rushing — against the Rams’ air raid offense. CSU went 2-for-11 on 3rd down and 1-for-4 on 4th down.

“Speaking to the depth, I thought the defense played extremely well,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “The front, we were feeling the front just getting better and better.”

And they were eager to prove doubters wrong after hearing the noise ever since the 2021 campaign ended and last year’s standouts declared for the NFL Draft.

“I feel like, as an EDGE room and as a D-line in total, we put a chip on our shoulder, because their absence, everybody thought we weren’t going to be as good because of their absence,” Morris said.

“People come and go from every school all the time, but now it’s like, does Michigan have a guy? But no, we have multiple. Anybody in the EDGE room can play winning football and start on this defense.”

Several Michigan newcomers made plays in the victory, not just in the front-seven. Senior defensive back Mike Sainristil, a converted wide receiver, got things going with his first career sack less than a minute into the contest. Transfer Eyabi Anoma (Alabama, Houston, UT Martin) got into the backfield for a sack, and freshman defensive tackle Mason Graham was disruptive with a half-tackle for loss. Eleven new U-M players saw time on defense.

Colorado State quarterback Clay Millen was 16-for-20 passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, but outside of his 34-yard scoring toss, he averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt.

All told, 27 different Michigan players registered a tackle, with the Maize and Blue emptying the bench late in the game.

Michigan turnovers added to the fun

Michigan players and coaches, specifically co-defensive coordinator and secondary mentor Steve Clinkscale, clamored during fall camp for more turnovers this season.

The Wolverines’ extra work in pre-practice circuits paid off right away. On the Rams’ second drive, sophomore safety Rod Moore made an interception and returned it 37 yards to the CSU 13-yard line, which set up a 31-yard field goal by graduate kicker Jake Moody.

To start off the next half, Michigan senior cornerback DJ Turner picked up a fumble forced by Morris and brought it back 45 yards for a score.

“I was covering a man and saw the ball,” Turner explained postgame. “I scooped it and just ran.

“It just goes into what we always preach — always wanting the ball. You never know when your time is going to come and when the play is going to come. It was perfect timing, running to the ball and it falls in your lap.”

Turner’s touchdown opened the floodgates for Michigan. It served as the Wolverines’ first score of the second half (less than three minutes in), before they cruised to the victory.

Michigan forced multiple takeaways in just four of 14 games in 2021 but was able to cash in with two Saturday.

Miscellaneous Michigan defense / special teams notes

• Michigan’s 11 tackles for loss are the most it has made since racking up 12 at Penn State Nov. 13, 2021. Saturday marked just the fourth time U-M has tallied double-digit TFLs over the last three-plus seasons dating back to 2019.

• Junior linebacker Kalel Mullings made his first career start. He notched 2 tackles.

• Sainristil has started nine games at wide receiver for Michigan, but Saturday marked his first time opening a tilt on defense.

• Morris’ forced fumble was the first of his career. He also had 2 tackles for loss, a career high. His previous best was 0.5 (vs. Western Michigan and Wisconsin in 2021).

• Moore’s interception was the first of his career.

• Graduate linebacker Michael Barrett posted a sack, the third of his career. The others came at Minnesota in 2020, when he also forced a fumble on the play, and at Penn State in 2021.

• Michigan junior EDGE Jaylen Harrell hadn’t recorded a sack until this game. He shared the sack with Smith for a loss of eight yards in the third quarter.

• Michigan junior safety R.J Moten registered a sack for a loss of six yards on a 4th down in the second quarter. That was the first of his career.

• Michigan’s 219 total yards allowed are the least it has given up since a Nov. 6, 2021, win over Indiana (29-7). The Rams’ 137 yards through the air are the least U-M has yielded since that same contest against the Hoosiers.

• Sophomore linebacker Junior Colson led Michigan with 10 tackles, a career high. His previous best was 8 last season against Indiana.

• Moody has converted on 12 of his last 12 field goal attempts dating back to last season. Only Remy Hamilton (14), Kenny Allen (15) and Brendan Gibbons (16) have longer streaks in school history. Moody also moved to fifth among Michigan’s all-time field goal leaders with 43 in his career. He is two shy of the fourth spot, currently held by Gibbons (45, 2010-13).

• Michigan’s 82 rushing yards allowed is the least it has yielded since Ohio State rushed for 64 Nov. 27, 2021. Last season, Michigan held three different opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground.

• The Michigan defensive players to make their debuts in a winged helmet are the following: Anoma, Graham, freshman defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, freshman defensive back Will Johnson, freshman EDGE Derrick Moore, freshman linebacker Jimmy Rolder, freshman cornerback Kody Jones, EDGE Micah Pollard, freshman cornerback Myles Pollard, freshman safety Keon Sabb and graduate defensive lineman Cam Goode.

• Johnson was in coverage on Colorado State’s lone touchdown, a 34-yard deep-ball connection between Millen and wide receiver Tony Horton.

“It’s a learning experience,” Harbaugh said of the Michigan cornerback’s first outing. “Your first game, first college action as a freshman, says a lot that he’s out there, that he’s playing in that role. He’s currently the fourth corner on our depth chart right now. He’s going to have a huge upside, no doubt about it. Grade it as a learning experience. It was a heck of a throw, heck of a catch, in by about an inch. 

“He had some other good plays. I thought he played physical. It was good — game one. If that was your son out there playing game one, you’d probably be pretty proud.”

• Michigan is now 17-0 in non-conference home games under Harbaugh. The Wolverines are now 117-23-3 all-time in season openers. Harbaugh is 6-2 in openers as U-M’s coach.