Wolverine TV: Mike Sainristil, Mason Graham talk Michigan football defense before Bowling Green
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil and sophomore defensive tackle Mason Graham met with the media after practice Tuesday evening. Watch video of Sainristil in the player at the top of the page and Graham in the embed below.
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Graham was tied atop the Michigan team with 5 tackles — 1.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage — in a 35-7 win over UNLV over the weekend. He also forced a fumble that was recovered by the Runnin’ Rebels. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus gave him a 93.6 overall grade and 95.3 run defense rating. Graham discussed the process that he uses for evaluating himself after a game.
“Obviously, I have my first impressions coming out of the game. Right after the game, I’m like, ‘OK, I had a pretty good game,’ but I really realized what I did when I came in to watch the film the next day,” the Michigan defender said. Just make some corrections, see what I did good, what I can get better at. I really judge myself off the film.”
This is Graham’s second season in the defense, after he made a big impact as a freshman in 2022. With a year under his belt, he’s a much better player.
“It’s just getting more comfortable in the scheme, knowing the defense more, some defensive calls,” Graham said of the differences between his first and second year at Michigan. “Just being more comfortable.”
The Michigan defensive tackle acclimated quickly to the college game, allowing him to see the field early, but it wasn’t easy.
“It’s a big eye-opener,” Graham said of the differences. “You come from playing high school football — obviously, high school football where I’m from was pretty big — to playing the Penn States, the Ohio States. You gotta strap on your helmet and buckle down and really take the preparation seriously.
“Some of those games warmed me up for those big moments, but going against our offense is the biggest thing for me — the best O-line in the country. It prepares me for the best competition, so when I face the Penn States, the Ohio States, the Michigan States, it just comes like clockwork.”
