WATCH: Troy Bowles, Brandyn Hillman talk Michigan football defense pre-Purdue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football junior linebacker Troy Bowles and junior safety Brandyn Hillman met with the media Tuesday evening ahead of their team’s matchup with Purdue Saturday at The Big House. Watch video of Bowles in the player at the top of the screen and Hillman in the embed below.

Key quotes from Michigan defenders Troy Bowles, Brandyn Hillman

Troy Bowles
• On stepping up with injured players in the Michigan linebacker room: “With Cole and Jimmy going down, it’s obviously a detriment to the room a little bit, but we also have guys like [Nathaniel] Owusu[-Boateng], a freshman, Chase Taylor and me stepping up, so I think we should be good.”

• On Michigan freshmen Owusu-Boateng and Taylor: “I’ve seen them taking reps more seriously, taking meetings more seriously,” Bowles said of the freshmen. “Obviously, seeing Jimmy and Cole go down, it’s a real possibility that you could play, so you better get on your stuff. I’ve seen that they’ve been doing that these past couple weeks.”

Brandyn Hillman
• On the balance of big hits vs. wrapping up tackling: “Hmm, it all depends on how I see it coming out of the post or if I’m down in the box. But I kind of just come at it with the same mentality — see ball, get ball. Certain plays, I do have to wrap up. That’s just me being a self-critic, but certain plays I just come down with bad intentions of getting the person down, and that’s how I play.”

• On if coming down with ‘bad intentions’ leads to a bad angle: “Yeah, just certain plays in my mind that I’ve got to work on, like open field tackles, knowing when to get the person down instead of a big hit, just little things like that.”

• On if he keeps track of his big hit victims during Michigan’s games: “No, I don’t keep track of them. To be honest, I try not to even think about it. Once it’s over, it’s over.”