Opinion: If Michigan wants to reach its goal this season, the defense must improve

Simply, Michigan’s defense needs to be better than it has been for the Wolverines to remain competitive. Forget undefeated, teams are quickly learning how to exploit Michigan.

They pick on the cornerback opposite Donovan Warren, be it sophomore Boubacar Cissoko or freshman J.T. Floyd. They run away from Brandon Graham, which has resulted in opposing offensive lines creating large holes.

And most of all, teams have found a soft spot in the middle of the Michigan defense, often running underneath routes right in front of Michigan’s linebackers, specifically Obi Ezeh in the middle.

“We did have moments where we played real well,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “What we gave up was a couple big plays and some of the other plays that we gave up, there were a few missed assignments, mental errors. And there were points during certain drives that our guys were thinking so much that they weren’t reacting quick enough and weren’t playing as aggressively as we need to.”

Yes, Michigan is still in its first year of defensive coordinator Greg Robinson’s new multiple scheme. And yes, Michigan is 4-0.

But there’s something troubling when the Wolverines’ defense steps on the field. They haven’t been able to stop anybody for the majority of the game.

Glance at elite teams, historically. Rarely are those teams outside the Top 25 in defense. Often, teams that focus too much on the offensive side of the ball - most recently Texas Tech and Notre Dame - have exceptional offenses dragged down by shoddy defensive play.

Consider, Michigan’s offense has scored more than 30 points in all four of its games. Its defense has allowed 30-plus in two of four, including to an Indiana team that struggled to score against Western Michigan and Eastern Kentucky.

Michigan looked unprepared last Saturday, and it showed with multiple
miscommunications, blown assignments and shoddy tackling.

“We’re a work in progress,” Robinson said after Michigan escaped, 36-33, against Indiana on Saturday.

But how much progress is really being made?

Michigan ranks no higher than 52nd in any major defensive statistical category in Division I. Its total defense currently ranks 89th, yielding 385.75 yards a game. The 22.75 points a game the defense is averaging (58th in the country) is skewed because of the defense’s best total effort, holding Western Michigan to seven points in the opener.

The run defense has allowed 142 yards a game (69th in the nation) - and the Wolverines have yet to face a team ranked higher than 53rd in rushing offense this year. The pass defense has been worse, allowing 243.75 yards a game, bad enough to be 92nd nationally, sandwiched between Georgia and Purdue.

No individual Michigan defensive player ranks in the Top 60 in any category charted on the NCAA statistical Web site.

And Michigan has been unable to get to the quarterback, ranking 100th in sacks with 1.00 a game. Considering two of Michigan’s opponents - Notre Dame and Western Michigan - had pure dropback passers, the non-existent rush has to be another area of concern since the quarterbacks in the Big Ten are quicker, more agile and generally more mobile.

It’s a disturbing trend, too. Last year under Scott Shafer, Michigan was 34th in total defense through four games, allowing 309.25 yards a game. Shafer’s defense also finished 67th in total defense, allowing 366.92 yards a game.

Both numbers are lower than Michigan’s current totals.

A year earlier, in Lloyd Carr’s last year at Michigan, the defense finished the season ranked No. 24, allowing 335.69 yards.

If anything, the defense’s sub-par performance has been masked by the late-game heroics of freshman quarterback Tate Forcier and a strong running attack led by Carlos Brown.

But how long can Michigan rely on its offense to press the escape button?

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.