Michigan freshman cornerback Blake Countess has made two starts, 33 tackles and is tied for the team-lead with five pass breakups in eight games played this season.

There's been a lot of firsts for Countess this season. On Tuesday, he added another when he met with the media for the first time in his Michigan football career.

Also on Tuesday, offensive tackle Taylor Lewan discussed how to defend Illinois' pass rush, a group that feature's national sack leader Whitney Mercilus.

In addition, offensive coordinator Al Borges and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison held their weekly news conferences.

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.