Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia grades the Michigan football defense, coordinated by Jay Hill, by position, looking at how each unit has fared through five weeks.
Defensive line: A-
Michigan coaches identified the defensive line as the strength of the team as early as spring ball. For all the things that they got wrong about this team, that prediction has come to fruition. The Wolverines (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) have two of the top 16 graded pass rushers in the Big Ten according to Pro Football Focus, including No. 2 Dom Nichols (89.4) and No. 16 John Henry Daley (76.2).
Enow Etta (82.9), Jonah Lea'ea (80.3) and Trey Pierce (78.4) are all in the top 15 in the Big Ten among defensive linemen in run defense, per PFF. It's a major reason the Wolverines are No. 6 nationally
in total defense (241.4 yards per game) and No. 23 in scoring defense (15.8 points per game). They come in waves, with Tariq Boney, Benny Patterson and Nate Marshall all playing roles in a front that has been among the Big Ten's best.
The Wolverines are tied for No. 27 in the nation in tackles for loss (6.8 per game), and have a touchdown on a Lea'ea pick-six against UTEP.
Linebacker: B
Michigan's least proven room entering the season has been one of the team's few surprises that skew in the positive direction. The combination of Nathaniel Staehling, Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor and Aisea Moa has gotten the majority of the snaps (118 or more each), along with Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng mixed in (59).
Each has had bright moments. Staehling had a 79-yard interception return as one of U-M's two touchdowns in its 20-14 loss to Minnesota last Saturday. Bowles leads the team in tackles (40) and is tied for second on the team with 4½ TFLs.
Taylor has provided a pass-rushing threat as the only linebacker with a sack, and Moa, a Michigan State transfer, is PFF's second-highest graded defender (74.8) in the unit and has been particularly stout in run defense (75.9).
The main knock on the group is pass defense. They have allowed 31 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown.
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Defensive backs: B+
The most veteran group of any unit on the team, the secondary has been largely reliable led by a rotation, primarily, of five: Smith Snowden, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, Rod Moore Jr. and Chris Bracy, each of whom have stood out at various points.
Hill, who has played 279 snaps (the most on the defense), has the top coverage grade (81.3), having allowed just seven receptions for 69 yards on the season. Though he has allowed one touchdown, he also had a critical fourth-quarter interception against Oklahoma, which set up the winning score. He's second on the team with 25 tackles.
Snowden is tied for the team lead with two pass breakups and also just recorded his first interception for the Wolverines against Minnesota, which set up the offense on the Gophers' 34 and led to a TD. His 63.3 NFL passer-rating against is tops on the team.
Bracy has proved useful as a blitzing safety, with a 93.0 pass rush grade off a pair of pressures. He's fourth in tackles with 23. Moore is fifth on the team with 22 tackles, while Berry has 14 tackles and two pass breakups.
The issue, in addition to a few busted coverages, has been untimely penalties. Snowden had a late hit out of bounds in the season opener, Hill had an unnecessary roughness in Week 2 and Berry had an unnecessary roughness in Week 4 on Iowa's final drive, which turned a would-be fourth-and-12 into a first down. The Hawkeyes capitalized with the winning touchdown less than a minute later.
Overall, the defense has been quite good thus far, but needs more takeaways, having forced just five through five games.
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan defense grades are good, but they need more from critical area
