Michigan Football: Greg Mattison's Defense Will Get Better

Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison didn't make excuses for his players' lapses during Saturday's 31-0 loss to Notre Dame, but he hit the nail on the head by saying Everett Golson "probably played the best game of his life."

The Irish quarterback didn't put up video game numbers, but his 24 of 36 passing, 226 yards and three touchdowns were certainly enough to sink the No. 13-ranked total defense from a year ago. Stocked from front to back, Team 135's defense, this year's defense, has the potential to be one of Mattison's best yet.

But that potential was washed out by the glare of Golden Domes and Golson this past weekend.

Despite having depth upon depth and talent upon talent in the secondary, Wolverines corners and safeties were exploited by Amir Carlisle and William Fuller, who accounted for 150 yards and the trio of aerial scores.

Michigan defensive backs were burned deep, along the sidelines and in the red zone, which Mattison says hurts the most.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea of the setback being some sort of "shock therapy" learning experience—his players don't need such a thing, he said. They're past that point.

Middle-Manning Running Backs

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So far, the Wolverines have surrendered two rushing touchdowns, both of which were up the middle—Marcus Cox of Appalachian State got his in Week 1, and Cam McDaniel of Notre Dame grabbed his in Week 2.

Linebacker Jake Ryan nearly made the stop—"almost an unbelievable play," says Mattison—but McDaniel's timely "squat" and following lunge were a split second faster than he was.

"Am I worried about them running up the middle? No. No. You know, that was a play, I think, that there were some gaps that we could have fit better," Mattison said, quickly mentioning that the two scores up the middle weren't due to lack of effort, skill or strength on the part of his core defense.

They were just two plays.

"Obviously, when a team scores on our defense, I'm saying that we didn't do something right—and we've got to shore that up," Mattison finished.

Persistently Pressuring the Passer

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Michigan's D-line, fronted by Willie Henry, Ryan Glasgow, Brennen Beyer and Frank Clark—and enforced by Ryan—tried to apply the clamps to Golson. They didn't fail; Golson was hurried a lot of the time. But that didn't stop him from repeatedly stinging the Wolverines for 6.6 yards a pop.

He didn't have to lean on the knockout punch. The constant paper cuts did the job.

"You know, it's just something that we've got to work on, getting to the quarterback and creating havoc for that quarterback," Ryan said. "The run game, we played [it] pretty well. But we also need to focus on that passing game. Getting more blitzes in, getting more guys to that quarterback."

Michigan did that, but again, it fell just shy during the long haul. Had there been a sack or two, a deflection or forced fumble, Saturday's outcome could have been different. There is a very thin silver lining to all of this.

"At the end of the day, you can get there, but if you don't make the play, it means nothing," said Clark, a renowned quarterback hunter. "The pressure we got on Golson, we did a great job as far as that, but we didn't do enough. At the end of the day, if you don't get there, you don't make the play.

"Like I said, then it means absolutely nothing. I mean, you can take a couple of good things from it. ... But you've got to get him [the QB] down when you get there."

Putting It All Together 

Mattison was right. Golson probably did play the game of his life. He was a fraction quicker, just a hair more accurate and slightly better than expected. Clark was in the ballpark, too. His defense wasn't lazy or unmotivated; it just couldn't seal the deal.

Winning those on-the-spot confrontations are key to longevity. Clark knows his team is better than it showed. So does Ryan, and likewise for the defensive coordinator. 

That wasn't Mattison's "real" defense out there. That group didn't make the trip to South Bend.

Follow Bleacher Report's Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references to were obtained firsthand by the writer.