Michigan Football: How Greg Mattison's Wolverines Defense Can Rebound

Greg Mattison doesn’t always “believe in stats a lot."

But the Michigan defensive coordinator has to believe that his Wolverines defense has to be better than it was during Saturday's 30-14 loss to Minnesota, when it was torn by running back David Cobb. 

While there may have been a few positive moments for the defense, namely a handful of second- and third-down stops, it’s difficult to overlook the 5'11", 229-pound Gophers senior who quietly destroyed Team 135 with 111 rushing yards in the first half, the most surrendered to any individual or team all season.

He finished with 183 (net), just 17 shy of his third 200-yard game in 2014. He did what he wanted to, when he wanted to do it. But Mattison disagrees with the notion that the Wolverines were “ran over.”

“I don’t think he ran over us, but he did better against us than we want anybody to do,” Mattison said. “He’s a very good running back. We already addressed that [“Lack of execution,” per LB Joe Bolden on Saturday] with our linebackers and our defense. We’ve got to play a lot more physical."

“That was the first time that I felt that we weren’t the leaders in being physical against that offense—it was guys not getting off blocks, it was guys punching…the things that we worked very hard on all camp. You know, just not being physical. I just didn’t feel we were as physical as we should be and have to be. We’re working on correcting that right now.”

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Mattison’s high-powered defense was supposed to be one of the strengths of this year’s Wolverines. But hiccups continue to impede progress.

The secondary’s had woeful outings, but it somewhat rebounded Saturday versus Minnesota. Quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for a modest 167 yards and a touchdown, not an air show by any means, due in part to coverage from Raymon Taylor and Blake Countess, who each had probable touchdown-saving pass deflections in the first half.

Their efforts could have influenced the Gophers to run the ball more often, which shouldn’t have been an issue for a defense that had allowed just 1.83 yards per carry in the three previous games. Mattison admitted that things didn’t go as planned in that regard.

The D-line has shown glimpses of promise—particularly sophomore Willie Henry, a 6’3”, 293-pound defensive tackle who had a pick-six versus Utah—but overall, the defense has just 10 sacks on the year, good for No. 53 overall, per ESPN’s count.

Where, exactly, is the problem? Why’d the defense look so lethargic in its Big Ten opener?

“Total defense. Not just one position,” Mattison said firmly. “It was total defense…we take pride, and have all year, [we] take pride on ourselves being a very physical team on defense. I just don’t think we did as well as we should have there in that game.”

Despite the catastrophic loss, Mattison stands behind his players. He doesn’t feel as if they were “exposed” by the Gophers, who essentially did as they pleased over the weekend at The Big House.

“My confidence in our guys is as high as it’s ever been,” he said. “I haven’t lost one bit of confidence in this defense,” later adding that “Minnesota’s a good football team. You’ll see as they go forward. But we have to play at our very best each and every week. Not doing that doesn’t [make me] lose my confidence in these guys at all. Because I know they want to [improve] and they’ll work to do it.”

Can Michigan put Rutgers in a Rut?

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

Paul James, Rutgers’ leading rusher (363 yards, five touchdowns), suffered a season-ending ACL injury two weeks ago against Navy; it’s a major blow, of course, but the Scarlet Knights have Desmon Peoples ready to take over in the backfield.

At just 5’8” and 175 pounds, the sophomore running back is doing a respectable job of filling in for his predecessor, evidenced by his tuning up of Tulane this past weekend. His 21 carries for 83 yards and two catches for 50 yards helped his team cruise to a 31-6 victory.

Mattison said that he spent five hours Sunday night watching film of Rutgers. He realizes that Peoples, an emerging dual-threat, could be trouble this weekend in Piscataway.

“He’s quick,” Mattison said. “He’s a very good football player; he’s not as big, but he’s a very quick, hard-playing football player and very adequate…very good football player.”

How to stop Peoples:

Linebackers must contain, and Michigan can’t lose sight of him. He’s Rutgers’ Dennis Norfleet, minus a fraction of the speed. Peoples’ durability is a concern. He’s not very big, as Mattison mentioned, so it’s possible that the Wolverines may want to send an early message: Run, we dare you.

As a defensive coordinator, ruling the trenches is the name of the game. Players can’t get to the quarterback or make tackles for losses if they can’t penetrate the opposing O-line. Mattison said that Rutgers has a “very good offense” with a “seasoned” O-line, plus a “winner” at quarterback “who doesn’t get sacked” and “gets out of trouble.”

That quarterback is Gary Nova, a 6’2”, 220-pound senior who’s thrown for 1,197 yards and 10 touchdowns thus far.

How to stop Nova:

He’s not the most mobile guy, but he has a decent arm, evidenced by his nearly 11-yard average per attempt. Forcing him to throw the ball wouldn’t be a bad idea, but the defensive backs have to be in position. Backs turned to quarterbacks, and to the ball, has been a constant thorn in the secondary’s side.

Nova also has “very explosive wide receivers,” says Mattison, who is absolutely correct. Leonte Carroo, a 6’1”, 205-pound junior, is quickly becoming one of the most talked about wideouts in the country. His 475 yards have him at No. 14 in FBS, and his five touchdowns have him in the top 10.

If there’s one receiver capable of putting the Wolverines’ weaknesses on display, it’s Carroo, who gouged Tulane for 140 yard and three scores.

How to stop Carroo:

Carroo has the ideal frame to battle Michigan’s physical secondary. Jourdan Lewis, a sophomore corner, has shown the ability to run down plays from across the field. He may want to pack a pair of track spikes for the trip to Jersey.

Michigan probably won’t completely cap Carroo, but it’ll have to double- and triple-team him in order to avoid looking like Tulane.

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Rutgers' Leonte Carroo on facing Jabrill Peppers: "He's going to make you play hard. I'm one of those kids that loves the trash talk. ...

— Tyler Barto (@Tyler_Barto) September 29, 2014"

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