It was quite the performance for the Michigan Wolverines defense. They held the Wisconsin Badgers to 210 total yards, forced three turnovers, knocked out their starting quarterback Graham Mertz, and dominated that side of the ball from start to finish. Outside of some momentum at the end of the first half, it went about as well as one could hope for Macdonald’s unit.
Keep in mind that this isn’t the efficient Wisconsin offense of years past. Running backs Jalen Berger and Chez Mellusi are fine backs, but only combined for 31 yards on 14 attempts, and pale in comparison to the past running backs the Badgers have developed. Graham Mertz, who was knocked out early in the second half by a Dax Hill blitz, has been struggling all year, making Wisconsin one of the least efficient passing team in the conference. Regardless of the lack of skill players, the defensive front for Michigan still held their own against the Badger offensive line and tallied six sacks on the day.
Let’s dive into the film to analyze this performance and see what made this performance what it was. As always, leave a comment with any additional thoughts or aspects of the plays you want to call out.