Michigan Football: 5 things we learned in Wolverines win over Maryland

Josh Metellus and Brad Hawkins stand out

At times, it has been easy to criticize the Wolverines secondary. But, those guys have also been put in some tough positions by Don Brown, especially at Penn State.

Yet, with some adjustments, such as playing more zone defense, as well as the improvement of guys like Brad Hawkins, as well as the steady play of Josh Metellus, the play on the backend of the defense has greatly improved.

Metellus notched a key interception in the win against Maryland which was the second of the season, however, he did much more than that. He finished with a game-high nine tackles and also had two tackles for loss.

Hawkins also made his presence felt, making some nice stops in run support. He also had a nice tackle on the sideline that prevented Maryland from getting a first down.

Hawkins isn’t perfect, but he’s become an intimidating force in the running game. There is still a role for Daxton Hill, especially in pass defense, but there’s no doubt Hawkins and Metellus have both raised their level of play.