Michigan Football: 5 things we learned from win over Western Michigan

Defense passes the first test

Again, it was only Western Michigan but the defense was impressive. Not everything went smoothly and Western Michigan scored on its opening drive.

But the Broncos have one of the best quarterbacks in the country, certainly in the MAC in Kaleb Eleby and he went 20-for-37 for 191 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t intercepted but the pass defense held up pretty well.

Certainly, we’re going to see some different things against Washington. I doubt that Mike Macdonald was showing everything to Western Michigan, however, there was still a lot to like.

For starters, having Daxton Hill playing in the nickel for most of the game was exactly the right thing to do and he blew up a slew of bubble screens. He’s one of the best tacklers on the team and it’s smart to have him around the box to shut down those kinds of plays.

Playing Daxton Hill on the outside is a waste, unless absolutely necessary. He’s going to have a huge year and his impact was much bigger than six tackles and one pass breakup.

The same can be said for Aidan Hutchinson who was all over the place. He notched a sack and was pressuring the quarterback all day. Nikahi Hill-Green also stood out to me in his first start and while the corners could have played better, they improved as the game went on.

It wasn’t a dominating performance but it was solid for the first game under a first-year defensive coordinator.