Michigan Football: Defensive Line will be good once again
By Jacob Cox
Michigan football had an elite defensive line last season and looks to be very good once again after the domination of Colorado State.
I will be the first to admit that I was wrong, I thought the lack of depth and experience on the defensive line, especially the front seven, was an area of concern heading into this season. But after watching the Colorado State game, the Wolverines’ defensive line is very good once again.
It appears the Wolverines aren’t trying to replace former studs like Adian Hutchison and David Ojabo with one or two players, but they are doing it by committee. Against the Rams, five different players shined by getting into the backfield to make a sack or tackle for loss.
Multiple players on the Michigan defensive line stood out on Saturday against Colorado State
Freshman Derrick Moore, transfer Eyabi Anoma, and returners like Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, and Mike Morris all were key contributors in keeping the Colorado State offense off the scoreboard until late in the game. That doesn’t even mention how good Mazi Smith is and will be this season as he had three solo tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday.
In one of the first plays that Anoma got into the game, he had a big-time sack. Derrick Moore made his presence known to the Maize and Blue fans by getting into the backfield on consecutive plays.
The Michigan defense as a whole had seven sacks, and 11 tackles for loss. Despite the concern heading into the season about how this defense would look without Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, they just proved to everyone that they are just picking up where they left off.
Of course, this was against Colorado State who had an offensive line that was playing together for the first time on Saturday, but the Wolverines have multiple players that are ready to make an impact this season.
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The Wolverines are back in action on Saturday against Hawaii. Kickoff is set for 8 pm at the Big House. You can watch the game on the Big Ten Network.