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ORLANDO, Fla. — Perhaps this upcoming challenge against Alabama in the VRBO Citrus Bowl wouldn’t be so formidable if the Michigan defense had a better game against some of the top offenses it’s faced in recent years. However, against Wisconsin, Penn State — and of course — Ohio State, the Wolverines were eviscerated at times, with the latter being an all-out assault from kickoff until the team walked up the tunnel.
In the first meeting with the media since the 56-27 loss to the Buckeyes, Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown discussed the loss, but not exactly in detail.
Asked about The Game, Brown simply stated that the maize and blue are putting it in the rearview, especially considering that the Crimson Tide are up next.
“Yeah, we’ve moved on from that,” Brown said. “I mean, obviously, you can’t let a significant loss like that linger. If you let it linger, then one loss leads to two losses. And I think our guys have done a good job of just putting that behind us and focusing on what’s in front of us. We’ve got a great challenge coming up here next Wednesday and, you know, that’s our 100 percent focus.”
So, what does one do if you’re in Brown’s shoes?
His first two seasons against Ohio State, Michigan’s defense performed admirably, especially considering it didn’t have a commensurate offense that could parry vs. the Buckeyes. However, the last two years have been quite the opposite scenario. The offense gave the Wolverines a shot, while the defense let OSU do pretty much whatever it wanted throughout.
Again, Brown had the message of moving on, but said that when you lose the way Michigan had against its rival, he goes into full self-evaluation mode, trying to figure out just what went wrong.
“Well, I mean, obviously, after every game you always go ahead and evaluate what went right, what went wrong,” Brown said. “You know, is it human error? Is it schematics error? So you go through those processes and you set your game plan for a new opponent and you try to fortify your weaknesses and play to your strengths.
“So, you know, we’ve got to get back ‑‑ we went eight weeks in a row with giving up about 11 points in a game. We’ve got to get back to that style of play. And we still have to maintain our own identity but at the same time be ready to adjust to the strengths of our new opponent, which is Alabama.”
Naturally, those aren’t answers that will satiate any Michigan fan, but should the Wolverines defense have a solid outing against Alabama and the No. 6 total offense by yardage, it could cure some ills.
Some.