When the Michigan Wolverines pulled starting quarterback Alex Orji and opted to go with Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle instead in their 27-17 loss to the Washington Huskies, it looked like defensive coordinator Steve Belichick was unprepared for the switch.
The Wolverines immediately scored a touchdown on a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and ended up scoring on three straight possessions to give them a 17-14 lead. However, after coming out of the half strong, Belichick made a few incredible adjustments, holding Michigan to just 39 yards across the team’s final five drives.
Two of those possessions ended in turnovers, with defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi forcing a fumble on Tuttle as he was attempting to scramble, which was recovered by defensive tackle Logan Sagapolu. The other came on an interception from safety Kamren Fabiculanan, who had to lay out to make a play on a pass thrown behind tight end Colston Loveland.
According to Tunuufi, that’s just the way Belichick drew it up.
“Belichick is a mastermind when it comes to playcalling,” he said. “He gives us the responsibility to put our futures in our own hands, being able to make the plays he wants us to make, and doing things that we have to get ourselves better.”
“Belichick has done a really nice job giving us the opportunity to play free and do what we want. He puts us in a lot of good positions for us to do the same, as you can see from me. He helps me a lot.”
While the Huskies haven’t created too many turnovers, with just 6 on the season, Washington’s secondary proves that Belichick has done an impressive job putting his players in the best possible positions to succeed.
The Huskies are tied with Texas for the No. 1 spot in the country in yards per pass attempt allowed, a meager 4.5 and hold the top spot in completion percentage allowed, with opposing quarterbacks converting on just 46.7 percent of their throws.