Closing out Saturday’s game with 269 and 247 total yards, respectively, the No. 9 Michigan football team and Fresno State were seemingly neck-and-neck in total offense.
Where the two teams diverged, however, was in the distribution of those yards. The Wolverines were relatively even, gaining 121 total yards through the air and 148 on the ground. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, threw for 238 total yards — leaving a measly nine to the run game’s name.
Granted, Michigan ran the ball 13 more times than Fresno State throughout the Wolverines’ 30-10 season-opening victory. But both statistics — the low number of attempts and total rushing yards — speak volumes to the success of Michigan’s loaded defensive front.
“I mean, we have (junior defensive tackles) Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant in the middle, so it makes it pretty hard for them to run inside,” senior edge rusher Josaiah Stewart said bluntly, garnering some laughter from the crowd of reporters.
Graham and Grant are certainly the biggest names, and there’s no doubt that they both made significant impacts on Saturday night. Neither of them topped the stat sheet — Graham finished the night with four total tackles, two solo, while Grant contributed a pass breakup — but even just their presence likely impacted the Bulldogs’ play calling.
Playing alongside the formidable duo, Stewart made a statement with five solo tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. A constant threat off the edge, he showed off his speed and strength while stuffing the Bulldogs at nearly every opportunity.
“Just the defense running to the ball, the swarm mentality,” Stewart said. “Especially stopping the run is our mantra. You stop the run, you leave them left-handed so they just throwing the ball all day.”
There’s no question that the Wolverines were successful in forcing Fresno State to throw the ball all day. Another key component of that effort was senior defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny.
Coming off a lower leg injury that sidelined him for last season’s National Championship game, Benny was still “knocking off some rust,” as defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said Monday night on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show. But it didn’t seem like it took Benny long to get comfortable. Even at less than 100 percent, Benny tallied five total tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.
Behind the front four, junior linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham stood their ground, although they didn’t produce all that many flashy plays. Barham, a transfer from Maryland who garnered heavy praise throughout the offseason, showed flashes of standout quickness and energy.
“Having the front seven that we have, they played hard, stopped the run as best as they could today,” junior defensive back Zeke Berry said. “They were prepared, ready to play, (ready) to hit another team other than our teammates. So the performance they put on today was outstanding.”
After months of lining up against one another, Michigan’s highly touted defensive front finally got the chance to start proving itself against a real opponent on Saturday night.
And through game one, giving up just nine total rushing yards, it lived up to the billing.
The post Michigan defensive front stuffs Fresno State, allowing just nine total rushing yards appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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