If a rowdy road crowd, the allure of a ranked matchup between two blue bloods and the presence of ESPN’s College GameDay isn’t enough to motivate the No. 15 Michigan football team for its Week 2 contest versus No. 18 Oklahoma, the Wolverines will be playing with an added edge in Norman.
This past Saturday, in the third quarter of Michigan’s season opener, senior linebacker Jaishawn Barham beat his man off the edge and collided with New Mexico’s quarterback. The ball popped out, Barham corralled it and ran into the endzone. When the play was reviewed shortly after, Barham’s hit was deemed targeting and the Wolverines’ seven points from his supposed scoop-and-score were wiped off the board.
The overturned call resulted in an ejection that will last until halftime of Saturday’s game in Norman. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore appealed as soon as he could.
“It was upheld,” Moore said Monday. “And we don’t agree with it. Tony (Petitti) doesn’t agree with it. A.J. (Edds) doesn’t agree with it. It’s a rule we have to get changed. … We got the first half without him, and those guys will step up.”
Whether or not Barham’s hit actually classifies as targeting doesn’t matter anymore. This Saturday, Barham will be restricted to the sidelines for the first half. With a leader like Barham out, the linebacker room — and the Wolverines’ defense as a whole — will have some added fuel to their fire.
“You know how bad he wants to be out there for us,” senior edge rusher TJ Guy said Tuesday. “And he knows how bad we want him out there with us, so we gonna play for him, for sure.”
Michigan’s defense, especially its linebackers, pride themselves on their depth, and the message throughout fall camp has been that the room goes four deep. Without Barham, of course, that number drops to three. And against the Lobos, all three linebackers were impactful. Senior Ernest Hausmann led the team in tackles, sophomore Cole Sullivan snagged a pick at the goal line and senior Jimmy Rolder logged four tackles.
“We’re excited to step up and go out there and play for him,” Sullivan said. “But we’re excited to get him back in the second half.”
Sullivan wouldn’t share whether or not he was starting, but ensured that he’s already preparing as if he is. As just a sophomore, Sullivan has been soaking in every bit of leadership and knowledge from Michigan’s veterans. On Saturday, it’s likely he’ll get a chance to impress, as he did against New Mexico.
“He’s one of our leaders,” Sullivan said. “I hate to see him come out of the game. But of course, I had to mentally prepare myself, I figured I’ll probably be getting some more reps during the game.”
While Barham’s ejection is objectively negative for the Wolverines, the silver lining of an extra-motivated defense — especially upon Barham’s return — is obvious. Few things fire up a team more than playing for a teammate. Against a dynamic offense like Oklahoma, and a mobile quarterback like John Mateer, Michigan needs a heightened intensity on defense. Finding that balance between playing physical and drawing penalties will be key, especially after the Wolverines racked up eight penalties for 65 yards versus the Lobos.
With Barham’s absence temporarily hanging over Michigan, the added stakes for Saturday’s matchup are clear. Missing one of the Wolverines’ leading linebackers, the rest of the room has no choice but to step up.
The post After ejection, Michigan playing for Jaishawn Barham appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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