Jesse Minter diagnoses issues Washington offense may cause for Michigan football defense

HOUSTON — For this Michigan football team, Washington presents a great challenge, with none being bigger than the Husky offense.

The Pac-12 team (soon to be in the Big Ten) might not be one of the best on the defensive side of the ball, but it is still undefeated due to its No. 1 passing attack. It’s not just quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the former Indiana gunslinger, either. With three elite, first-round-level wideouts, Washington can push the ball down the field explosively, and there’s little most defenses can do about it.

Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, however, was brought to Ann Arbor to stop that exact style of attack. The Wolverines needed an answer in 2021 for Ohio State‘s vaunted aerial assault and Minter came aboard in 2022 to replace Mike Macdonald, who initially orchestrated the scheme based on what he learned under Wink Martindale with the Baltimore Ravens.

Minter spoke on Saturday about what Michigan needs to do in order to emerge unscathed on the season and hoist the championship trophy in the end. He notes that getting pressure up front is key, but it’s not always about getting the quarterback on the ground.

“I think it’s a great challenge. They’ve only given up 11 sacks,” Minter said. “Sometimes in this type of game it’s not necessarily about the sack numbers. It’s about affecting the quarterback someway, somehow, and sometimes that’s through coverage, sometimes that’s through pressure, sometime that’s through winning one-on-ones up front.

“It’s a great challenge. Their O-line has played really, really well. I love our D-line, so that’s a matchup I’m excited to see play out on Monday.”

As mentioned, the wideouts are a different problem entirely. They can make plays like OSU star Marvin Harrison Jr. — and there’s three of them.

Michigan just…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jesse-minter-diagnoses-issues-washington-030336462.html

Author : Wolverines Wire

Publish date : 2024-01-07 03:03:36

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