Michigan picked up its first win as an underdog under head coach Jim Harbaugh — true story — and notched a key road win, something the Wolverines have struggled with over the last several years. Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst said his team had a long way to go, but he credited the Wolverines for dominating his team pretty much from start to finish.
“First of all, give credit to a good Michigan football team,” he said. “They beat us.”
Soundly, and on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines notched six sacks, pressured the Badgers’ quarterbacks a number of times and were all over the running game. Wisconsin had rushed for about 700 yards in the previous two meetings but managed only 43 on 32 carries Saturday.
U-M’s interior defense and linebacker play had a lot to do with that. Chris Hinton notched four tackles, Mazi Smith two assists and a half tackle for loss, but they were critical in plugging gaps. Donovan Jeter, too, was solid, notching two stops.
End David Ojabo had his best game in a Michigan uniform, leading the team with seven tackles and 2.5 sacks.
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“I think they’re a really good defense right now, and I think they’re playing — I think they’ve got a good team … and I think we’ve got a good defense, but not often are they able to play with a lead,” Chryst said. “That changes the whole dynamic, as well.
“But they’ve got really good football players, and I certainly think what they do is good football schematics. But they’ve got good players.”
Word had it Chryst was much more confident last year going against U-M’s aggressive, press man scheme with a smaller line than this year’s group under new coordinator Mike Macdonald, and it was evident from the get-go yards would be tough to come by.
Wisconsin finished with only 210 total yards, and 43 came in garbage time on a last-minute drive against the backups. The Wolverines managed six three-and-outs and held the Badgers to 12 total first downs.
“Each year is different,” Chryst said. ” We did not go in thinking that we were playing last year’s team or the one before, and we’re different … our team’s different, too.
“So, those never kind of enter into your mind. We’re not playing the helmets; we’re playing the individuals. And a lot of respect for who they are as players and coaches, their unit.”
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