The bye week comes at a convenient time for Michigan Football.
The Wolverines (3-2, 0-2 in Big Ten) have suffered consecutive difficult-to-stomach defeats to conference foes, though they now have extra time to regroup and prepare for Penn State on Oct. 17.
On the latest episode of the Inside Michigan Football radio showhead coach Kyle Whittingham delved into bye week strategies.
“Self-analysis: what do we do best?” Whittingham told host Jon Jansen. “What is our, through five games, what’s been our strength? Where do we need to gravitate? What do we need to gravitate towards schematically? Personnel-wise, you know, who have been our best players through those five games? And are we getting those best players on the field often enough and enough reps?”
Michigan wasted fourth-quarter leads in each of those losses, too, magnifying the frustration.
“Two weeks in a row, we’ve held a lead going into the fourth quarter, and haven’t been able to hang onto it,” Whittingham said, “and that’s at the top of the list of the most discouraging things is to go into the fourth quarter, you know, ahead and just not being able to finish.”
The Wolverines have demonstrated positives on both sides of the ball, but with this already emotionally draining campaign, this feels like the ideal spot for Whittingham and his staff to regroup.
Michigan’s offensive line has already sustained multiple injuries, too, only adding to the importance of this bye week.
Jansen asked Whittingham if there was anything he did to “give [himself] a breather” during the bye week:
“No,” Whittingham answered. “Just keep grinding, you know, the players are the ones that have the physical toll on their bodies and they need to get rejuvenated, but as coaches, you got to be an Iron Man. You just got to keep going.”
Later on, defensive coordinator Jay Hill joined Brian Boesch to discuss what’s been a mostly encouraging five games for his unit, and a linebackers group led by Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Staehling that keeps improving.
“I got no problem with that group (the linebackers) saying that they’re going to make the plays they’re supposed to make,” Hill said.
“The crazy thing right now that I see is I still think on defense, as good as we’ve done in moments this season, we’re still scratching the surface on what I think we can become. The scheme is only going to become more and more familiar to them and they’ll start making more and more of the plays that we’re close to making,” he continued.
One ascending youngster is sophomore DT Bobby Kanka, a Howell, Mi., native.
Defensive tackles coach Larry Black has chosen a strong player for Kanka, who is working on his consistency, and the DTs to study:
“One thing Coach Black always talks to us about is J.J. Watt’s college film, and the thing that made his college film so good is he would have splash plays. He would never drop super low. He’d have consistent plays and then he’d have a splash play.
Plus, Kanka and his teammates are far from discouraged after the past two weeks.
“Just kind of stick to your process,” Kanka added. “I think if you have a strong faith and a strong belief in what we’re doing and I think we all do.”
How much do you think these Wolverines can improve over the bye week? Let us know in the comments.
Source: www.maizenbrew.com
