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Michigan football: Don Brown’s revenge tour continues with Penn State
By Tom Brew
Published:
Don Brown is the best in the business when it comes to defensive coordinators in college football. And best isn’t pushing it too far. He’s that good, and he’s had the numbers to prove it.
So, on those rare occasions where things don’t go well for Brown and his group, he does take it personally.
And the really bad days? The bad thoughts never go away.
The perfect example of that was a year ago, when the Wolverines went to Penn State and got drilled 42-13. Michigan gave up 519 total years and six touchdowns, and were embarrassed from start to finish. They missed tackles, were caught out of position often, and looked lost much of the day.
But now, after the bye week, Brown and his group can get revenge Saturday when Penn State comes to town at 3:45 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN)
They’ll be ready.
“They handed it to us last year,” Brown said of the Penn State loss. “I did a poor job against them. Obviously, the players feel the same way, and we’ve got (time for) preparation to put our best foot forward. I feel good about this one.
“I wake up every morning and think about that. Honest.”
So how bad was it last year? It was so bad that it was the one and only time a Brown-led Michigan defense had allowed more than 35 points. In a decade as a defensive coordinator at UConn, Maryland, Boston College and Michigan, it’s happened only three times in 123 starts, and one was the first game he ever coached. The others were against a 10-3 West Virginia team and the 2013 Florida State that went undefeated and won a national championship.
It still burns inside of Brown.
“You always want to have all your pieces, techniques and fundamentals at your disposal,” Brown said. “I’m not sure I provided that to our players (last year) and I told them that. We didn’t play our best game (that day), no question.
“So we want to make sure we understand what’s in front of us, both run and pass and we understand the formations they give us. … Then we have to identify and play fast. That’s what we’re looking to do.”
Michigan’s defense is the best in the country so far this year, leading the nation in yards allowed per play, total defense, passing yards allowed per game, completion percentage against and yards per attempt allowed. So they have something to prove against Penn State and veteran quarterback Trace McSorley.
“Yeah I’ve definitely seen him (more motivated),” Michigan senior defensive end Chase Winovich said. “He’s always been a super passionate guy, so not that much has changed week to week, but I’d say the guy is definitely a little more amped up this week than he’s been, and that’s saying something.”
Michigan, ranked No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff poll, is a 10.5-point favorite. Penn State has lost twice, but both were narrow losses to Ohio State and Michigan State. They’re not pushovers, for sure.
It means a lot to Brown, and everyone understands it. There’s too much at stake for another bad day.
“Of course, because that’s just a feeling you don’t ever want to have again,” Michigan defensive tackle Carlo Kemp said. “You go into the locker room after the game and you just wonder ‘How does this happen?’ Especially because of the way we practiced and prepared so hard.
“We’ve been thinking about that, especially in the offseason, and now we get our one opportunity to change that feeling that we had last year.”
There you go. Now go do it.
Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.