… while you wait for ITF, it's always welcome to receive a little roster good news, and the "improvement week" improved Michigan's situation there.
First off, a week out of game competition always helps everyone, but Michigan's defense was already surprisingly healthy, given the demands of the first four games. The Wolverines went from chasing down multiple quarterbacks against Florida to beating up on Cincinnati to dealing with Air Force's option to handling Purdue's slightly overzealous approach (two players tossed, should have been at least three).
All this and U-M's defenders stayed in good working condition. In fact, their ranks were described this week as "very healthy."
Furthermore, they now have additional help available that was promised through the offseason but taken away by a fall camp injury. Freshman defensive end Luigi Vilain, who got nicked up in the weeks leading to the opener, is finally back up and ready to go. That doesn't mean he'll see the field against Michigan State, but he can do so physically if called upon.
Vilain is one that was considered a strong candidate for playing time as a freshman, given how he'd performed in workouts leading up to fall camp. The 6-4, 242-pounder is a strong edge rusher, and Michigan hasn't exactly been weak in that department. But depth is huge as the season wears on, and his presence could be felt at some point.
The Wolverines haven't been hurting for tight ends, either, with sophomore Sean McKean becoming Michigan's best tight end in space (and not just in our own assessment). Still, it's the more the merrier, and it appears the break has helped 6-6, 265-pound redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley Jr. also get squared away physically.
As noted earlier, it's no week to touch on game planning. But it's reasonable to assume there are counters in place to deal with Michigan State's aggressive pass rush.
"Improvement week" definitely brought some bad news, in the form of the confirmation of redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight's injury-enforced timeout getting extended. But as noted, other news on the health from is much better, and fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn has operated knowing he's the guy, for the foreseeable future.
First off, a week out of game competition always helps everyone, but Michigan's defense was already surprisingly healthy, given the demands of the first four games. The Wolverines went from chasing down multiple quarterbacks against Florida to beating up on Cincinnati to dealing with Air Force's option to handling Purdue's slightly overzealous approach (two players tossed, should have been at least three).
All this and U-M's defenders stayed in good working condition. In fact, their ranks were described this week as "very healthy."
Furthermore, they now have additional help available that was promised through the offseason but taken away by a fall camp injury. Freshman defensive end Luigi Vilain, who got nicked up in the weeks leading to the opener, is finally back up and ready to go. That doesn't mean he'll see the field against Michigan State, but he can do so physically if called upon.
Vilain is one that was considered a strong candidate for playing time as a freshman, given how he'd performed in workouts leading up to fall camp. The 6-4, 242-pounder is a strong edge rusher, and Michigan hasn't exactly been weak in that department. But depth is huge as the season wears on, and his presence could be felt at some point.
The Wolverines haven't been hurting for tight ends, either, with sophomore Sean McKean becoming Michigan's best tight end in space (and not just in our own assessment). Still, it's the more the merrier, and it appears the break has helped 6-6, 265-pound redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley Jr. also get squared away physically.
As noted earlier, it's no week to touch on game planning. But it's reasonable to assume there are counters in place to deal with Michigan State's aggressive pass rush.
"Improvement week" definitely brought some bad news, in the form of the confirmation of redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight's injury-enforced timeout getting extended. But as noted, other news on the health from is much better, and fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn has operated knowing he's the guy, for the foreseeable future.
