8 — Thursday, September 7, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Secondary adapting to new defensive scheme

Of all the position groups 

Michigan had to rebuild on 
the defensive side of the ball, 
the secondary was expected to 
have the most pieces to replace. 

When it came to the defensive 

backfield — especially at safety 
— the picture was blurry, to say 
the least. The two new starters 
— junior Tyree Kinnel and 
sophomore Josh Metellus — had 
only one career start between 
them.

With the way 

they 
played 

Saturday 
in 

Michigan’s 
season-opening 
victory 
over 

Florida, 
though, 
you 

wouldn’t 
have 

noticed 
their 

inexperience.

The 
safety 

duo 
tallied 

nine 
tackles 

in 
their 
first 

career 
starts, 

including 
1.5 

tackles for loss 
by Kinnel and 
a forced fumble 
by Metellus.

The 
two 

played the vast 
majority of the 
game, as defensive coordinator 
Don Brown opted for a tight 
rotation within the secondary. 
Working in tandem for such 
long 
stretches, 
Kinnel 
and 

Metellus had the opportunity 
to continue growing as a joint 
unit. Kinnel has spoken highly 
of his new position partner 
before. And Monday, he did so 
once again.

“(Metellus) did everything 

well. He was talking to me all 

the time, making checks as I 
was making checks,” Kinnel 
said. “He covered a lot more 
than me in that game, just 
because of (the Gators’) offense, 
and I felt like he covered really 
well.”

While 
two 
safeties 
is 

typically the norm, Brown 
and his staff utilized a 3-3-5 
scheme, which they debuted 
against Florida with positive 
results. The shift gifted Kinnel 
and Metellus with even more 
help manning the secondary 

in 
sophomore 

defensive 
back 

Khaleke Hudson.

Between 

the free safety, 
strong safety and 
VIPER 
— 
the 

hybrid 
position 

Hudson 
started 

at — the three 
defensive 
backs 

shuffled through 
a 
variety 
of 

responsibilities. 
Kinnel 
spent 

most 
of 
his 

time as the free 
safety, 
while 

Metellus 
and 

Hudson 
moved 

back and forth 
between 
strong 

safety and VIPER 
pretty 
evenly 

in 
different 

formations.

The ability to switch between 

Hudson 
and 
Metellus 
has 

added an extra dimension to 
an already-complex defensive 
scheme. So far, the transition 
has been seamless for the 
trio of safeties. According to 
defensive backs coach Brian 
Smith, the added wrinkle has 
been a “luxury.”

“That versatility, being able 

to move in different places, 

helps out the defense as a core 
— getting guys lined up and 
giving the offense different 
looks,” Smith said.

Kinnel described the process 

of switching as situational, 
where 
the 
defense 
has 
to 

read the offense and react 
quickly. Since the shifts are not 
necessarily incumbent upon a 
run or pass play, the practice 
keeps all three on their toes.

“As a (defensive back), you 

always have to think that the 
ball is coming your way every 
snap,” Smith said. “That’s the 
way you have to prepare for 
it. … You can’t look at it any 
differently or you won’t have as 

much success.”

While the technical aspects 

are still a work in progress, the 
foundation seems firmly built. 
Throughout 
Michigan’s 
fall 

camp, the theme for its budding 
defense was “flying to the ball,” 
as Kinnel called it.

“Coach Brown and (defensive 

line coach) Mattison told us, 
‘Here at Michigan, we run to 
the ball,’ ” Kinnel said. “And we 
took that in, we took it personal, 
and I think we did a pretty good 
job on Saturday.

“I 
thought 
our 

communication was on point. 
There are some things that we 
have to clean up… (but) when 

we play fast and hard, it covers 
up a lot.”

While the secondary looked 

to be on the same page Saturday, 
Smith admitted that it took a 
long time for the unit to find 
its footing. It wasn’t until the 
final week of fall camp that it 
all began to come together.

“That last week, they did 

a great job communicating,” 
Smith said. “That’s something 
we had been stressing all camp, 
all the way back to the spring, 
being different guys back in 
the secondary, not having been 
used to working together.

“And you could it see that 

last week. Guys were calling 

out, making all the checks, 
not just the safeties, the whole 
secondary, the linebackers, they 
all were working together.”

Though growing pains are 

bound to reveal themselves 
as 
the 
season 
progresses, 

whenever those troubles arise, 
Kinnel, Metellus, Hudson and 
the rest of the defense will be 
able to look back at Saturday 
and see what they are capable 
of together.

“It definitely sets the tone,” 

Kinnel said. “We got that out 
on film that everyone can see 
that we play fast and play hard. 
We just have to keep it up, keep 
getting after it.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Junior safety Tyree Kinnel earned the first start of his career this past weekend when Michigan faced off against the Gators in the AdvoCare Classic.

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

Despite sharing one start between the two of them, safeties Josh Metellus and Tyree Kinnel showcased their potential as 

a duo against then-No. 17 Florida on Saturday, combining for nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

“As a (defensive 

back), you 

always have to 
think that the 
ball is coming 
your way every 
snap. That’s the 
Way you have 
to prepare for 

it.”

