Michigan Football Discovers a 'Damn Good Football Player' on Defense

The Wolverines are going to need the most out of him on Saturday against Oklahoma.

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Michigan is set to host Oklahoma on Saturday and if you watched both teams play last weekend, the Sooners should run away with this game. But it's also safe to assume that Michigan could've been looking toward the Sooners and underestimating Western Michigan.

During the Wolverines' 13-12 win, there weren't many positive takeaways, but the Wolverines had a couple of players emerge from the defense. It's possible nobody had a better game than edge rusher Dom Nichols, who was constantly in the backfield and making an impact.

But safety Chris Bracy was right up there and the Memphis transfer has come into his own since arriving in Ann Arbor.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think as he starts to truly understand what the defense, the ins and outs, he's going to play even faster, and I think the sky's the limit for that kid," coach Tyler Stockton said of Bracy. "He's a phenomenal young man. He practices the right way. He conducts himself the right way, day in and day out, so I definitely think there's another level. I think a big jump from week one to week two is going to show a lot of people that he can take his game to a whole new level."

A damn good football player

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In the win over WMU, Bracy played the second-most snaps of any player on the defense, seeing the field for 64 of them. He tied both Nichols and LB Nathaniel Staehling with nine tackles and Bracy made his impact felt.

He is a hard-hitting safety, one who is just as good against the run as he is against the pass, and Michigan found out right away that he was going to make an impact this season.

"I think once he got here, after about five practices, like, not only myself, but his teammates knew that we got a damn good football player on our team, so it was probably a surprise at first, but after the first couple days, you're like, oh, this kid belongs here," Stockton said.

Rod Moore and Bracy are Batman and Robin

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Michigan has four safeties it will lean on this season, with Mason Curtis being the '1B' to Rod Moore and Bracy. Jordan Young would be the next in line, and will likely play a small role this season. But as of now, expect both Moore and Bracy to dominate the snap counts.

Moore played in 54 snaps in Week 1, more than most thought he would after coming off a couple of injuries. Coach Tyler Stockton said Moore feels good and he tallied two tackles in the win.

Moore is a three-time captain and a leader on the team, while Bracy continues to work toward that, he provides the 'pop' on the defense.

"I mean, Rod is the, to me, he's the ultimate leader," said Stockton. "I mean, obviously, I don't know how many three-time captains there has been here in Michigan, but there's probably maybe one more, but probably not. If it was, it was a long, long time ago, so Rod is an ultimate leader.

"Chris is a competitor. He doesn't have the exact same leadership qualities as Rod does, but that's something he is working on. Obviously, being new in the program, but those two back there are like Batman and Robin, and I go to war with those guys every single day."

Michigan is going to need both Moore and Bracy to play their very best on Saturday if the Wolverines are going to upset the Sooners.

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