Mazi Smith, Michigan Defense Ready For 'Hostile' Environment
Playing at Wisconsin is not an enviable task.
Camp Randall is always an electric atmosphere and trying to pull out a win in a treacherous environment is a daunting proposition for most players. Not for Mazi Smith though. The junior defensive lineman couldn’t be more excited.
“It’s going to be hostile,” Smith said. “But I like road games. I’m excited for that. Going into somebody else's place and trying to take it from them.”
While much emphasis has been placed on the Michigan offense against Wisconsin’s stout rushing defense, the matchup could really come down to the Wolverines' D.
The defense is allowing just 304.8 total yards per game, and their 11.8 points allowed average is fourth best in the nation. This is a noticeable improvement from a year ago when Don Brown was calling the shots and it shows that new defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald’s scheme change is having an immediate impact on his team.
"It’s what we’ve been working on in the offseason," Smith said. "That’s why we run the defense that we run, the technique that we play, is for big, physical people that are trying to impose their will. You’ve got to be in there, be strong, be stout."
And Smith isn’t the only one who’s taken note of the revamped defense.
"Right now, they appear to me to be a team that’s defense is playing really fast, which, to me, means they’re confident in what they’re being asked to do," Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst said. "I think good defenses do this — they give you a lot of different looks; they’re not just going to stand in one place and make it easy on you.”
While the Wolverines' offense has had its flaws for its lack of balance, the Badgers offense has been bad all around. They’ve averaged just 19 points though three games — dead last in the Big Ten. Michigan likely won’t move the ball as easily on the road, but if the defense can stifle Wisconsin and the offense can put some points on the board, it might be enough to squeak out a win.
"As a defense, you’ve got a team that is trying to really run it down your throat, and they have big, physical guys that have been getting the job done," Smith said. "The games that they’ve played don't reflect … the score doesn’t always respect how they played. When you turn on the film, you see a bunch of guys that are physical, and we’ve got to be the same way."
Smith believes that Michigan has what it takes to win. The defense hasn’t had to do much to this point in the season and while the offense did sputter in the second half against Rutgers the defense passed their first true test of adversity. The Scarlet Knights had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but the Wolverines forced a fumble and recovered to secure the win.
In their first road tilt against a solid Big Ten opponent, more adversity is to be expected. The question is how Michigan will handle that challenge. They believe they have the recipe to work through tough stretches of the game.
"Just having a short-term memory," Smith said. "Personally, when I have a bad snap, I got to change it. You need to know what you’re supposed to do every time, and if you don’t do it, you need to fix it. And you need to be able to do that quick."
