Mike Macdonald Prepares Michigan Defense for Georgia: 'We Have The Right Guys To Spearhead That Charge'
As Mike MacDonald prepares for the biggest matchup of his young Michigan career, his opponent is hitting a little close to home. The first-year defensive coordinator attended the University of Georgia from 2006 to 2009 and joined the coaching staff the following year as a Graduate Assistant and then a Quality Control coach.
While MacDonald still takes pride in his Georgia roots, his current focus is all about stopping his alma mater. The Bulldogs strength is in their defense as they boast the number one scoring defense at just 9.5 points per game. Points could be hard to come by and the Wolverines will have to thwart a well-balanced Georgia offense in order to stay in it.
This season, the Bulldogs threw for an average of 248 pass yards while running for an average of 195 yards, amassing 39.4 points per game.
“They've got great skill guys all across the board, guys that can really hurt you at any point during the game,” MacDonald said. “The stress points of our zones and when we play man-to-man, when we pressure, when we don't, that'll kind of be an interesting chess game throughout the game.”
When plugging in the tape, there’s one piece that jumps out; freshman tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers exploded for 791 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games and was recently named SEC Freshman of the Year. He’s a focal point for Georgia’s offense and neutralizing him is key for the Wolverines to get off the field quickly.
“He's a heck of a player,” MacDonald said. “I think the first thing you have to have is an awareness on where he's at, and if he's out of place you have to understand that. And then just understand the things that he likes to do from certain positions so we can help try to slow him down as best we can.”
Taking down Georgia is a monumental task and despite the Wolverines shocking everyone and reaching the College Football Playoff, they remain a 7.5-point underdog for the game. There may not be much belief outside of the Michigan locker room but that’s ok for MacDonald. He’s used to ignoring the outside noise.
Following an abysmal 2-4 season where the defense had been torched for 34.5 points per game, taking over as defensive coordinator did not seem like an appealing job. With Jim Harbaugh’s seat already scalding hot and MacDonald serving as the linebackers coach with the Ravens, leaving his current post was risky. But when offered the job MacDonald didn’t hesitate.
Where most people saw dysfunction, MacDonald saw opportunity.
“I didn't really think about all the extra 2-4 thing, the hot seat. Quite frankly I didn't really know about it,” MacDonald said. “I always wanted to be a defensive coordinator at any level, and this is big-time football. It doesn't get any bigger than [Michigan]. If you want to do it at the biggest stage and have an impact on an organization, then this is the place to do it.”
Now, MacDonald has turned a once-scattered unit into a force. Michigan has the number four scoring defense in the country — allowing just 16.1 points per game. Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo give MacDonald two studs to anchor his defense around and with those guys leading the way, everything else has fallen into place.
“People say you take the personality of your coach. I'm more subscribed to the theory that you take the personalities of your leaders,” MacDonald said. “When everybody decides that they want to do it a certain way, that's a powerful thing, and then we have the right guys to spearhead that charge.”
Throughout the year, players have remarked on how much more is expected of them in MacDonald’s NFL style scheme — and how much more they’re enjoying playing football. He’s rejuvenated the team and given them an identity and it’s something he’s been building since the first day he walked into Schembechler Hall.
“What I remember from the first day is just the look on Josh Ross and Aidan's eyes,” Macdonald said. “It was like, ‘Okay, like we've got two dudes that will literally do anything we ask them to do. Like these guys are ready to go. They're two guys on a mission.’”
When MacDonald arrived, the mission was to beat Ohio State and win the Big Ten Championship. These were lofty goals at the time, but the Wolverines set out and achieved them.
A year ago, the idea that Michigan would have a defense that could compete with the SEC’s elite for a shot at the title seemed preposterous. But with MacDonald calling the shots, he believes his players can slow down Georgia and give Michigan a chance to win.
Now the mission is simple: Make it to the National Championship Game.
