EAST LANSING — Before the No. 25 Michigan football team’s rivalry matchup in East Lansing even began, TJ Guy was tired of hearing about Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles.
The senior edge rusher probably wasn’t fond of all the chatter about Washington’s quarterback last week either. But as annoying as it might be, little motivates a defense more than being told what the opponent’s quarterback can do.
“As a D-line, we hate hearing all week that they got this mobile quarterback and he gonna run around everywhere,” Guy said. “So we take pride in facing those mobile guys.”
The Wolverines’ defense held Chiles to 14-for-28, 130 yards in the air and zero touchdowns. Chiles ran 15 times for -7 yards, running in a 1-yard touchdown amid an otherwise ineffective game. The Spartans’ quarterback, whose performances have ranged from dynamic to defective through eight games this year, never quite exhibited the off-script plays he’s capable of Saturday night.
Michigan’s defensive players came into this year’s rivalry not just aware of what Chiles could do, but where they could improve as a unit. After the Wolverines’ disappointing defensive showing at Southern California, they had several meetings with an emphasis on execution.
This rivalry, with a quarterback like Chiles leading Michigan State, posed another test for Michigan’s defense — specifically the Wolverines’ edges.
“Aidan Chiles, he’s an exceptional player,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “He’s a really good player. So for what our defense did in keeping him in the pocket, keeping him honed in, a lot of respect for our staff and our players for what they did.”
Chiles was contained for most of the night. His 4.6 passing yards per attempt was his third-lowest all season, and an indication of Michigan’s pressure off the line resulting in hurried, short passes. Oftentimes, before Chiles had a chance to extend the play, he was on the ground.
With under a minute in the second quarter and the Wolverines leading 10-7, senior edge rusher Derrick Moore and Guy lined up on the edge. It wasn’t a race, but Derrick fought off his block before Guy did, wrapping his arms around Chiles and bringing him down as he erroneously slung the ball at the dirt to draw an intentional grounding penalty.
The sack snuffed out the Spartans’ final possession of the half and forced their fifth punt in six drives.
“Going against a mobile quarterback, we emphasize a lot about keeping them in the pocket,” Derrick said. “Just rushing together, rushing smart together. I feel like the past two weeks, we did that. … We just rushed together as one. Nobody was on their own, doing their own (thing). We just all was trying to keep the quarterback in the pocket.”
In consistently varying its defensive coverages, Michigan never let Chiles settle in. There were none of the deflating quarterback runs, designed or not, nor the scrambles to keep plays alive and hit a receiver downfield.
That hermetic defense, building upon the Wolverines’ mitigation of Washington’s quarterback, came after a heightened intensity in practice.
“Practicing has been real physical, (defensive coordinator Wink Martindale) been hard on us,” Derrick said. “Us doing different drills to just help us hurry up and get lined up, get set and get ready and just fly to the ball. We’ve been doing that for the last two weeks.”
When the Wolverines played in Norman, they identified Oklahoma’s quarterback as one who runs to run. In Los Angeles, they planned for the Trojans’ quarterback runs to end in throws. In East Lansing — facing a quarterback who can do both — Michigan didn’t let him do either.
