Wednesday wrap: More playing time for some Michigan players after injury, Jim Harbaugh’s return, more

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh returns to the sidelines Saturday to coach against Rutgers. He’ll likely get a few players back, but he’ll be down one, as well. As reported earlier this week, it appeared Mason Graham injured his hand during the Bowling Green game, and he’ll be out a while.

That means more playing time for grad Cam Goode and junior Rayshaun Benny. This might have been a bigger concern last year, but both players have been performing at a high level. Some questioned why they asked Goode back, but there was no hesitation, Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said today.

“I think Cam is one of our most [improved players] — he along with Rayshaun Benny have really, really improved,” Minter said. “Rayshaun I think you started to see the second half of the season last year take advantage of some opportunities. Cam … we wanted Cam back, especially when you look at the numbers, the depth and how many D-tackles you need to make it through a season. We really wanted him back; we’re super happy he came back.

“He’s taking advantage of his reps. I thought this past game was his best game he’s played here. He’s a rhythm player. He needs to get out there and play to have production and feel comfortable. We’re really pleased with where he’s at. We look at it like we have that five-man D-tackle rotation, and he’s right there in the mix with all those guys.”

We’d have been more concerned about this a year ago, and it’s still not ideal. Graham is one of the best Michigan defenders on the team, period. He never takes a play off, just relentless, and he plays with great technique and fundamentals. Goode and Benny, along with Michigan sophomore Kenneth Grant, of course, will take his place, and they need to bring it on every down if the defense is going to be as good as it’s been.

This isn’t an “oh, well” situation — Graham is that good. It’s nice to have depth, but it will be put to the test against a Rutgers team that wants to run the ball. As Minter said Wednesday, “they play a style of football to try and control the clock, gain yards running the football … pretty safe throws in the passing game.”

They have a quarterback that can run, too, in Gavin Wimsatt, and they’ll try to use him that way at times. They play complementary football like Michigan and have played the Wolverines extremely tough as a result in three of the last four halves.

“Even though they may not score 50, they’re controlling the clock,” Minter said. “They’re getting touchdowns … they’re getting the lead, they’re keeping the lead, so they’re able to play pretty conservative and not put themselves in harm’s way. That formula over the first three games, they’ve been really successful with.”

They’re good defensively, aggressive and physical. Special teams have been good, too. Overall, it’s a style that “lends itself to playing some close games,” Minter noted, which means the Wolverines can’t be turning the ball over like they did against Bowling Green and need to get off to a good start, score some touchdowns, and run the ball more consistently.

As we said in an earlier column, we expect Michigan to do just that — to play its best game of the year. The stakes are higher, and Big Ten play at home is a good time to make a statement. It will help, too, having Harbaugh back on the sidelines, Minter said. Don’t underestimate his importance.

“I think any time you take your leader [away], a guy that all these guys signed up to play for that is one of the best head coaches in the world in any sport, any level … it’s different,” the Michigan D.C. said. “You’re asking other people to juggle different jobs. Now that he’s back, I think it allows everybody to have a really, really tight focus on their particular responsibility.

“I think it was a good experience, not something you wanted based on the circumstances, but appreciated the way we coached it, I think it was good for everybody … I think we all gained perspective for how much we appreciate him and how he goes about his business being a head coach now having done that for a little bit. I couldn’t be more happy and excited to have him back. I think our team feeds off his leadership. I’ve said it before, he breeds this confidence into our players. I expect the guys to be pretty excited to run out of the tunnel with him this week.”

We’ve said it before, too. He’s elite, and we expect his team to ball out for him Saturday … including edge Jaylen Harrell. We picked the senior as our most underrated player on the Michigan team in the preseason, and he’s making us look good. Yeah, he leads the squad with 2.5 sacks, but his impact goes far beyond that. He’s been dominant in the run game and holding the edge.

“He really is [playing well],” Minter said of the Michigan senior. “He’s to the point of his career now where he’s really confident. He’s really, really detailed. He’s really disciplined in his approach. He attacks every week, every day. We talk a lot of, hey, what if today was Wednesday of Ohio State week? That’s the mentality. He really approaches every day like it’s the most important thing.

“When you do that, then you perform at a really, really consistent level which I think is what sets him apart. He has the ability, like coach says, who is the guy who can make the magic happen when you need it? When you need a play, when you need a guy to cover the guy on fourth down and bat the ball down, it’s him. When you need a guy to make a play.”

He’s one Michigan’s Champions Circle will likely reach out to sooner than later about sticking around for another year on the “one more year” campaign. And they should. He’s been an absolute stud.

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