Michigan’s edge room is headed toward a much deeper look this Saturday against Oklahoma.
After last weekend’s 13-12 escape over Western Michigan, the Wolverines didn’t have a ton to celebrate offensively, but the defense - and especially the edge rushers - did its job. Dom Nichols logged a team-high 55 snaps on the edge, while John Henry Daley worked 43 as the other starter.
Cameron Brandt added 32 snaps, but the rest of the rotation barely got a chance to breathe. Nate Marshall, for instance, was on the field for just eight snaps.
That picture should change quickly. Defensive line coach Lewis Powell said Michigan expects more bodies available this week, and that could push the rotation to five or six edge rushers against Oklahoma.
"Those guys took most of the reps on the night last week, and Nate came in and did some good things," Powell said. "I like the progress of the whole group going in from Cam to what we've seen on Saturday.
There was a couple guys that weren't ready. They're still nagging injuries, but they should be all back this week.
I think you'll see a little bit more rotation this week. That was a good first game, but a lot to work on and excited moving forward to next week."
Michigan was essentially working with just 3.5 edge rushers in Week 1, and Powell made it clear that wasn’t the plan. The Wolverines expect to be healthier against one of the top offensive lines in the country, and the goal is simple: keep the rush fresh and make life harder on the Sooners.
Five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows didn’t play against Western Michigan, but he is expected to suit up Saturday, and Powell said he could make his debut. If that happens, Michigan would have Nichols, Daley, Brandt, Marshall, and Meadows in the mix, with Benny Patterson or Tariq Boney also potentially seeing the field.
"I think so. I think the rotation, being that we're getting some guys back healthy, I think there would be a more fluid rotation," said Powell. "You wouldn't see guys just take so many reps, but yes, I'd like probably five, maybe even six guys to rotate on the game."
Nichols will be a big part of that plan. If Michigan wants to slow Oklahoma’s rushing attack and keep John Mateer in check, it needs Nichols to come through again after a standout opener. He delivered nine tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks against Western Michigan, and Powell didn’t hold back when describing what he saw.
"Dom had a good day," Powell said. "Dom is a special player with just a good mix of speed and power and size. I'm not sure if I've ever coached somebody like him, but he's a special player, and he's one of our leaders in our room, and he graded out pretty good."
Michigan and Oklahoma meet Saturday at Noon ET on FOX.
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