Five takeaways from Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News following Michigan's 24-17 loss at Notre Dame on Saturday night.
'D' needed to set tone
And it didn’t. So much has been expected of the Michigan defense considering coordinator Don Brown delivered the nation’s top-ranked defense in 2016 and the No. 3 defense last season with the Wolverines. With a new starting quarterback in Shea Patterson, who had 10 starts at Ole Miss before transferring, and an under-construction offensive line, the defense needed to — and was expected to — set the tone from the very start.