by Texas’ defense dominated Michigan’s offense in every way except one: It gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Junior defensive back Michael Taaffe said his team’s goal is to win all four quarters of the game, and on Saturday, the last one was the only one Texas didn’t win.
In Texas’ 31-12 win over the then No. 10 Michigan Wolverines at “The Big House,” Taaffe had just four tackles but was a physical force all over the field. Texas held Michigan to 284 yards and forced three turnovers, lighting up every Wolverine who touched the ball.
“You have to impose your will on a team until they think they have no life left,” Taaffe said. “That’s something we preach all the time. Too many times in the last four years I’ve been here we’ve let teams crawl back in the second half.”
Taaffe said he wants the defense to “take the soul of the opponent.” When asked about it during Monday’s media briefing, he said he never thought Michigan’s soul was gone. Even after one fumble and two interceptions, Michigan still scored a touchdown.
And for Taaffe that was unacceptable.
“I think they went to bed Saturday night knowing they were going to wake up Sunday morning pretty stiff,” Taaffe said. “But we preach that we were going to win the fourth quarter, and we didn’t win the fourth quarter. So at the end of the day … there’s a lot we can get better at and I always tell my guys, my teammates and the other guys I follow, ‘We’re not done yet. Our best ball is yet to come.'”
For Texas to continue to improve and work toward its best football, it will need to maintain the physicality it displayed against Michigan. The Longhorns displayed several dominant examples of physical football, with graduate linebacker David Gbenda having one of the most memorable plays, running over the Michigan center before making a tackle.
Gbenda wasn’t the only one to stand out physically, as the Texas defense shut down nearly all of Michigan’s threats. Senior defensive back Andrew Mukuba made his first interception in a Texas uniform, along with sophomore defensive back Derek Williams Jr. who made the first of his career. Senior Jahdae Barron also recovered a fumble.
While these are the plays that are highlighted on paper, some of the most impactful plays are seen nowhere else but on the field. When Taaffe watched the film back, there were a few moments that stood out to him.
“I see Vernon (Broughton) making a play on the quarterback, getting off a blocker,” Taaffe said. “I see David Gbenda pancaking the center, then going into the tackle. Those are the things that stand out to me now when I think about it. But when you go back and watch the tape, how many white hats were around the ball, every single one of us was trying to make a play, trying to make them feel physically that we were going to be here all day, and that was the biggest thing.”
Now, Taaffe and his defense will continue to face a wounded opponent in UTSA, which is coming off a 49-10 loss to rival Texas State. Despite the Roadrunners’ loss, Taaffe will want his defense to stay physical and dominate all four quarters.
