Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter greets friends and family after the game against East Carolina at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. (Neil Blake | MLive.com)Neil Blake , Mich. — Jesse Minter wasn’t the first choice to replace outgoing defensive coordinator Don Brown following the 2020 season, but he ended up being the right one.
Michigan’s second-year coordinator oversaw another sterling performance against the high-powered Ohio State offense on Saturday, with his unit limiting star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and doing just enough to pull out a 30-24 win. After the game, Minter was spotted walking across and intensely waiving at the Buckeyes’ sideline, a buildup of emotion that spilled over following six weeks of turbulence within the program.
“When you come to Michigan, it’s for this type of game,” Minter told reporters on Wednesday. “Our season goals really hinged on that game. (It was) all the reason the guys came back; all the reasons that we want to get to that next step as a program and have success in the championship game and the playoffs. It all hinged on that game.”
By the end of it, Ohio State was held under 400 yards of total offense, running back TreVeyon Henderson to 60 yards on 19 carries, Harrison to 118 yards receiving (with 44 coming on one play), and Michigan forced enough turnovers (two) to flip the game and come out on the winning side. It vindicated the Wolverines’ standing as the No. 1 scoring defense in
