Herrmann is the new genius, the flavor of the month. But while the Wolverines' defense has dominated most teams it has gone up against this year, it has never seen the likes of Washington State's attack. This is the way it works on the football continuum. An old passion meets a new one. Ideas overlap, generations overlap.
Experience meets adrenaline.
There was nothing seriously wrong with Michigan's defense. Under Greg Mattison, who was elevated to defensive coordinator when Lloyd Carr was named Michigan's coach in March 1995, the Wolverines' D gave up 17.2 points and 284.8 yards per game in '95 and 15.6 points and 296.4 yards a game in '96. But when Mattison left last December for a job at Notre Dame, Carr promoted Herrmann from linebackers coach to coordinator, and Herrmann began the task of making the Michigan defense not only functional but also dangerous. Same look, new attitude. Last winter Herrmann, secondary coach Vance Bedford and defensive line coach Brady Hoke studied every Wolverines defensive play from the 1996 season in search of ways to tweak the traditional Michigan scheme, a 5-2 front with the cornerbacks fairly close to the line of scrimmage and the two safeties playing deep, that had been in place since the Bo Schembechler era.