Kornacki: Gary Confounds Opponents with Speed, Power

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Rashan Gary shifts into high gear on the snap of the ball and comes at opponents with the speed of a Lamborghini before hitting them like a monster truck.

Vrrrooom .... Booom!

And when the Michigan defensive end's timing is just right, you get what Air Force quarterback Arion Worthman got early in the third quarter of Saturday's (Sept. 16) game at Michigan Stadium.

Gary began the play on the left side of the defensive front, and quickly fought off a block from right tackle James Rast before reversing field by running to his right, parallel to the line of scrimmage.

Vrrrooom!

Upon reaching the other side of the field, Gary, all 6-foot-5 and 281 pounds of him, stopped on a dime, cut to his left and set his sights on Worthman, whom Wolverines safety Tyree Kinnel had tied up low.

Gary hit with a piercing blow to Worthman's upper body, and the ball popped out like it was fired from Jugs machine.

Booom!

Oh nothing much, just @RashanAGary laying the wood. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/hR6Hbzvspm
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 18, 2017

Receiver Ronald Cleveland picked up the bouncing ball and his momentum instantly carried him out of bounds for a nine-yard loss.

It was a plain and simple case of a run-and-hit accident, the kind Gary causes on a regular basis.

"I don't know if there's a better one out there," said Big Ten Network analyst Matt Millen, a Pro Bowl linebacker who won four Super Bowl rings before running the Detroit Lions. "He does things effortlessly."

That's what happens with gifted, instinctual players. They make the difficult look easy. Like Mike Trout chasing down a fly ball or Stephen Curry nailing a fast-break trey.

How does Gary make it look effortless?

"It's just how Coach Matty coaches all of us," he said, referring to defensive line coach Greg Mattison. "He coaches us to be the best, and expects nothing from us but the best. Even when we're tired, we just keep pushing, and keep that focus on running to the ball.

"That's something we've really honed in on this year, and it's been crazy seeing it on film and just everybody ball-hawking to the ball, everybody happy for each other, everybody excited. It's just crazy because our defense is -- whew -- it's going to be crazy when everything starts clicking the way it's supposed to click.

"It's a brotherhood out there. When (linebacker) Devin (Bush) makes a good play, when (safety) Josh (Metellus) makes a play, when (end) Chase (Winovich) makes a play, when Mo (tackle Maurice Hurst) makes a play, the whole defense, we're all happy for each other. When they make a play, I feel like I made that play, and we don't celebrate alone. We celebrate together. That's cool having that same mind-set, and everybody pushing each other to be the best they can be. "

Gary, despite being the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, didn't start last season. He played plenty, making 27 tackles with five for lost yardage and one sack. And he also won the respect of the Wolverine front four -- Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley, Ryan Glasgow and Matt Godin -- before each of them moved onto the NFL.

He learned from all of them, and Wormley in particular, and quickly became a prominent team leader after the bowl game, before his true freshman year had even ended. Mattison has marveled at that.

Gary also became a more vocal and demonstrative leader, and illustrated that as he walked toward the locker room with his teammates at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas after manhandling Florida in the opening game.

Rashan Gary

He gestured with his arms being thrust upward and shouted at the top of his lungs about showing the Gators just how wrong they were.

"They challenged our defense by saying we couldn't run sideline to sideline," said Gary. "So, I took that to heart. We'd been working our butts off all winter and summer, and we just had to show them we could run sideline to sideline.

"Leadership is a role I've been challenged with ever since winter workouts, and I just put that chip on my shoulder, and every day I try to be the best leader I can be, helping guys out by being more vocal day by day. I feel it's easier to talk in game situations than in practices because you have a lot of emotion and adrenaline going. That's just me flowing."

After getting whistled for a personal foul on what appeared to be a legal hit on Cincinnati quarterback Hayden Moore, Gary returned to aggressively invading Moore's personal space on the next two plays, and did so with a vengeance, crushing him the instant he released the ball on the second play. Moore was slow to pick himself up off the ground.

"I was happy they didn't take me out," said Gary of the initial targeting call that was over-turned upon review. It would've meant his expulsion from the game. "I just let that push me through the game."

Air Force seldom ran a play his way, and Gary still tied his personal high with six tackles while having 1.5 for lost yardage and that forced fumble. He credits Mattison for helping him still find ways to make plays despite opponents running away from him or double-teaming him.

"The offense is going to do what they have to do," said Gary. "But Coach Mattison preaches, 'Run to the ball! Run to the ball!' And I feel that by doing that as a D-line puts us in more circumstances where we can make plays.

"With my play, I'm nowhere near where I want to be. But it's a good feeling knowing I've progressed since last season in the first three games. The best is yet to come for me. I just can't wait."

Wolverines senior offensive left tackle Mason Cole, on the watch list for the Outland Trophy awarded to the nation's top lineman, also factors strongly into Gary's development. They go at one another like rams on a mountaintop each day in practice.

"I feel that going into Big Ten play now," said Gary, "that I'm not going to see a tackle like Mason. We've been going at it since spring ball, and he sharpens me and I sharpen him. It's just iron sharpening iron. I love going against him. You've really got to watch his hands.

"He gets me, and I get him a couple times. But it's a good battle."

Gary's provided 13 tackles, 2.5 for lost yardage, one sack, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and plenty of intimidation heading into Saturday's (Sept. 23) Big Ten opener at Purdue.

He's on the watch lists for the Walter Camp Award presented to the national player of the year as well as the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy that go to the nation's top defensive player.

Gary also will be up for Big Ten honors, but for now he'll gladly settle for the weekly reward coming from Ann Mattison, the wife of his coach, who bakes cookies for the Wolverines.

What's Gary's favorite?

"Chocolate chip," he said with a smile. "I've got two bags of them in my locker right now. You get them for forced fumbles, sacks, things like that."

Things that happen when you cause run-and-hit accidents.