Welcome to the jungle

Inspired by verse, Wolverines become the nation's No. 1 defense

PASADENA, Calif. - When the last team meeting of the day came to a close Dec. 30, and the coaches ceased to speak strategy about last Thursday's Rose Bowl game against Washington State, the lights went out in Michigan's defensive meeting room for a solemn ceremony. There, in the dark, the members of the Wolverines' No. 1-ranked defense joined hands with their heads bowed, reciting - in unison - the poem that brings them together two nights before every game.

Each player knows the words by heart, from freshman walk-ons to Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Charles Woodson. But in the dark, it doesn't matter who's who anyway. All are one and the same, doing the same thing - and that's the point. The poem i

SARA STILLMAN/Daily Juaquin Feazell (90) and Dhani Jones (55) relegated Michael Black and the Washington State offense to a season-low 16 points. The Wolverines were ranked No. 1 in total defense for most of the season.

s called "The Law of the Jungle," and it concludes like this: "The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

"If you want to know what we're all about as a defense, it's all in that poem," linebacker Ian Gold said. "There's a sense of a family and a feeling of great emotions, because you realize that you're only as strong as your weakest link. I can't describe the feeling you feel. We do it every week, and when we're done, everybody's like, 'WOOO!' We're ready to die for each other, and we kind of know we're going to come out victorious."

One for No. 1.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr instituted the tradition in 1987, when he was defensive coordinator. He had the words painted on a wall in Schembechler Hall, so the players could think about them during meetings and then recite them on Thursday nights during the regular season. One night that year, he made his young graduate assistant coach stand up before the whole team and dissect the poem line by line.

That man was Jim Herrmann, who rose to defensive coordinator this year.

"Lloyd kind of put me on the spot, but after I calmed down a bit, I got into it and really realized what it meant," said Herrmann, whose defense allowed 9.3 points per game - the lowest average since Auburn allowed 7.2 in 1988. "If we're going to be a good defense, every kid has to believe in every other kid. No one can go off and do his own thing. We have to play as one. This year, we're doing that, because the kids are buying into the system."

The Wolverines were strong, fast and hungry prior to the Rose Bowl. They were allowing just 206.9 yards of total offense per game - 91.0 rushing and 115.9 passing. No team was able to score a point in the fourth quarter against them until their ninth game of the season, when Penn State's Curtis Enis scored a meaningless touchdown in a 34-8 Michigan victory.

Once the Rose Bowl began, little changed. Woodson made a critical interception in the second quarter to prevent the Cougars from taking a 14-0 lead. The Wolverines held the most prolific offense in Pac-10 history, which was averaging 42.5 points per game, to just 16. Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf, a Heisman finalist, threw just one touchdown pass.

Former coach Bo Schembechler has said they may be Michigan's greatest defense of all time, and defense always has been a source of pride for the Wolverines.

When Carr was named head coach in 1995, Greg Mattison became defensive coordinator and made a smooth transition. The Wolverines allowed 17.2 points and 284.8 yards per game that season and 15.6 points and 296.4 yards per game in 1996. But before Michigan played in the Outback Bowl last year, Mattison accepted the defensive coordinator position at Notre Dame.

Herrmann, then a linebackers and special teams coach, took over. Mattison "was a great coach, and people looked at Herrmann) like, 'Who's this guy?'" safety Marcus Ray said. If no one knew who Herrmann was, it may have been because he spent so much time watching film. He dissected every down the Wolverines played on defense in 1996 like he dissected that poem in 1987. What did every little thing mean? What were the lessons?

The answers were small things, tweaks in the traditional Michigan scheme that was perfected by Schembechler's teams from 1969-89. Woodson lined up over the slot receiver more often, giving him more room to roam and make plays. Defensive end Glen Steele was allowed to rush the quarterback on his own. New, varied blitz packages were added.

But the greatest difference Herrmann made wasn't a change at all; it was a new emphasis on things like "The Law of the Jungle," which are intended to prevent mental breakdowns. Last season, the Wolverines carried a 16-0 lead into the fourth quarter against Northwestern early in the Big Ten season. They blew it. After losing that game, 17-16, they spiraled downward to their fourth straight four-loss season, not because of a lack of talent or a weak system, Herrmann said, but because of a lack of focus.

So Herrmann went to work. He hung a huge key in the same room where the words to "The Law of the Jungle" are written. The key had 12 notches, one for each position and one for all those who don't get to play. Every notch has to work, he said, for the whole key to work. The lock was the Rose Bowl. Each player got a key of his own, which opened a padlocked box that held a fresh, red rose.

On the Thursday nights when the lights were off, while their heads were down and hands were clasped together, the players often listened to speeches from seniors before they recited the poem. Sometimes they would open the box and pass the rose around, too.

Linebacker and captain Eric Mayes, who suffered a career-ending knee injury in the fourth game of the season, always commanded attention. So did Ray, Woodson's best friend, who has blossomed into what Herrmann calls "the unquestioned leader" of the nation's No. 1-rated secondary.

As good as he is, Ray still sits in the shadows of Woodson, as does Steele, linebacker Sam Sword and several other top players. But he doesn't mind. He was with Woodson in New York City for the Heisman presentation last month and jumped up before Woodson when the envelope was opened. "We're family," Ray said. "Why shouldn't I be anything but happy for him?"

"Hey, Charles is in the shadows with us when it counts," Steele said. "When we do that poem, at that point in time, no matter what anybody outside that room thinks, we all know we're with a group of guys who will do anything for each other. Pack of wolves. Eleven men to the ball. We know if we miss, someone will be there to help. We know we can't lose if we play as one."

One for No. 1.

01-07-98