The pick six is a work of art that the No. 2 Michigan football team is increasingly familiar with. Its defense has turned four of its 11 interceptions into touchdowns so far this season.
That success hasn’t happened by accident. Rather, it stems from the brushstrokes of the Wolverines’ offseason labor.
“A huge, huge emphasis was like after you get an interception — what happens?” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “And so our ability to score with the ball like that is something that you have to practice. You can’t just assume somebody intercepts the ball and all the other guys know what to do.”
In 2022, only one player broke free for a touchdown after snagging a pick. But this year, graduate cornerback Mike Sainristil has done so twice, while sophomore defensive backs Keon Sabb and Will Johnson each earned one against Minnesota. Twice this season, the defense has outscored an opponent’s offense thanks to its pick six success.
As much as getting interceptions helps make defensive touchdowns possible, Minter realized he needed to coach his players on how to act after that turnover. Whereas a return might seem like the result of one player’s electric run, it’s really the culmination of work by the whole 11-man defense.
“I think just the reaction when you turn on a tape of a team, the reaction of what happens when they get an interception — we were poorly coached at it last year, and that’s just self reflection,” Minter said. “But now I think we’re better coached at it and it’s showing up in what we do once we get the ball.”
Before players can throw blocks or breach end zones, they first need to disrupt the ball. Once that happens, a chain reaction of blocks occurs as the interceptor carves a path through the offense-turned-defense. Sometimes, this makes for an easy return, like Sainristil’s twin 70-plus yard pick sixes. Other times, the play ends just short like when senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins came within feet of a big man touchdown.
To make a masterpiece during such a chaotic situation, Minter tapped into the expertise gleaned from another unpredictable art: punt returns. The two situations have many parallels. For one, each player has to evaluate the play on the fly and make quick decisions. Returners, like interception-toting defensive backs, can also flip the field by weaving around blocks, leading to highly volatile plays.
With the help of special teams coach Jay Harbaugh and his punt return expertise, Minter trained the Wolverines in the art of interception returns. Already, Michigan has quadrupled its lone pick six, and its 11 interceptions are just three shy of last season’s total. Sainristil is particularly benefitting from the coaching strategy, as his 150 return yards rank second in the country.
“Just the daily emphasis of our four pillars: block destruction, communication, good effort angles and ball disruption,” Sainristil said Oct. 17. “The coaches made that a big emphasis for the defense this offseason. We knew that going into this year — I think we were the last team in the country in turnovers (in 2022). So that was something that we wanted to turn around going into this season.”
Most of that turnaround has come against overmatched opponents, which begs the question whether Michigan can keep its pick six party going. Against its best opponents in No. 9 Penn State or No. 3 Ohio State, picking up a defensive touchdown could create a cushion for the offense against a similarly stout defense. Regardless of sustainability concerns through the rest of this season, the Wolverines’ pick six production has been effective thus far.
By focusing on ball disruption and thinking through an interception’s aftermath, the Wolverines have become artists in chaos. And while their art might not be the kind hung in the Louvre, it might just be the kind that helps them hang wins on their opponent.