There wasn't a lot to write home about for Michigan on the offensive side of the ball in the 13-12 win over Western Michigan, but the defense was actually pretty solid. Kyle Whittingham was pleased with several aspects of the defense, especially once he had a chance to watch the film a few times.

Using a tool like Pro Football Focus allows us to see what happened on a player-by-player basis and gives some insight as to how the game really went. It's not gospel, but there are some things that just don't show up in the box score that can tell another part of the story.

It's not a surprise to see Nichols at the top of this list with a grade of 83.9. He had been talked about all offseason by coaches and teammates alike and he did not disappoint in the opener. 

The 6-5, 245-pound was harassing Western's quarterback all night long. He finished with nine tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was also credited with a hit on the QB and a hurry as well. He was pumped up, excited and effective as a pass rusher and should only get better with more reps. He was on the field for 55 of Michigan's 69 defensive snaps.

The Utah transfer's numbers don't exactly jump off the page (3 tackles) but he graded out extremely well per PFF with a final score of 77.8. The fine folks at PFF determined that Daley was best as a pass rusher, but he was quite consistent across the board. 

He was above average against the run and as a tackler and even showed enough athleticism to be useful in a pinch in coverage at 6-5, 252 pounds. Earlier today, head coach Kyle Whittingham said that Daley is still getting up to speed and back to his true form after recovering from a torn Achilles.

Another transfer checks in at the three-spot, as former North Dakota State standout Nathaniel Staehling earned a 74.4 overall grade from PFF. He finished with nine tackles including five solos and was solid against the run. 

Per PFF, he could've been better as a pass rusher, but that never really has been mentioned as a strength of his. He's a gap filler and a tackling machine and he did those things well against Western Michigan.

Cornerback Jyaire Hill paced the entire defense with 65 snaps played and he was pretty good all night long. He finished with seven tackles including one for loss and did his usual thing in coverage. He intercepted a pass but was called for DPI on the play, which obviously dinged him a little bit per PFF.

The coaches made it seem like the linebacker rotation was far from settled, but the snap count tells a different story. Troy Bowles (60 snaps), Nathaniel Staehling (50 snaps) and Chase Taylor (35 snaps) seem to be THE guys. Aisea Moa played 22 snaps in a reserve role and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, who we actually heard about quite a bit during fall camp, played just six snaps. 

Of course, Taylor was the lowest-rated defense from Saturday night's game, so maybe the competition will heat back up and we'll see other guys get some of those reps moving forward. Taylor graded well as a tackler, but struggled in coverage and as a pass rusher per PFF.