Welcome back inside the Ann Arbor Studios of the Big 1050 WTKA online at the big 1050.com.

So let's get to our players of the game, starting with the defender of the game, brought to you by the law offices of Joseph A. Simon.

Find Joe at the Michigan Defenders.com.

That's the Michigan Defenders.com.

And Joe actually joined, he was with us out at Oscar Sports and Grill in Celine for the Retirement Income Solutions wrap-up show. And so I said, Joe, we're doing the defender of the game. You got to come up and join me. And so when he did, it's probably the easiest conversation, football conversation I've ever had with somebody and probably that he's ever had with somebody. The defensive player of the game, the defender of the game, of course, Jashon Barham. He led the team with six tackles, all of them solo. He had a couple of sacks in there, starting with that very first sack of the game on the very first defensive play of the game for Michigan. And just watch it. We talked about him last week, more in the context, because of how much they missed him in the first half of that game down in Oklahoma and what he means to this defense.

And his opinion, more in the context because of how much they missed him in the first half of that game down in Oklahoma

and what he means to this defense and his ability to play sideline the sideline.

And I know a lot of attention this coming week is going to be spent on Ernest Houseman

because he's going back to Nebraska.

He obviously played high school football in Nebraska.

He started his college career in Nebraska and now excelling here for Michigan. But while a lot of attention is going to be on him, Jason Barham is a phenomenal football player. He can play the edge. He can play the mic. He can play either of them, but they need him to play both. And really it's not about that he needing to play both as much as the ability to use him as a chess piece allows you to move him around, do different things, you never know where he is. And he's the guy on the defense where every snap, the offense is going where is, and they're pointing him out. Number one's over there. Number one's over there. He's on the edge. He's in the middle. They're always pointing him out. He's the guy that's the focal point for the offense when it comes to where they're trying to look at that defense. And my guess is a lot of times attacking away from him. The thing is attacking away from a guy that's as fast as he is and plays as quickly from sideline as the sideline as he is. There's not a whole lot of way from him. He just covers, which like that first play, that's the sack. Play action in the boot.

He changed the direction, his closing speed, all that on display. And he showed it a few times throughout the course of the game. He is a, I mean, it might show up in the stats because he had two sacks. He led the team with the six tackles. But you just see him on every play.

He's all over the place on every play.

And he's maybe the most integral.

Every year you ask the question, who's the key guy to the defense?

And there may be more than one, but there's always one guy at the top.

Charles Woodson in 97, right?

He locks down half the field and then everybody else can do everything else essentially. Last year, it's probably the top. Charles Woodson in 97, right? He locks down half the field and then everybody else can do everything else, essentially. Last year is probably the tackles. And Mason, in particular, Mason Graham in particular is probably where the starting point was. Where are those guys? Because those guys are absolutely, you know, game wreckers, in particular, Mason Graham. And now that and the question of who are they pointing out, I think to no question is Jashon Barham because he is wrecking plays on a regular basis. So he is a defender of the game brought to you by the law office of Joseph A. Simon. And as I told Joe, I have a feeling Barham may end up being the defender of the game more than once. Actually, he's already been twice. More than twice this season. He's probably the leader in the clubhouse going into every game. And then it depends on what happens over the course of that game. That's the defender of the game. Now to the offensive player of the game brought to you by Chap on-site fueling, whether it's diesel, gas, or DEF. Chap delivers directly to your fleet, job site or farm. No more downtime, no more detours.

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