Because of his play against Notre Dame on Saturday, and his improved practice habits, Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell (73) has earned more playing time.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

But after showing signs of life against Notre Dame on Saturday with a key third-quarter fumble recovery, Campbell may finally be making his 6-foot-5, 322-pound presence felt.

Because of his play Saturday, and also because of his improved practice habits, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said Tuesday that the former five-star recruit has "earned" more playing time.

"I thought that when he went in, he gave us a spark and played with a lot of passion," Mattison said. "That's a big body that can move, and again, everybody buys in and everybody steps up the way we want it at different times and at different levels.

"And when he was out there (Saturday), I think he said 'ok, I'm going to do it the way they want it done.' I do believe he'll probably get more playing time. We're rotating anyhow, but I do think he's earned (more playing time)."

Campbell, a Detroit Cass Tech product, came to Michigan as a prep All-American in 2009 that was rated as the state's top prospect, and Rivals.com's 26th-best recruit overall in the country.

But he has yet to make an impact at the college level.

Plagued by inconsistency, Campbell was forced behind former walk-on Nathan Brink early in fall camp before starting the season as senior Mike Martin's backup at defensive tackle.

And though the fumble recovery is still Campbell's only actual stat of the season (he has yet to record a tackle), Mattison believes the big man is starting to buy into the system.

"The biggest thing is that guys have to earn it by the way they practice," he said. "The game is the reward for how you practice. And they've got to continue to practice hard and go out there, that will be the reward."

"Anybody that plays up to their ability gives you your best potential. I think he's very talented. If he comes in and plays hard at 6-5, 300 and some pounds, you have to feel pretty good about it. ... I'm looking forward to him improving each week and getting better and getting more playing time."

Mattison regrets final call of Notre Dame game

After Michigan erased a 17-point deficit Saturday to claim a 28-24 lead over Notre Dame with just 1:12 to play in the game, the Wolverines' defense surrendered the advantage in just 42 seconds.

Mattison put most of the blame on the 29-yard touchdown pass from Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees to Theo Riddick on himself, saying he made a poor defensive call.

"I'll be dead honest with you, there are sometimes calls that a guy makes where you say afterward 'God, I wish I hadn't made that call,'" he said. "It was the same call we got an interception on earlier in the game. And it looks exactly like a blitz. We had blitzed right before that and they knew we were going to blitz the closer they got (to the endzone) down there.

"And I thought, maybe we can show that blitz and come out of there -- and we didn't execute it as well as we did the first time. And they hit it. I'll be the first to tell you, if I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have called that."

Borges praises headset-less Hoke

Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges said Tuesday that he hears a lot of people discuss the fact that first-year Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke doesn't always wear a headset on the sidelines during games.

It's an observation he says means nothing.

"He's great about communicating," Borges said. "I hear people ask about how he doesn't have a headset on, I talk to him all the time and he keeps me abreast about game management. He's on it. He may not wear the headset all the time, but I know what he's thinking all the time."

Install with care

When asked how much of his defense he's installed so far this season, Mattison said that while he's putting in new packages each week, he's being careful not to introduce too much.

He explained that he generally sets a number of new defensive schemes that will be brought into the fold each game week, but if at any point he feels it might be too much, he pares things down.

"It all goes by what they can handle," he said. "I don't know what the exact number is, but if I look up on the board and see too many defenses on that list -- I'll be taking them down.

"I think they've done very well at picking up the system, much, much better than the spring. They've really bought in and become very much students of the game, more than I think they've ever been."

Mattison went on to say that though the Wolverines struggled at times defensively against Notre Dame, they're starting to alleviate some of the lingering issues that have plagued them in the past.

"They're starting to communicate, and that's been a real negative (in the past)," he said. "When you have a lot of young kids and a lot of guys that haven't played much, they're kind of just taking care of themselves -- and until you communicate on defense, you won't be as successful as you can be."

Odds and ends

Mattison said Michigan "won't face a better wide receiver" than Notre Dame senior Michael Floyd this season. ... The recent injuries to Michigan linebackers Cam Gordon and Brandon Herron isn't something Mattison is using as an excuse. "We felt that there's a number of them that are all very equal," he said of his linebackers. "That's the good news. If a guy gets gimped up, the next guy has to be ready to go. That's always the way it has to be here. We'll never say something happened because of injury." ... Though he's yet to record a tackle this season, Mattison says he's not worried about junior defensive end Craig Roh. "Sometimes what they think is acceptable is not," Mattison said of Roh. "But he's bought in. He's going to be an outstanding football player, I've got all the confidence in the world (in that). And just to see the way he's practicing since that first game and improving (against Notre Dame), I look forward to him playing better in this next game."

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.