Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke-Mighigain State Week
Opening
statement ... "No. 1, thanks for coming. Saturday, I think we learned a
little bit more about ourselves as a football team, in good ways and
bad ways, learning that you can't turn the ball over. That's an
important aspect that we have got to do a better job, and the decision
making at times, fundamentals at times, techniques at times.
"The
other thing I think we learned is that from a defensive standpoint, you
need to get off blocks. That enhances your ability to make tackles. And
I think that we learned that if we hang together, good things can
happen and that if we play with aggression, then we play a little
better football."
On why the team plays so much better in the
second halves of games ... "From the offensive standpoint, I think we
see something different pretty much all the time and how people want to
defend us offensively and really defend Denard (Robinson). So I think
Al (Borges) does a tremendous job and his staff, Darrell Funk and Heck
(Jeff Hecklinski) and Fred (Jackson) and Dan (Ferrigno). I think they
all do a tremendous job of getting together and talking during the
course of the game, or the first half, and you know, putting their
ideas down and making the appropriate adjustments and changes.
"I
think the same thing, defensively. I think Greg (Mattison) and Curt
(Mallory) and Mark (Smith) and Jerry (Montgomery) do a tremendous job
defensively. And the kids have been willing and they are listening, and
I think they are learning."
On Michigan State's defensive line
... "They are extremely talented, aggressive, well coached. Coach Gill
was one of my coaches in college. Their defensive line coach, he is a
tremendous motivator. He knows the game, does a great job coaching
them. Those kids play with a fire for them.
"You look at their
defense as a whole and I think the whole team is very well coached,
because I have a lot of respect for Mark D'Antonio. He's a defensive
coach, and his mindset and vision of how they are going to play
defense; I think they are athletic. I think they play with good team
speed, and they are going to be a physical presence out on the field."
On
how a 6-0 record helps him forge an identity for this team ... "I don't
know. I think you gain a little bit of confidence as long as that
confidence is coming through understanding the preparation that helped
you move the dial -- and from a fundamental and technique standpoint,
which we talk about and stress every day, and an attitude to prepare
each week for and how we prepare. So I think we are learning lessons as
we go."
On winning easily compared to winning while overcoming
adversity ... "I really think you gain some confidence because of how
you stayed together and how you respect each other. That's probably the
most significant thing I've seen out of our guys is that respect that
they have for each other, the respect that they have for their
opponents and I think how they have prepared to this point. You all
look for the cracks as a coach, the mentality of your team. Sometimes
I've gone into games and I go, 'we are not near ready,' and we play
great. And there have been times when you think you've been ready and
you don't play as well as you want. So I don't know if there are any
real secrets out there. But it's just us trying to get better every
week."
On how the team is performing based on his preseason
expectations ... "I never judge anything by preconceived notions of
where we would be. We just know that we have to go to work every day
and that we have got to play Michigan football: take care of the ball,
play physical at the line of scrimmage and play for each other."
On
the similarities among the defenses presented to stop Denard Robinson
... "Similarities, there are some. I think probably the one that was
the most different would be how San Diego State did, which you kind of
knew that with the uniqueness of what they do defensively. With
Northwestern, they faced that offense all spring, they face it all fall
camp and they were determined to make it a perimeter game on both sides
of the ball to be honest with you. And then I think Notre Dame, the way
they defended us as some people have mimicked to some degree with how
they play their safeties."
On what he remembers about the loss
at Michigan State in 2001 ... "Well, we lost the football game.
Somebody was in charge of substitutions on defense and we had a penalty
that helped them get down the field and that was me. We had too many
guys on the field. So I remember it."
On the Michigan State
rivalry and its recent history ... "Obviously the guys know what the
history has been. The rivalry is a tremendous rivalry because of the
passion for both schools that people have. The alums, people within the
state, you kind of draw the line that you're a Spartan fan or you're a
Wolverine fan and that's what makes college football and that's what
makes it so exciting."
"It's an important part of recruiting.
It's an important part because it's a Big Ten game and how that all
goes for you during the course of the year."
On what it's like
playing at Spartan Stadium ... "It will be fun. It's a fun place to be
because of the passion and the fans, on both sides. Obviously there
will be some Michigan people there. That's why you go to places like
Michigan and Michigan State; to play in those games and represent your
school. It will be fun."
On if the Michigan State game is the
most physical game of the season ... "Oh yeah, I mean, it was always
going to be a dogfight and every year, it was always going to be two
teams that were going to be physical at the line of scrimmage on both
side of the ball. It was always going to be guys playing their best
football and playing as tough and physical as they could. So I agree
with Lloyd Carr. I always thought
On watching film of last
year's MSU game to see how Denard Robinson was defended ... "To be
honest with you I haven't looked at it yet, because I'm looking at
their offense right now. But I'm sure Al (Borges) and that side of the
ball have probably been through it."
On the challenges that
MSU's offense presents, starting with quarterback Kirk Cousins ... "I
think he's as good a quarterback you'll find in this league. I think he
runs the offense, manages the offense, gets them in the right things as
far as play-wise, and I think he's very accurate with the football.
Their running backs, they have three backs who are all very capable,
very good.
"I love the fullback, Todd Anderson, because he's a
prototypical, hit-you-in-the-face guy, who is going to lead block well,
he's going to protect well, B.J. Cunningham out at the wide receiver
(position). And I think the tight ends and the use of the tight ends
are a big part of it and that presents challenges from a defensive
standpoint."
On the physicality of past games against Michigan
State ... "It usually always was. Just thinking back, it always was.
I'm a defensive line coach. They were going to try and pound you off
the football and you had to match that intensity. You know they are
going to punch you in the mouth and you'd better punch back."
On
having to improve along the lines against Michigan State ... "I don't
think there's any doubt we have to be better everywhere for us to win
the football game. We have to be better at every position. We have to
be better coaches, we have to be better trainers in how we tape ankles
and all those things."
On MSU's defensive line presenting a
great test for U-M's offensive line ... "I think so. There's not any
doubt that their physicalness at the line of scrimmage and their
ability to penetrate and all those things and be disruptive are a big
part of what they do defensively -- pressure on the quarterback. For
us, we have got to play our best game to this point in all areas, but
specifically up front."
On Taylor Lewan coming out of the game
against Northwestern for a period of time ... "He came out because he
was over on their sideline and he thought that he had to come out
because he thought the official told him to, 'get out.' The official
was just telling him to get out of their sidelines. I'm telling you the
truth. It was funny. I don't know what he thought. But it was funny. He
was blocking, he blocked a guy into the sidelines. He finished it, and
that was funny."
On MSU's Jerel Worthy's tattoo and his play
..."It's a tattoo. As a player, I think he's physical. He's a very good
athlete. It's funny because I was watching tape of Northwestern against
Michigan State from last year last week and then watching their
defense, studying Northwestern's offense, and he's got a great sense in
timing from a fundamental side on movements and those things and plays
with great leverage."
On Devin Gardner playing more like a
quarterback against Northwestern ... "There were some more quarterback
plays when Denard (Robinson) came out because of his boo boo. I think
(Devin) did a nice job of being a quarterback."
On Devin Gardner
showing his readiness to play by finishing the series when Robinson
came out ... "Yeah, and I think that's all part of it and what you want
to see from a guy like him that, any snap could be in the football
game. So that was good to see."
On Denard Robinson getting too
excited at the start of games, which leads to high throws ... "I don't
know -- against Minnesota they weren't. Believe me, he's excited and
excitable. The big thing is he's got to let the game come to him
sometimes."
On the overall play of Denard Robinson ... "I like
the way he's handled the offense and the transition all the way through
and I think he's improved every week because there's always some
additions or tweaks that he has to manage. I thought from spring to
fall to fall camp to now, I think his growth has been very good."
On
the motivation to snap the losing streak against Michigan State ... "I
don't think I'll have to remind our guys what the outcome has been.
These are college students, and they are in classes and stuff like
that. So I would hope that they are smart enough to understand we
haven't played Michigan football the way we need to."
On the MSU
defensive line coached by Ted Gill ... "The kids will play hard and
they will play for him. That's something that's always important. They
will execute how he's coached them. He's a very good technique coach,
very good motivational coach. He did a great job -- and this is 1978 --
he can coach you up."
On his relationship with MSU head coach
Mark D'Antonio ... "I know Mark decently well. My brother and he
probably know each other a little bit better. Mark was at Youngstown
and my brother was at Kent and both of them being secondary coaches by
trade, I think their conversations were always there."
On U-M
being overrated in the national polls ... "We are not a Top 10 team.
You take care of the football, and defensively, you don't give up 300
and whatever it was yards throwing the football."
On the
importance of the MSU series ... "It means an awful lot. It means a lot
because we represent a great university. We have got great alums out
there. And it's a Big Ten game. It's an important game. It's a
tremendous rivalry in college football, and you can say all of the
local, state, regional standpoint, but also a national standpoint. It's
Michigan-Michigan State. I kind of get geared up when Oregon is playing
Oregon State, because that's a great rivalry. Those are fun."
On
the emergence of cornerback Blake Countess and the injuries to Troy
Woolfolk ... "Sure, (Troy's) banged up a little bit. He tweaks his
ankle every now and then a little bit, and his hand is getting better,
which is a good thing so he can use that more appropriately on
fundamentals and techniques.
"Blake is a young guy who plays at
a high rate. You watch him go down on kickoff, he plays at a high rate.
He plays fast. Fundamentally he's pretty sound. He has good change of
direction in those things and has burst to him. But Troy has been beat
up, also."
On a win vs. MSU meaning more than other games ...
"For us, we have an expectation and goals to win the Big Ten
Championship. You're not going to do that by losing a football game."
On
the operation of the two countdown clocks in Schembechler Hall ...
"They are operating properly, and because at game time, I think it was
12:01, I think we synced it up."
On the injuries to MSU's
offensive line ... "They are big, which is the normal case. They are
good sized. I think they have had some guys get nicked up a little bit
from the start of the year. But I think they are physical. They are
well-coached. When you look at zone stops and combination blocks and
doubles, those things, where the shoulder tip is, all of those things;
as a defensive line coach, I think they are really well coached and I
think they are physical."
On the keys going into the second half
of the season ... "Our keys are we have got to improve how we are
playing football, period, from a fundamental standpoint to a toughness
standpoint to how we take care of the football and how we manage the
game. And we have got to coach better."
On if he really isn't
happy with the team's overall play ... "I really don't because we can't
be satisfied with anything. And after every game, I tell them, it's
great to win, but there's always a bug. And they know that. They have
been around long enough now. We would like to get perfection."
On
if the one thing to fix after the Northwestern game is limiting
turnovers ... "That, and our perimeter play from a defensive standpoint
of fundamentals of getting off blocks and those things, probably as
much as anything."
On plays or formations that MSU will present
that U-M hasn't seen this year ... "They go with five guys on one side
of the ball. They did that on a 13 personnel. There will be something.
In the kicking game, there will be something from an offensive
standpoint. There will be something different. I wish I knew what it
would be; we may have a chance to work on it. But there will be
something, definitely."
On if MSU has an advantage coming into
the game after a bye week ... "I don't know. I've been on both ends of
it. I know one year here we had a bye week before we played
Northwestern and we probably tried to out-coach ourselves and do too
much and change.
"I don't know. I really don't. Are you
healthier -- maybe. Are you fresher -- maybe. But the schedule is the
schedule. Whatever it is, you've got to go play it. And there are no
excuses."
On if it is good to have a bye week after a physical
game like this one ... "I don't know. I really don't. Maybe get rested
a little bit. If you don't play your best and lose, I can tell you, you
want to go back and play, soon."
On his concern with MSU's
fullback and its power package ... "I am. And their tight ends, they
are big tight ends and they are big, physical guys. So if they get in
22 personnel or those powers that they run or power pass, I think they
do a great job with. Their tailbacks, blocking the edge, fullback in
the flap, I think they do a lot of stuff that we do, which is kind of
nice. But they do it very well and they are physical as they do it."
On
Michael Shaw earning more playing time at Northwestern ... "I think
some of it's situational, but I think also, he's fought himself back
into playing a little more, and he's been more physical. He just
practiced better. We evaluate every day."
Fifth-Year Senior Defensive Tackle Ryan Van Bergen On
the motivation after losing three in a row to Michigan State ... "We're
really motivated. This is our seventh game of the season and we've won
six so far, this is the next obstacle we have to conquer to get to the
Big Ten Championship, get to where we want to be. There's a little more
added to it because of the in-state rivalry, but as far as games go,
it's just another game for us. We want to win, we want to be 7-0, and
we just want to keep rolling."
On the defense's overall success
in the second half of each game this season ... "Scheme adjustments.
We've made some big adjustments at halftime. We came in and coach
Mattison and all the defensive coaches -- coach Mallory, Montgomery,
Smith -- all sat us down by position and we went through some different
things and simplified our defense a little bit because of the
adjustments we were making -- we were making some extreme adjustments
-- and different techniques even in the second half. In the second half
we've been pretty good. I don't know what it is about this season, but
we don't give up many points after halftime. That's the signature of
good adjustments and good defense."
On the ability to limit big
plays by opposing offenses ... "That's all a credit to the secondary.
The secondary this year has a new philosophy of keeping the ball inside
and in front. With the exception of Jordan Kovacs, who we put in the
box every once in a while, those guys -- the free safety and the two
corners -- do a tremendous job of just funneling the ball inside
because we've preached running to the ball. You'll see defensive
linemen run to the ball 30 yards downfield, and as long as they keep
the ball inside and in front we'll get guys down. Somebody's going to
bust a 25-yard gain on us, but the thing that can't happen is teams
going for 70 yards on a run or over your head on a pass. We've got guys
who have played well and that's part of their fundamentals in the
secondary and they do a great job. Because of what they're doing we've
been successful against the big play."
Senior Tight End Kevin Koger On
the importance of getting a victory against Michigan State ... "It is
going to mean a lot. We have not seen Paul [Bunyan Trophy] in a long
time. It will be nice to get him back to Ann Arbor.That would be really
nice."
On Denard Robinson's early game excitability causing
mistakes ... "He is a fast guy so he is kind of jittery all of the
time. I guess you could attribute it to it a little bit. He has calmed
down, last week in the second half of the game he calmed down and he
played great. Much better than he did in the first half, so I guess you
can attribute it to him being a little excited."
On the passing
game starting to click ... "Definitely, we just have a problem getting
into a groove early in the game and once we settle down offensively we
do get into a groove. That is when you see us succeeding."
On
the meaning personally of a MSU victory ... "It means a lot. It is a
rivalry game; it is a great team we are going to play. It will be a lot
of fun playing at noon on ESPN and all of that great stuff. They will
be in those Nike combat uniforms, and it will be a good atmosphere."
On
getting a legacy win for the seniors ... "It (would be) and we have to
start it off right. We can start something great here, we are on the
road, and we have a lot of confidence going into Saturday."
On
the Northwestern game preparing U-M for road games ... "It helped a
lot. We had a lot of fans there; it almost felt like a home game for
us. There is a lot of support coming out of the Chicago area for us. It
was good for us to be on the road and get a win for the team."
On
what the team needs to improve ... "Definitely special teams, we are
doing okay on offense and defense, but special teams we really need to
improve, kickoff covering and kickoff return we have not got that much
out of our team. That is definitely one area we need to improve on."
On
not allowing turnovers to happen ... "If we turn the ball over we are
not going to win. It is just that simple. They are too good of a team
for us to put the ball on the ground and throw three, four or five
picks. If that happens, we will not win."
On confidence from a
6-0 start ... "It means a lot. We have not been 6-0 before, but we have
had fast starts and they have dwindled and we just have to finish.
Coach Hoke always emphasizes finishing and that is really what we need
to do."
Senior Center David Molk On the intensity of the
Michigan-Michigan State rivalry ... "It kind of starts and you really
don't know and you don't understand it as a freshman coming in and
really not until you play in the game you don't know what it is like.
Once you get that first play, that first series, you understand that
this is a hitting game, this is a physical game, and this is me vs. you
all the way."
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