2002 FBL vs. Wisconsin -- Quotes
11/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr
Opening statement ... "It was a difficult Wisconsin vs. Michigan game. It was a very physical game, both teams played really hard. Wisconsin found a way to fight back and I thought it was a really great football game. Defensively, it was as good of an effort that we've had this year. I wasn't really happy with our kicking game. We didn't punt the ball well and gave up a touchdown on a punt return. When you turn the football over three times, you aren't going to win against good football teams very often. But our defense played great. It's a good win, but there are some things we have to fix quickly."
On the emotions of the senior class ... "There were a lot of tears because when you play here, it requires a lot of you. There are a lot of days that aren't headlines and it's hard when you compete here academically and athletically. The expectations on and off the field are so great and there is a certain pressure there. When you complete four or five years, you have a sense of accomplishment and pride."
On the play of Victor Hobson ... "Victor Hobson is an All-American. He's played well all season and has played and led like an All-American. I can truthfully tell you that he's given all he's had to this team. He's had a special year and he's a special kid."
On Chris Perry ... "I think Perry is a highly motivated guy who played as well as he could have. I don't think he's motivated by competition. He's a self-starter, with high energy. I thought he played really well."
On the importance of a good running game ... "The field was pretty good but it's certainly not a fast track. If you can't run the football in this conference, you're going to have a tough time winning. Ohio State has proven they can run the ball and it will be interesting (next week)."
On the team's goals today ... "One of the goals that was brought forth was to be the best we can today, and everything else will take care of itself."
On the motivation going into an Ohio State game ... "I don't remember ever being around a Michigan team that had to be motivated for an Ohio State game. The only goals that are important for us are our goals. We're not interested in knocking them out of a bowl or anything like that. They've had a great year and have a great team. We want to finish the season strong."
U-M Senior/Junior Quarterback John Navarre
On the opening drive of the third quarter ... "It was one of the longer drives we've sustained all season. That was the turning point in the game. We were very motivated and converted on some big third downs. We ran the ball really well and put pressure on their defense."
On his first interception ... "I was trying to throw the ball off of my back foot. It was a crossing route to Braylon Edwards and it was a mistake by me because I made a bad decision. I should have either ran with it because of the pressure or taken the sack instead of trying to force a play that wasn't there."
On the team's preparation for next weekend's game ... "We're thinking about who's next and this week is going to be very important for us."
On whether the team had trouble staying focused this week ... "Our team is really focused on the task at hand, and we didn't have to worry about guys looking ahead. We were very focused on Wisconsin because they're a dangerous ballclub, which you saw out there today. We knew we had to play strong to win."
On going to Ohio State as a changed quarterback ... "It's a big opportunity. I'm going to work extra hard this week and I really want to be on top of my game. I'm not going to overanalyze things or look too far into it. I'm just going to prepare myself the best I can and go out there and manage the game and play a good game of football."
U-M Junior Tailback Chris Perry
On the third-quarter scoring drive ... "Every time you go out on the field you want to put together a drive that is efficient and takes time off the clock. We came out in the third quarter and did that. We were very happy with it."
On the recent success of the running game ... "I think it's chemistry; I think it's all coming together now. The offensive line is starting to jell and the receivers are blocking well."
On the team's attitude after halftime ... "The offense knew that we couldn't turn the ball over like we did in the first half. When you turn the ball over, you put the defense and the whole team in a bad position. At halftime, we were focused and we calmed down and told ourselves we needed to put points on the board."
On the upcoming game against Ohio State ... "Ohio State's a great team and has a great defense. We're going to go out there and do the best we can."
Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez
On the game ... "I felt it was a very hard-fought game. I thought my guys played extremely hard. We kind of dug a hole for ourselves falling behind by 14 points early in the first quarter. We could have just rolled over, but I thought my kids really competed, showed resilience, and we had our chances in the game. We had the ball in our hands in the end zone at least three different times and didn't come up with the play. In a game like this when you want to come in here and upset a good football team you need to make some of those plays, and we didn't make enough of them. But I thought we played much better today than we had the last couple of weeks."
On what he said to his team ... "I told them just go to the next play, keep playing. It's a long game, a lot of things can happen. Just keep playing and don't get discouraged."
On Wisconsin's punt returns ... "I think they gave us good field position and really swung the momentum to us with that first run for a touchdown. Jimmy Leonhard had a very good day and he gave us good field position."
On his team's bowl game hopes ... "Well, we're down to one game. I feel better with the way we played today. But we're down to one game. We win one game and we go to a bowl. So, we're playing a bowl for a bowl. It's a playoff, a one-game series."
UW Senior/Junior Linebacker Kyle McCorison
On starting the game ... "This week I switched over to eagle, which is basically the inside linebacker shifted a little to the outside. I played in the spring so it was familiar. It's not that big a deal."
On adjusting to Michigan's offense ... "Michigan plays a high-power game. They come at you hard. We tried to stop it as best we could but they got some long plays and they capitalized on it. With Michigan, the one thing you can't do is give up the long plays."
On being down 14-0 so quickly ... "We just have to keep our heads up. We have to fight back and keep plugging away. It was early in the game so there was a lot of game left. We just had to get back together and regroup."
On needing to win next week's game to go to a bowl ... "We just have to focus on this next game. We have to put this one behind us. We have Minnesota coming in to our place next week, so that's our main focus. We have to win, so we're going to put everything we can into this next game."
UW Sophomore Defensive Back/Punt Returner Jim Leonhard
On how the punt return affected the team ... "We've been really close to breaking one all year and we finally got one. It gave us a big boost that we really needed at the time. We just couldn't come through at the end."
On the return ... "It was a really short kick, so I got it on the run. A couple guys overran it and I got a nice little cutback."
On next week's game ... "We have one game left. We have to win that game. This is our national championship."
