Postgame Quotes: Michigan 34, Indiana 10
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Brady Hoke
Opening statement ... "It was good to see the kids, as hard as they worked, and I say that weekly, and some of you may believe that, some of you don't, but they work their tails off every time we go to practice. They work their tails off as a group. They really are accountable to each other. And that's important.
"Obviously we got some good performances from some guys who haven't played as much. I'm talking about (running back) Drake (Johnson) as much as anybody. He's gotten a lot of second reps now since Derrick (Green) went out. We always thought he was talented, and he took advantage. He saw an opportunity and did a heck of a job."
On the play of junior/sophomore receiver Amara Darboh ... "Amara played a little bit as a true freshman and then sat out all last year. I think the confidence, and again, for both of them (Drake and Amara), being in the system for the first time and learning a little bit of a different system; they are both very talented, they both work extremely hard, and it's nice to see those kinds of kids when they get rewarded because of their hard work and what they do. We have Devin (Funchess) on one side and Amara on the other, and it maybe opens things up a little better."
"We talked about keeping the ball inside and in front. The guys up front defensively, (Chris) Wormley, Ryan Glasgow, Bryan Mone, Matthew Godin, Ondre Pipkins, that helps our linebackers and that helps the whole defense when you get that. I gotta give credit to how the kids leverage the football - that's the biggest part of it, if you're a cut back guy, cut back, if you're a chase contain, you gotta chase contain. From that standpoint it was really a team defense.
On junior/senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow's fumble recovery to start the second half ... "It's kind of fun during practice because it's him and his brother (Graham) pounding on each other. There's a competitive nature in those two. He's going to try to give a second and third effort, and to some degree he needs to because that's what he does best. He's not the quickest guy, probably not the most athletic guy, but he always goes over and above when you talk about the effort he gives."
On the motivation of a bowl bid ... "That's always something you should think about. It's nice to get, as coaches, sometimes you get those extra days of preparation and practice with youth and in some ways that's good. The other thing is, because of injury and necessity a little bit, you start finding some other guys and developing guys in the system."
On junior/sophomore running back Drake Johnson and his journey with physical setbacks ... "I think if you know anything about Drake he's always been very motivated and a hard worker. I would say that he, because he's getting more chances with repetitions in practice, that's helped quite a bit. He made some very good cuts, he accelerated through cuts. That's some natural ability that he has."
On what Drake Johnson brings to the game ... "He's more of a slasher than the others. The one thing he does have is a very good burst when you look at the gears. He's got the ability to take it the distance also."
On Drake Johnson becoming more of a primary focus in practice ... "We're very happy with his performance, very impressed with it. I know we'll look at the tape and make those judgments, but we're pretty excited about what he did today."
On tight end Jake Butt's status ... "Jake Butt will be back next week."
On the distractions from this past week ... "Let's talk about what those kids did. Because there's only so many opportunities they have. Have they stayed together and been accountable? Yes, that's what they've done. Like I said, we'll talk about it on Monday."
On the linebackers ... "They did a nice job with their gap integrity, that's a big part of it. When you get combination blocks, that's a big part of it, and I thought they did a nice job with it."
On junior linebacker Joe Bolden ... "Joe's always focused, No. 1. He comes from a football family, his uncle was a coach, his dad was a coach, the whole family. He's always ready to play. He's probably as intelligent a football player as you'll find. He also is very good at diagnosing things, so it was good to get him going. Last week, some of that problem was on the defensive line. We were better today, which made the linebackers better."
On the IU drive in the third quarter ... "That's one of the possessions I didn't think we were disciplined enough in getting lined up, which we did a good job of all day. And the communications, because we got caught once. That's a big part of it. We have to keep working. That was disappointing, but it was good to see how they came back."
On fifth-year senior quarterback Devin Gardner looking beat up ... "He's getting better every week from the initial injury. And he was better this week. Has it hurt some of the designed runs? Yup. I think he's a little more cautious when he does take the ball and run. We just have to keep getting him healthier.
"There's no doubt, we all have to get better and do a better job. He's got to get a little better getting the ball out. The third-down conversion to Darboh was a great throw; even the touchdown he powered through it. But yes, we have to do a better job there."
On Indiana's last drive ... "I think we lost a little intensity; that can't happen, but I think it happened. We'll address that really tomorrow. But we can't lose that edge that you have."
On the decision not to go for points at end of first half ... "No. 1, we had just thrown a pick and set up three points ,and so there was not much in my mind that wanted to go two-minute drill. And the other thing is we were also getting the ball in the second half. Our defense has been playing too well to put them in a bad situation. Just calm ourselves down at halftime, make some adjustments, which the coaches did a really nice job of, especially in the running game. I wasn't looking forward to the defense being challenged again at that time."
On the team's motivation ... "They're playing for each other. They really have done a nice job of going to work. They're no different than any Michigan fan, coaches or anybody else; they have high expectations, and they've been able to, for some of the youth, they've been able to focus on what's next. That's what they've done. I wish I could tell you there's a secret to it, but that's what I've seen them do."
U-M Junior/Sophomore Running Back Drake Johnson
On if this (performance) was the opportunity he was waiting for ... "I think just in general, I have been trying to take whatever they give me. If the defense gives me five yards, I will take five yards. If the defense gives me 30 yards, I will take 30 yards. Huge thanks to the O-line. I think the expectation for the position of running back, I was fortunate to go into the game.
On whether he wondered if he would get this big of an opportunity ... "Not really. It was always 'prepare every day, work hard every day.' If they call my number, they call my number."
On growing up in Ann Arbor, was this game the perfect script ... "I am not going to say it wasn't fun. It was nice. I really enjoyed it but I think it is just about focusing on next week because this is just one game. Getting high on any one game is dangerous. I think we need to focus on Northwestern."
On whether he made the case to get more carries in the future ... "Whatever the coaches decide to do. I support the coaches 100 percent. If they say, 'Drake, we need you to carry the ball four times', I am going to carry the ball four times. If they don't want me to carry it, I am not going to carry it. Whatever they want me to do, I am going to support it."
U-M Junior Linebacker Joe Bolden
On how the team has stayed so tight despite the adversity ... "I think it just knowing each other. We have spent so much time with each other. There is not a guy on the team that you can't walk up to and have a conversation with and really know the person. I really think that is the driving factor."
On seeing the offense scoring early ... "I think it was awesome. If they come out and score quickly, it is great. If they don't come out and score quickly, that is fine too. We are going out to play defense. I play defense. There is a reason I don't play offense, they might have seen my high school tape and said no. You can't concern yourself too much of what is going on on the other side of the ball. When you are presented the opportunity to go play defense, that is what you have to do."
On maybe feeling a sense of relief that the offense was scoring ... "Going out as a defensive player, no matter what is going on on offense, you don't want to give up a yard. If you know a team who hasn't ever given up a yard, let me know. I think just having the opportunity to go out and compete. We really focus on ourselves and executing what we need to get done."
U-M Junior/Sophomore Wide Receiver Amara Darboh
On what led to his career day ... "It was a team effort. The offensive line did a good job blocking and Devin (Gardner) did a good job delivering the ball to the right stop at the right time. It was a team effort that helped me have a good day."
On his improvement over the last few games ... "I think for me, the more I play the more I get used to the game. I feel out what the defensive backs are doing and where I need to be. The more I play the more experience I get."
On his breakup of the possible interception ... "I ran my route and I was supposed to stop, but I saw that a linebacker jumped it. So I was thinking to hit the arm because I hear the defensive backs coach say that all the time, so I tried to swipe the arm and thankfully he didn't get the interception."
U-M Senior Defensive End Brennen Beyer
On containing the Indiana running game ... "That was the game plan, to shut (Tevin) Coleman down. I think we did a good job of studying game film and knowing what they wanted to run, and when they wanted to run it. Then we executed it when the game came.
On whether or not the Indiana running game was predictable ... "I think we did a good job of studying our opponent and knowing what they wanted to run, what their alignments were on certain plays, and then executing that through the tempo and their fast offense."
On whether the offense being one-dimensional makes defense easier ... "Maybe a little bit, we assumed they were going to try and run the ball because they have a great back. We thought that would be in the game plan, but there is always the threat of the pass there, so we have to be aware of that."
Indiana Head Coach Kevin Wilson
Opening statement ... "Offensively we're still struggling to find some passing, a couple of turnovers gave them a short field. Our defense tried -- they made some plays -- I thought they did a nice job for the most part, the battled and showed some improvement and something to build on. We've got to play better offensively -- and until we can get a little more balance in there, we were 5-for-8 passing, a little one-dimensional, and unfortunately we came up short against a solid Michigan team."
On getting more production out of quarterback Zander Diamont ... "Again, once we get out there and do some things in practice they look good, but out in the game your eyes get going where they shouldn't or you get out of rhythm, and you think you see things -- he didn't have any critical, huge errors -- but to me there's a lack of timing, lack of trust, lack of confidence. We tried to move the pocket some to see if that would help. We tried to throw some short stuff -- he's got a good enough arm. The first quarter -- throwing into the wind -- was a little bit tough for us, but after that we kept (going). We put (junior/sophomore QB Nate) Boudreau in and he took a slight injury so I don't know what his status will be, but I don't think it's major. The way Zander started we were going to go with Nate. He took hit, not a big hit but he got knocked, so that's why we went with Zander. We'll see how it plays out. We've got a lot of work to do. We talk about it, but again, when you're a young guy -- and we've played young guys -- he's been with us a year. He's getting bigger and stronger. We've talked about it, he will sense the more he plays what his issues are, and what he needs to work on short-term and long-term to get himself where he's playing better in the future. We've got to play a lot better in the future -- it is what it is -- we'll keep working to find some things for him to do better. But we've got to play better at that spot, it's not very good."
On quarterback Nate Boudreau's injury ... "He's got a shoulder thing -- I don't think it's anything like (QB-Nate) Sudfeld's deal. It knocked him out (of the game)."
On his team's missed opportunities for turnovers ... "Like we tell them, if it wasn't a good call or a good play, you wouldn't have been in position to get (a turnover). It's not like you're not good enough. You're not good enough when you're not there. And there were some times today when we were there. Except for the last drive where we missed him at the line, missed two formations and gave up two long runs. And except for a couple times when we played base and they gapped us up and we gave the quarterback a long time to stand in there and work us up. I thought the defensive effort and energy was better. We were position to make the plays. Again, we talked a few weeks ago about making those plays in practice. You can't catch the ball for the guy. I guess that's one of the reasons they are on defense -- if their hands were better they might be offensive guys. We've got to keep fighting to make the plays. It's unfortunate to lose the turnover ratio 2-to-1. Our two turnovers led to 14 points -- their one turnover led to a missed field goal. That's a 17-point swing. It was 27-10 before their last score. As poorly as we played, if you take care of (the ball, we were in it). We tried to be safe with a quarterback draw on a third down, and we fumbled it. We felt we were in a one or two-possession game, even when it was ugly. It was tough sledding. Defense was playing good enough, if we just kept hanging around we thought we could create a play on O or D, but didn't quite get it done. We talk about it. In our time here -- our offense is playing as poorly as our defense has ever played. Our inability to create turnovers -- we've not been a team that's turned it over a lot -- we've got to find ways to get turnovers and get stops, because those are ways to get cheap wins. We needed a couple today and we didn't do it."
Indiana Junior Running Back Tevin Coleman
On Michigan's effectiveness against the tempo ... "They're a great defense, and they loaded the box, filled all the gaps, and they played hard. They stopped us."
On inability to break a big run ... "It was real frustrating. I was getting close, but they have a great defense and a great team. They did a pretty good job of stopping me."
On running an offense without a passing game ... "It's real tough, but we're working hard to fix that. We're going to fix that by practicing hard and just keep working."
On sitting after his fumble ... "I was expecting that because that's how we do it. If you fumble, and it creates a turnover, usually you are out for the game. That's just a rule from (Running Backs) Coach (Deland) McCullough."
Indiana Freshman Quarterback Zander Diamont
On the difference in his second start ... "The game is starting to slow down a little bit. I'm kind of having confidence in knowing the calls, knowing the plays and just working with the team. It's a process, and I'm trying to take it one day at a time."
On his big run ... "I was very surprised. I think that's why I went out of bounds. I had a million thoughts running through my head, and I was surprised how open I was for sure."
On improvement since the Michigan State game ... "I've been calmer in the pocket. Again, I was trying to slow down myself and my feet, and I think that's what I did a better job of today. I think I did a little bit better job of managing the game. I gave us a few more opportunities. Not enough, but a few more."
On ball security and his fumble ... "It hasn't [been a problem in the past]. Again, I can only talk about my high school career so far, but in high school I think I had one fumble my entire four years, three years starting. It's never been an issue for me. I didn't have any fumbles last game or turnovers last game. The guy (DT Ryan Glasgow) raked the ball out today. He made a good play, for sure."
