In the Trenches 610 - Aisea Moa Transcript
9/30/2026 7:48:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
Jon Jansen • 00:00
Well, we're all excited to get back on the field, get that nasty taste out of our mouth. And that loss to Iowa, a trip to Minnesota should be what cures all ales. The Brown Jug will be coming back to Ann Arbor and today we've got fifth year senior Ice moa. Aisea Moa is going to join us. Excited to talk to him on in the Trenches.
Jeff Laurence • 00:24
Welcome to the official podcast of Michigan football in the Trenches with Jon Jansen. Presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Nobody covers Michigan football better than the two time captain, national champion and Michigan athletics hall of honor inductee.
Aisea Moa • 00:46
More film, more treatment, more whatever, whatever it is you're doing. Do more out, prepare the other team, get ready for next week. Like we got a game. We got a game. Again. We play Minnesota.
Jeff Laurence • 00:57
Now this is in the Trenches presented by Meijer. Once again, here's Jon Jansen.
Jon Jansen • 01:03
Welcome back, friends. Another edition of in the Trenches. Just to let you know what's going on in M GO Blue podcast. Already out, the radio replay of Inside Michigan Football. My guests every week. I'll have head coach Kyle Whittingham. Running backs coach this week, Tony Alford and Jordan Marshall. Captain Jordan Marshall. Always love sitting down and talking to him. Defend the block, which is out already as well. Women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico. I know they're getting fired up for another run at at a Big ten title and maybe a national title. They've. Boy, they've really been taken off. Also on defend the block, men's basketball freshman Lincoln Crosby.
Jon Jansen • 01:41
We'll see if a freshman could put two words together. And then still to come Thursday morning, conquering heroes with women's soccer head coach and that's Dave Diocny. Did I say that right?
Brian Boesch • 01:55
Brian, not only did you not say that right, but you made fun of a freshman putting two words together and you said his name wrong as well. We are off to a banger of a Lincoln Cosby. You said Crosby.
Jon Jansen • 02:06
Yeah, well, hey, I'm a football player.
Brian Boesch • 02:09
Sidney Crosby. I know big hockey starts soon. Hockey starts so early, man. Holy cow.
Jon Jansen • 02:15
Yea, So please say the soccer head coach's last name for me.
Brian Boesch • 02:17
Dave DiIanni. And here's the crazy thing. So Dave DiIanni's name is capital D, lowercase I, uppercase I, A N, N I. I think it is, but it looks like an L. And I legitimately thought it was Delani, but it's Diani because a capital I looks Like a lowercase L. I truly thought things were misspelled when I kept seeing DI ii. I'm like, that can't be right. But it is. And we're gonna have them on Thursday. We're excited about it. A heck of a promo start.
Jon Jansen • 02:48
It is. Yeah. Hey, we still got more to come, too. Hey, don't. Don't sit on the edge of your seat. Because Thursday afternoon, right around five o'clock, in the Trenches Minnesota preview. And I got something very special, very special saved up. And I know that I'm sure there's a part of the locker room speech that I one hundred percent expect to be used in the pregame show, maybe even the tailgate show, since Jack Miller can't make it seem. Is he still employed?
Brian Boesch • 03:18
Yes. This is not a. This is not a suspension.
Jon Jansen • 03:21
Okay. Disguised as another vacation day. We have twelve games that we work. He apparently is only working ten of them. Saturday night, we'll also have the in the Trenches Minnesota recap. And so if you just hit the pause button, go back and eliminate all of the extra stuff, you can find out actually what's going on on M. Go Blue podcast.
Brian Boesch • 03:45
So will you be adding the old little Brian, little Kelly for PJ Fleck? Is that your plan? Did I just ruin it?
Jon Jansen • 03:51
No.
Brian Boesch • 03:53
Okay.
Jon Jansen • 03:53
But I. Trust me, Brian, I have something very special for Coach Fleck.
Brian Boesch • 04:00
I can tell you. I can. I. You know, I've gotten to know John's facial expressions and excitement level. That was. That was in the eights. Maybe like low nines there.
Jon Jansen • 04:09
Well, it's so the whole, you know, misses Fleck and PJ Fleck and Coach. I think I did it with Coach Dantonio.
Jon Jansen • 04:18
This is going back a little bit of time. Maybe that. That's about the last year or so that I did. It was when. When he was with Michigan State. I've laid off of that bit for a little bit. And this is a one off. This won't be. This won't be something that's repeatable unless. Hey, who knows what happens out throughout college football. But, yeah, this one is specifically designed for Minnesota. The Brown Jug and Coach Fleck.
Brian Boesch • 04:46
Wonderful, oh.
Brian Boesch • 04:47
And the Brown Jug. All right. I'm. I'm fired up for that. Obviously. Some precious cargo going up to Minneapolis and coming back from Minneapolis. Let's get into. Face it, what will be an interesting conversation based on what transpired on Saturday. Our seven from seventy seven. Let's just start with the final play. Of course, there's plenty to discuss before the final play. But how do you as a player try to bounce back? Because it is one thing to say week in, week out, day in, day out, hey, we're taking it one at a time. But that's a tough motto to live by when you do experience that type of loss.
Jon Jansen • 05:21
Yeah, I mean, those are tough. Losses are always hard to get over, but there's no time to wait. Like, it's, it's one Big Ten game, and it may ultimately cost you something in the end, but it doesn't have to cost you a Big Ten title. It doesn't have to cost you a trip to the college football playoffs. It doesn't have to cost you more. You don't want to turn one loss into two. And there's, I mean, the intricacies. And we'll talk more about some of the other things that happened in that game leading up to. It's not just that play that, that cost that game. It's the most dramatic moment because it's the last moment, but it's, it's. You've got to take a look at everything that led up to that moment. And then if you're one of those defensive players. Yeah. I mean, hey, it, it's tough to be on the field at that moment because it's going to be replayed all week long and you've got to sit and you've got to stew on it, but you can't worry about what is done.
Jon Jansen • 06:15
There's nothing you could do about it at this point other than learn from it. All right. Whether it's. Hey, it's. It's Jay Hill and the defense that was called. It was the, the, the, the, the matchups up front, the individual matchups. You know, if we had gotten home, it. None of it would have mattered. And you could talk about the secondary, a lot of things that you could talk about in that one play. But that's why this is the greatest team sport that we know. You have to have eleven guys operating as one, and anytime there's a breakdown, you know, you, you, you have a chance to let up a play like that, but it is about you. We are now sitting here Tuesday. If you're watching the live Virgie, if you're listening on, On Wednesday, like, the closer you get the game time, the further in the past that gets. And you've got to find a way to go on the road and reset the standard for this Michigan football team.
Brian Boesch • 07:09
I mean, let's face it, Michigan played much better week one to week two. I think there's more to build from week four to week five than there was after the Western Michigan game into the Oklahoma game, which we'll get into here. But number two on our seven from seventy seven. Let's talk about the lead up to that final play because I think we can all agree that Michigan did not only lose it on that play, there were several exit ramps available to Michigan that would have put them on top in that game and maybe to where that last drive was to try to pull a two possession lead to one. That's how many options there were. So how can Michigan correct those issues, many of which unfortunately we saw several times through the month of September?
Jon Jansen • 07:50
Yeah, and I mean let's just start with. And there's a. There's a list. I'm sure I'm going to miss some. And if I miss any. And you think that there's an exit ramp that Michigan could have had to win that game, you please put it in the comments and I'll start with the opening possession. You can't have penalties. Like you can't stall, especially a scripted drive that you're moving the ball down the field. You have a chance to set the tone by putting points on the board, yet you stall out because you put yourself behind the sticks with penalties. That's one second quarter, fourth and a foot and you don't pick up the first down. Now I was one hundred percent and Brian, you heard it on the broadcast, one hundred percent good with going for it. I thought that was the right decision. And asking Coach Whittingham about it on Monday night, he said the same thing too.
Jon Jansen • 08:37
It's no brainer. Like the analytics, everything tells you to go for it.
Brian Boesch • 08:40
He said it was a go for it all the way up to fourth and three, which I thought was interesting. So it was a no doubt about it.
Jon Jansen • 08:47
The issue that I had was the play call or the play design. If you're going to, if you're going to quarterback sneak, then it's not. It's very different than it is at the goal line. And I always get asked the question by some individuals, how is it different? You're still only trying to basically get the ball across the line. Well, the difference is when you reach that ball across the goal line and it crosses the goal line, it now it's a dead ball. It doesn't matter if that ball gets knocked out at that point, it's a touchdown. If you reach that ball across and you actually pick up the first down, you. You then have to make sure that you continue to possess it because if it gets knocked free, it's, it's a free for all and it could be a turnover. And we saw when Bryce went up over, he was almost there, but then he felt like there was jeopardy of him losing the ball so he pulled it back in and didn't ultimately get across the line.
Jon Jansen • 09:42
What if you're going to call a quarterback sneak, it's got to be a tush push style where you're down, down and dirty low and you've got to find a way to grind out a first down. I would have preferred something that would have been outside the tackles. And if you're going to go up and over the top, I'll hand it to a running back that's got a five yard head start and he can launch his stuff over the line. I just didn't like the play call. But you didn't pick it up. All right, that and, and so you lose possession. And if you had kicked it again, I thought going for it was the right decision. But you didn't come away with points and that's three points at a minimum that you left out there. And then you start thinking about the turnover, you're in the red zone and an interception, I don't. Doesn't matter if it was wide receiver or if it was quarterback. There was a miscommunication and the ball ended up in the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Jon Jansen • 10:35
That's another minimum three points. And then you start thinking about the times where their quarterback put the ball in jeopardy. We had our hands on the ball multiple times and could have come up with turnovers, but we didn't. And that's momentum, it's extra possessions for the offense. You ended up losing the turnover battle and it just, that doesn't lead to victories. And then you start thinking about the ball in the hands of the Wolverines with a five point lead and it's five and a half minutes left in the game. You can't pick up first downs, you can't extend drives and then it's still a defense goes out there, you get the ball back with two and a half minutes left, a five point lead and you can't pick up a first down. And some of it, you could discuss the play call on third and five because it was about what, two, two o three left on the play clock.
Jon Jansen • 11:31
And if you throw, if you pass it at that point and you throw an incompletion, the clock's going to stop anyway. So it's not like I was going to have to spend a timeout you get the two minute timeout. I just didn't like the play selection, but more importantly, I didn't like the fact that we couldn't pick up a first down. If you do that, game's basically over. And one of the other things that I was talking about during the broadcast, when you're in that position, five minute offense, two minute offense, that you're trying to kill the clock, you've got to be very cognizant of when you break the huddle. It needs to happen either at thirteen or fourteen seconds so that you give enough time to get to the line of scrimmage, but not too much time so that you're sitting there in your stance. You've got to snap the ball with two or one second left on the play clock.
Jon Jansen • 12:14
There were a couple of times where we snapped the ball with six or seven seconds on the play clock. And then you put that in the context of how much time was left on the clock at the end of the game. All of those things lead up to giving Iowa a chance to stick around and ultimately win the game.
Brian Boesch • 12:30
Yeah, I think you were pretty all encompassing there. The other shame of it too is I felt like, and in talking to the Iowa folks, I caught up with Gary Dolphin and the crew after the game. They were not surprised at all that Kirk Ferentz went for the fifty one yard field goal with what, two, whatever minutes left it was. I think most teams these days would have gone for it because I mean, what would you rather have? Fourth and five and a half from the thirty four with two hundred twenty left or whatever it was, or a minute fifty from your own nine with one timeout. And obviously that shows you that Iowa didn't hit every exit ramp either. You can overcome these things and Michigan just wasn't able to do it. And obviously they're going to have to deal with ramifications of that for quite some time. But as we transition into number three on our seven from seventy seven.
Brian Boesch • 13:20
The shame of it, John, is that I was thinking while that game was going on, boy, this Michigan offense is playing well. If you'd have told me at the start of the game that Michigan would go and have against a really good Iowa defense, four hundred twenty nine yards, I would have thought, well, double digit win. And certainly they did not close things out. And that's important, no doubt. But it does feel like there's a lot to build on from an offensive line despite more adversity. I thought playing well. But I'm very curious your thoughts, Buchanan and Marsh once again thriving and to your point. And that was Bryce's best day as a passer, maybe in his collegiate career. When you weigh it for who he was facing. Yeah, I would have liked to have seen him have more optionality on that third down late in the game.
Jon Jansen • 14:04
Yeah, but you're right, you know, in a loss, it's hard to look back and say, well, what are some of the positives? And I think a lot of people could. Could plainly see that it was Bryce's best game as a starting quarterback, and it was him being able to get through some progressions and hit a third or fourth option on. On some of those past plays. But I also like in. In.
Jon Jansen • 14:27
Okay, I've been critical of some of the play calls, but I also have to give credit where credit is due. And. And I asked this question of Coach Whittingham, like, how much is Jason Beck learning about Bryce Underwood and what he's comfortable and doing, and how is that constructing the game plan? I love the fact that they put Bryce on the run and they are not on the run, but they put him on the move and they've changed the launch point of the quarterback. They've got him outside the pocket, and it's not because of protection. Protection's been really good. But they get him out to where he's most comfortable throwing the football. And we've seen him be accurate on the run. So I like some of those things. Obviously, I love the quarterback runs as well. He's a dynamic player and you've got to use him as such. And I did think that this was the best game the offensive line had played.
Jon Jansen • 15:14
We already talked about the shortcomings when it mattered most. They weren't able to create enough yardage to pick up first downs. But if you start looking at them moving the. Moving the line of scrimmage, and this was a good defensive front, solid defensive front for Iowa. And it's some of the things that I've been talking about, being able to get up on linebackers, they're starting to do that. You're starting to get some. Some longer runs by some of the running backs, and it feels like they're really close to breaking some big runs, whether it's Jordan Marshall or Savion Hiter. So I'm seeing the progress. We just need to see more of it and it needs to be on a more consistent basis.
Brian Boesch • 15:54
Yeah, I think when you look back to me, the biggest issue I had of anything offensively was the fourth and short go for it play call or Execution or whatever, that. That should only be an option at the goal line because you're just not guaranteed. You're not guaranteed forward progress with your arms, not guaranteed that it was, it was not doomed from the start, but it. You were really minimizing the chances. What I've been impressed by is that there has been seemingly different game plans for Bryce Underwood based on where he's been at in his development. The Oklahoma game was very much like, yo, we need to win this game. And we feel like we can win with turning you into a running back at times. And then here against Iowa, I think he's shown real progress for that to be the game plan. They had real confidence he could have success against Iowa. To me, offensively, I want to see what a Jason Beck-led offense looks like if the running game can get going the way that we expected.
Brian Boesch • 16:47
Because if you told me this, how the run game was going to go a month ago, I'd have been. I'd have been probably thinking this team was two and two. So that's why I think Bryce's development has been impressive. And the question is, can you get the ground game going? Let's face it, when Michigan's at its best, they're running the ball a heck of a lot better than they are right now.
Jon Jansen • 17:04
Yes. And it opens up a completely new way for Bryce to be able to get the ball downfield with the play action pass. No one's buying the play action pass right now. They did on the flea flicker because you actually handed the ball off, which, again, I love the call. And. But if you can get more play action pass for Bryce, one, you do get a chance to, you know, change the launch point of the quarterback and you draw up some of that, you know, some of the defenders. Now all of a sudden, instead of throwing against the, you know, seven guys that are dropping and trying to read coverages, it simplifies the picture, but that's all predicated on being able to run the football.
Brian Boesch • 17:40
Yeah, no doubt about it. All right, number four on our seven from seventy seven defensively, John, how would you grade this group? It feels similar to the offense where, yeah, there's a lot to like and I think there's been more to like over the course of the season, but, boy, a few glaring miscues and also how emphatic Kyle Whittingham was with you on Monday night's radio show about how they've got to find a way to come up with more turnovers force, because there have been opportunities and gosh, I Mean, I can still see in my sleep a few of them against Iowa from Saturday.
Jon Jansen • 18:11
Yeah.
Jon Jansen • 18:11
And anytime you get your hands on the ball, if there's, if there's an overthrow, if there's a tip, if there's just a bad pass by a quarterback, you've got to find a way to come up with that ball. And there were a number of opportunities. So it's, it's making sure that you have the awareness that that ball could show up in your hands at any point. And it, it the one thing I do think they're doing and it will generate more turnovers. I've mentioned this, I think I mentioned even last week here, the gang tackling that this team is, is showing like the pursuit to the football. And yeah, there's been some really nice open field tackles, but when you have guys that are taking the right angles and cutting off a running back or a receiver or a jet sweep and turning everything back to the bulk of the defense, the pursuit is there and you're going to get, hey, that next guy in is the one that punches the ball out or it's a guy making a cutback and he doesn't anticipate somebody's there and all of a sudden you know, trey Pierce, ear hole someone and the ball comes flying out like those moments are going to happen.
Jon Jansen • 19:18
But it's more about being able to get your hand on the ball downfield and not just deflecting passes or defending passes, but actually coming up with them. And I do think that it will start to turn the tide. But you've got to make those plays.
Brian Boesch • 19:33
No doubt. All right, number five on our seven from seventy seven with that little tease you gave us for the keys to the game. We'll hold off some of your keys as well. But, but curious your impressions of a group and the Golden Gophers who you know. Week two, we thought, okay, it could get pretty bleak, but Mississippi State has aged well even though they did clock the Gophers pretty good wins over Eastern Illinois. Along with Washington in Seattle. They also beat Akron at home. That was a good one last late last Saturday into Sunday. Just initial thoughts on PJ Fleck's group.
Jon Jansen • 20:09
Offensively, like they don't ask their quarterback to do a lot and they protect them well. He's only had, he's only been sacked three times. They want to run the ball. It's a ball big oversized offensive line and they do a nice job and they'll bring in that extra lineman as well to try and run the ball and, and establish the run. But they protect their quarterback. They don't put the ball at risk. I think he's only thrown two interceptions to this point and one of them was a tipped ball. So that's part of it. Offensively, defensively, this is going to be a team that is going to come out and they, Minnesota wants to set the tone early. They're a little bit undersized defensively, you know, especially the linebacker position. But they fly around, they play intense football and you can imagine that, right? It's, it is PJ Fleck. They are a mirror image of their coach.
Jon Jansen • 21:01
So you've got to take their, their spirit away early. You can't allow them to hang around because the longer they hang around, the more that boils and the more it's going to bubble up as the game goes on.
Brian Boesch • 21:14
All right. We will talk about some of the other action in College football week. Four in the books. But first, Jon, our friends at Original Roofing Company are once again joining us for an episode of in the Trenches.
Jon Jansen • 21:24
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Brian Boesch • 22:05
USC is not an expert in damage restoration after Saturday. Oregon, such a scary injury for Dante Moore. Still the Ducks with Dylan Raiola coming off the bench beating USC forty one twenty seven. A lot of layers to that game. What where do you want to tackle it first? Because my goodness it's, that was, that was such a big game and a chance for, you know, some of the, the west coast schools. It still feels a little bit aloof compared to the rest of the Big Ten, but that had some big juice potential to it and what we're talking about after the fact is just such a shame.
Jon Jansen • 22:40
Yeah, it's a Pac twelve Big Ten matchup and you know, it was Oregon who obviously we know that they lost Oklahoma State. That was a bad loss. They're, they're, they're now ranked twenty but they're going to start working their way back and it feels like the Speed on defense that I talked about. We saw that against USC, the dominant run game that we, you know, had talked about that. The potential that, that Oregon had, we're starting to see that more. The offensive lines feels like they're gelling and they're, you know, protecting the quarterback. So it's. Keep an eye on Oregon. As this season continues to go, this was a must win for them and they made an absolute statement and especially going from, you know, hey, Dante Moore goes down, insert Dylan Raiola. And it almost looked like they look better at that point.
Brian Boesch • 23:28
Yeah, we'll see how it goes with a couple of weeks. It's a pretty fortunate time for a bye week for Oregon, and they've had a couple of really interesting home games afterward. Home against ucla, off to a great start with Bob Chesney and then Nebraska. The Huskers are four, zero. They go to Austin on october seventeenth. So not gimmes by any stretch of the imagination, but. But games that if Oregon stacks, they can gear up for their really challenging November at Ohio State, hosting Michigan at Michigan State on a short week, and then their rivalry matchup with a Washington team that I think is okay, but not anything truly special.
Jon Jansen • 24:05
Yeah, go ahead.
Brian Boesch • 24:06
No, no, no. Anything else on. On Oregon, usc?
Jon Jansen • 24:09
No, not really. I mean, it just. I was. I'm surprised that defensively, USC isn't better. You know, they went out and hired Gary Patterson, known for his defense. I thought that was good. That was a huge hire for Lincoln Riley. Yet they don't seem to have the answers they're looking for defensively.
Brian Boesch • 24:29
Wisconsin, one heck of an upset at Penn State, twenty four to twenty. We looked at the Penn State schedule and said, okay, yeah, there's some possibilities for them to make runs, but that was obviously one that we did not necessarily have in the pecking order. And Wisconsin, give him credit. Luke Fickle. I don't know if he'll salvage his job because the schedule still isn't, you know, ideal for them, but they've clearly improved with improved resources.
Jon Jansen • 24:54
Well, and it's. It's early in the season and we're, I think, the odds makers and the voters, in terms of whether it's the coaches poll or the AP poll, are trying to figure out what Penn State is. They were ranked thirteen, Wisconsin was unranked, and they came in and did about everything they possibly could to try and lose that game with three interceptions and inefficient passing attack. But their defense is why they won that game. That was Rocco Beck, the quarterback for Penn State, twelve of twenty nine. Only was able to find one hundred fourteen yards downfield. He threw an interception. And they're. Penn State struggled to move the ball with any consistency or to do anything offensively unless they were going to get, you know, advantageous field position. And honestly, if, if, if Wisconsin hadn't turned the ball over so many times, that might have been a Wisconsin blowout of Penn State.
Jon Jansen • 25:47
So just keep an eye on Wisconsin and, you know, let's see where they go from here. But I think maybe they're turning a corner if they can, you know, somehow minimize the, the turnovers because they've got Michigan State and that should be their final tune up for that tough stretch that we had talked about. I think we talked about it last week. They're at UCLA, which looks like a tougher opponent. They've got USC at home at Iowa, and then they end the season on the road a couple of times. Maryland, Purdue, Minnesota, you know, Rutgers. But this is an opportunity for them to, you know, possibly save Coach Fickell's job.
Brian Boesch • 26:26
Yeah. Elsewhere, Jeremiah Smith is a cyborg. Four touchdowns. Ohio State batters. Illinois forty two, nineteen. Indiana eeks by Northwestern twenty nine, twenty three. So this weekend, iu, what does IU have? I don't have them up right now.
Jon Jansen • 26:44
No, they've got, they're at Rutgers at Nebraska and then they host Ohio State and obviously then they have to come to Ann Arbor.
Brian Boesch • 26:52
Yeah. So I wanted to bring up. And sorry, my, my thought was they had a buy, but they just play Rutgers. So same deal. Nebraska. Cruz is at Michigan State, three thousand one hundred thirteen. So two pretty gimme games for those two teams, IU and Nebraska. It is Indiana at Nebraska. Week six should be five zero versus five zero. Nebraska's better than I thought they would be, at least early. And Indiana, Hey, I think Northwestern. We, you know, we talked David Braun a little bit on the Tailgate show this past week. I think he's a whale of a coach. I think that Indiana Nebraska game could be fascinating in a couple of weeks when it's Michigan's bye week, so. A chance to watch it.
Jon Jansen • 27:31
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's, there's a lot of interesting things going on in the Big Ten, and some teams that are, are playing better than maybe we thought like a Wisconsin, like a Northwestern, Nebraska, and maybe some teams that aren't as dominant in, in Indiana. They're still a really good team, don't get me wrong, but they just haven't been winning games like we saw them win last year.
Brian Boesch • 27:54
No. All right. This weekend, in addition to a few of the games we've talked about Ohio State with game day at Iowa. That's an interesting one. Washington at USC that the loser of that game could really have a tailspin in their season. And then new Ryan Field opens up Northwestern and Penn State. I, I think the Wildcats get that one on, on Saturday or sorry, Friday.
Jon Jansen • 28:18
Friday I think they do as well. And obviously a lot of eyeballs are going to be on that Iowa Ohio State game. And I mean Kinnick Stadium is where the, the top five teams go to die. Ohio State, I believe it was back in twenty seventeen. They got boat raced by a. I could be wrong on the final score was like fifty five to thirty five and then it was. That was twenty seventeen, twenty sixteen. We all know Michigan went there as a top five team and lost fourteen, thirteen, twenty, twenty one. Our old pal James Franklin went there as a top three team, I believe and ended up losing. So it's a tough place to play. And I, you know, Iowa was in that position where no one expects them to win. They do have to. They, they found a little bit of confidence in the fourth quarter, that Michigan game and they've got nothing to lose. So don't be surprised if they make that one a little bit more of a game than, than most people expect.
Brian Boesch • 29:15
No doubt. All right, number seven on our seven from seventy seven. If you're on the audio version Wednesday edition, we'll have Ice Moa from the Michigan defense. Coming up on the video side, we will answer some questions, some comments as we continue along after we go through some of the national storylines here. Some big games in the sec, I don't know, Jon, if you've heard, it might just be eleven SEC teams in the playoff this year, but they did have some interesting ones. What's that?
Jon Jansen • 29:40
That's because it means more.
Brian Boesch • 29:41
It does, it does. Except for in the final weekend of the season, Texas edges Tennessee twenty to seventeen. Georgia pummels Oklahoma four thousand one hundred and thirteen. I still don't know how great Texas. I think they're very, very, very good. Obviously. Is that Georgia game more about Georgia being good or Oklahoma not being good in your eyes? Both.
Jon Jansen • 30:04
I don't know that Oklahoma, offensively, they're extremely challenged. We saw that here at the Big House. But Georgia to me is, it's they're a team that is led by their defense and we kind of all understand that about, about Kirby Smart and what he preaches down there. But it's also they've got a duo of running backs and an offensive line that is just road grading teams. So you know it. You look at that team and you say, well, you know, Gunner Stockton, nobody's really afraid of him. He is in a position. He is the ultimate game manager in college football. Right now. They're going to hand the ball off. That's where they want to win games. They're going to play defense. And all they're telling Gunner Stockton is he threw his first interception this past weekend. Just don't go lose the game for us. And that was a tipped ball to begin with as well. So I think Georgia, to me is the team that is separating themselves from a lot of other teams and I think they're.
Jon Jansen • 30:59
If they were to play Texas right now, I'm not sure Texas would score.
Brian Boesch • 31:05
Wow. Okay.
Jon Jansen • 31:07
I just don't trust Arch Manning and that offense. Like, is there anything about that offense that you have seen that says that they could march down, you know, eighty yards and score on it? On that Georgia defense?
Brian Boesch • 31:20
Yeah. What's the meme of the guy in the, in the old school, like, courtroom who stands up? I do think Texas would score.
Jon Jansen • 31:30
Yeah. Maybe they get a feel.
Brian Boesch • 31:31
I don't know how much, but I do think they would. They would score.
Brian Boesch • 31:35
Here's an example of when the line looks really, really, really weird. Just trust the people with the really, really, really big buildings. I know Cookie's got you on this one. Florida surprises a lot, but not odds makers. They pummel Ole Miss fifty two, twenty eight. Jon Sumrall, the head coach, was surprised that they were favored by Vegas. But again, if it, if it looks weird, if you're like there's no way, it's probably profitable, just go, okay, I'm going to follow the people with the big buildings.
Jon Jansen • 32:04
Yeah. Yeah. Trust Vegas.
Brian Boesch • 32:09
Don't trust everything in Vegas. But if it does, I mean, if it's that nine out of ten scale of like, wait, how they're probably right. There was a, it was a USC game last year was the first year of the Big Ten. Like, I couldn't believe they were a favorite and they won. It just. You just never know.
Jon Jansen • 32:25
Yeah, you don't. And I mean for Florida, I love the fact that Florida is, you know, it appears that they're back, that they are. You know, they've, they spent a number of years where they just kind of been floundering around. I think college football is better when, when some teams are good and one of them being Florida just makes it more interesting. But they've got a running back that is got to be a part of early Season, Heisman talk. And Jadan Baugh, I think he is, he's physical, he's got explosive capabilities like he is. He is everything that you would want in a running back. And they are, they're going to ride him as far as they possibly can.
Brian Boesch • 33:03
I'll tell you, lsu, they bounced back in a big way over Texas A and M, thirty five to six. We talked about how college football, especially in these, in these big two leagues are getting more and more week to week. Like the NFL A week ago, everybody was trashing on, on LSU and propping up Ole Miss and that atmosphere, I mean, truly, I don't know if there was. There's been a better atmosphere in college football since twenty twenty one. Michigan, Ohio State, like that was awesome. And a week later, they're both in the exact same spot.
Jon Jansen • 33:30
In essence, yes. And I mean the difference is Ole Miss went on the road and dropped one to, to, to Florida and LSU hosted Texas A M. But LSU looked like, I mean they were, they were what we thought they were or were going to be against Ole Miss. And maybe if that game goes another five minutes, LSU comes out on top because what they were down seventeen, nothing to Ole Miss and then just kept plugging away. Plugging away. Eventually made a mistake. But you know that it was one a great environment, but it was really good game.
Brian Boesch • 34:07
No doubt this weekend, approve it spot for the aforementioned Mississippi State Bulldogs. They host Alabama. Both in the top twenty, both four, zero. How about Miami being a seventeen point favorite at Clemson in a game where both those teams are unbeaten in the accident. And technically this is why I don't buy into polls at this stage of the game. Technically, Missouri is a top twenty five matchup hosting Florida. Anything that intrigues you in that regard?
Jon Jansen • 34:37
Not particularly. I mean, it's. Yeah, I think Alabama, even though they can't run the ball, other than, you know, their quarterback, he's, he's a tremendous athlete. They don't have much else going, I think, but I don't think Mississippi State has the horses to keep up with them. And in regards to some of the other matches, we already talked about Ohio State, Iowa, that's by far the premier game this weekend. We'll see if Florida's for real. Do they have that, that moment where they take a step back because they had this big win at home, they're going on the road to Mizzou.
Brian Boesch • 35:13
Yeah. Brett McMurphy had this tweet and this is why. I don't know if there's, I don't think there's this huge conspiracy by. By, you know, bias and Big Ten or SEC or whatever, but since twenty twenty four, Missouri has been ranked in the AP top twenty five in thirty two of thirty nine weeks in that span, Missouri is one and nine against ranked teams. You know who the win was?
Jon Jansen • 35:37
Please tell me it was against James Franklin.
Brian Boesch • 35:48
No, that. That would have been epic. No, it was twenty twenty four versus number twenty four, Boston College. I did not know they were ranked in twenty twenty four. But the point is. Listen, I. I think Mississippi State, they have a chance. I mean, they're. They're really interesting. I think the SEC should be a. A conference that gets several teams in the playoff, but getting overwhelmed with all these rankings, especially this time of year. Just hang out. It's all fine.
Jon Jansen • 36:15
It'll all sort itself out.
Brian Boesch • 36:17
Let's sort ourselves out. On the audio side, let's have John's great conversation with Aisea Ice Moa…
[music builds]
Jon Jansen • 36:32
Joined now by a veteran of the college football process. Aisea Moa. And Aisea.
Jon Jansen • 36:40
Everyone calls you Ice. Where did the Ice nickname come from?
Aisea Moa • 36:46
I believe that my dad had a friend named Aisea, and that's just. They called him Ice. My dad called me Ice.
Jon Jansen • 36:52
All right, so is there anything you got you're living up to in terms of the nickname? Nah, not particularly. And so I say you're a veteran
Jon Jansen • 37:01
of the college football process. So I want to make sure I get this right. First three years of BYU, you spent your fourth year at Michigan State.
Jon Jansen • 37:08
Now you're in Ann Arbor.
Aisea Moa • 37:09
Yes, sir.
Jon Jansen • 37:10
You are. Like the.
Jon Jansen • 37:12
The entire concept of rivalries, because it is.
Jon Jansen • 37:15
It kind of all comes to fruition here because byu, big rival Utah.
Aisea Moa • 37:20
Yes.
Jon Jansen • 37:20
You're now playing for that coach.
Aisea Moa • 37:22
Yes.
Jon Jansen • 37:23
And Michigan State, as we all know,
Jon Jansen • 37:25
is one of the big rivals for Michigan.
Jon Jansen • 37:27
You are now playing in Ann Arbor.
Aisea Moa • 37:28
Yeah, it's. It is crazy to think about it like that. I don't. I don't know. I don't really think about it like that, but. Yeah.
Jon Jansen • 37:34
What's it like playing for Coach Whittingham after having spent three years looking across the field?
Aisea Moa • 37:39
Adam. I mean, it's awesome playing for him. I. I never knew exactly how he was as a coach. I knew a lot about him, though, because my dad, he always spoke about him very highly. But, yeah, I mean, ever since I've been here, it's been great. He's a great coach. I love playing for him.
Jon Jansen • 37:54
All right, now.
Jon Jansen • 37:55
Now we want the real stuff. What are they seeing? He's lancing about Wolverines.
Aisea Moa • 38:02
Yeah. I mean, they don't they don't love us over here. They don't love us.
Jon Jansen • 38:05
So that I.
Jon Jansen • 38:06
Okay. It brings me to the question, why Michigan for your fifth year?
Aisea Moa • 38:09
Yeah. I mean, the opportunity to play for Coach Hill again was just something that it was hard to pass up. You know, I love playing for him at BYU. He's an excellent coach. I love what he does. I love his scheme and the opportunity to play with my little brother as another thing I couldn't pass up. So, like, there was no negatives to come here. Everything was. Everything made sense.
Jon Jansen • 38:32
So I think it's a huge advantage to have somebody like you, a part of this defense where Coach Hill comes
Jon Jansen • 38:37
in and he told us early in
Jon Jansen • 38:38
the off season, like, this is a complicated defense, but to be able to have somebody like you that has been and spent significant time. How did you help not just the linebackers, but this entire defense grasp the concepts that Jay Hill put forth?
Aisea Moa • 38:55
Yeah, I mean, I think the. A big thing for a lot of the guys was just them understanding how much freedom that they have within this defense from Coach Hill and that he just wants to see us go out there and make. He. He wants to see us go out there and make plays. Yeah. Like, these guys are smart, though. Like, these guys are smart here.
Jon Jansen • 39:18
So I. I want to ask you
Jon Jansen • 39:19
this in terms of freedom.
Jon Jansen • 39:21
What does that mean?
Jon Jansen • 39:21
Because obviously there's.
Jon Jansen • 39:24
There's a role and there is something
Jon Jansen • 39:26
that you're supposed to be doing on every play. Where do you find the freedom within the defense to be able to make those plays?
Aisea Moa • 39:34
Yeah, he. For. For linebackers, we get to. We get to mess with the front. We get to tell the D line, the D ends, things, and put ourselves in positions to make plays. Like, if we anticipate something, if we've seen something on film, something that we've studied, we could put ourselves in a position to make a play. And when we do, he's proud of us.
Jon Jansen • 39:57
So how receptive has that defensive front been and how do you develop that relationship? So they trust you in the calls that you're making?
Aisea Moa • 40:04
Yeah. I mean, for. For sure, throughout camp and throughout spring ball, that was a big thing is just getting that communication done and getting the trust built where they know that if we give them a call, we're trying to put them in a position to make a play or ourselves in a position to make a play. And we're not just out there saying things.
Jon Jansen • 40:22
I am curious about this because we just talked about. This is your third school and you played for now three different head coaches. What have you taken away from all the different stops that you've made from the head coaches or even the position group?
Aisea Moa • 40:38
Yeah, I've experienced a lot of different staffs.
Jon Jansen • 40:42
So what was, what was Kalani Sitake like?
Aisea Moa • 40:45
Kalani. He's a great man. He's a great man. He's a great leader. He. He taught me a lot about life. He taught me a lot of life lessons. And, yeah, I'm grateful for everyone that I've been able to experience.
Jon Jansen • 40:58
And now that. That you're in Ann Arbor and let's
Jon Jansen • 41:01
just talk about, you know, your experience here. What are, what are your goals up on campus before we keep going on the football side of things? You come in as a grad transfer.
Aisea Moa • 41:09
Yeah. So I'm. I'm in my master's right now in social work, so I'll get one. I won't be able, because it's two years to get the degree, so I'll get one year of progress towards that degree and I don't know, hopefully maybe one day I'll be able to finish it.
Jon Jansen • 41:25
The goal to finish it here.
Aisea Moa • 41:26
Yeah. I would love to have a degree from. From the University of Michigan.
Jon Jansen • 41:30
So what was it like for you
Jon Jansen • 41:32
running out of the tunnel? Because you've obviously done it before, but now you're wearing a winged helmet. What's. What was it like this time?
Aisea Moa • 41:41
Like, my first time. My first experience. Running out of the tunnel.
Jon Jansen • 41:43
Yeah.
Aisea Moa • 41:44
I mean, like, looking up and being in the big house. I never got to play here last year because the game was.
Jon Jansen • 41:49
That's right.
Jon Jansen • 41:50
Yeah.
Aisea Moa • 41:50
So, like, my first. It was crazy. Like, just seeing that many people all the maze. It was crazy. It was an experience.
Jon Jansen • 41:58
What have you brought to this program other than your little brother?
Aisea Moa • 42:06
I think, like you said, like, experience. Veteran player. I've played in the scheme before. Ability to help people and teach people. Yeah.
Jon Jansen • 42:16
What's your goal after you're done? I mean, obviously, everybody wants to take a shot at the league. I don't know if that's something that you.
Aisea Moa • 42:22
You want to do. Absolutely.
Jon Jansen • 42:24
And then.
Jon Jansen • 42:24
But what about when your playing days are done? You seem like a very thoughtful individual. The way that you talk about your playing time, teaching guys here is coaching possibly in. In your future.
Jon Jansen • 42:36
Have you thought about that?
Aisea Moa • 42:38
I've. I've definitely, like, I, I've looked at it. I. I don't know. I. I would definitely want to try out some other things before I got into coaching, but I. I wouldn't put it off the table.
Jon Jansen • 42:49
What's the identity of this defense.
Aisea Moa • 42:52
Tough, gritty, you know, we're going to. We're going to line up. You might know we're doing. We might know what you're doing, but we're going to be more physical. We're going to dominate the line of scrimmage, and our dbs are going to play great man coverage.
Jon Jansen • 43:06
I don't know that. Not knowing every game that you've played
Jon Jansen • 43:09
in, I don't know that you've had a moment like you guys had on Saturday that was a tough loss. How do you help some of the younger players get past a moment like that? Because it's still so early in the season.
Aisea Moa • 43:22
Yeah. What do you mean, like, younger players?
Jon Jansen • 43:26
Younger? Well, you're.
Jon Jansen • 43:27
You're a guy that's in his fifth
Jon Jansen • 43:28
year and even your brother, right.
Jon Jansen • 43:30
A freshman. Some of the guys that are experiencing college football for either their first or second year, getting over a loss like that can be tough. But you've got the experience that, hey, it's a. It's a long season and it. Your season doesn't have to be defined by a moment like that.
Aisea Moa • 43:45
Yeah, I would say, like just the ability to come back here and just do more. Like something that coach Whit preaches is just do more. Do more. Whether we win, whether we lose, do more. And yes, like, coming back today, like, do more immediately. More film, more treatment, more. Whatever. Whatever it is you're doing, do more. I'll prepare the other team, get ready for next week. Like, we got a game. We got a game again. We play Minnesota now.
Jon Jansen • 44:13
What. What's some of the things that you guys are working on to be better at when you play Minnesota
Aisea Moa • 44:20
specifically for Minnesota? We haven't had them. We have our meeting here in like an hour, so we'll. We'll find out more.
Jon Jansen • 44:25
What do you think are some things that you'd like to do better for
Aisea Moa • 44:28
me personally, find my. Find more ways to create havoc plays, turnovers, punching at the ball. Just create plays where get the offense, the ball back with great field position.
Jon Jansen • 44:41
What were some of the conversation we mentioned your brother, Salesi Moa. He's obviously a freshman here. What was it like when you guys both knew you were going to be teammates?
Aisea Moa • 44:51
It was crazy. Like, I played with my older brother and that was crazy to like, have someone to look up to and have someone that I could trust. And I know he'll guide me in the right directions. And so now I'm in that position with my little brother where I have to do things right and show him how things are supposed to be done. And the right. The right way to do everything.
Jon Jansen • 45:15
As a little brother, when you were playing with your big brother, did you listen to everything he said or did you.
Jon Jansen • 45:21
Did you think, wait a second here, I'm gonna do things different, I'm gonna do them right?
Aisea Moa • 45:24
The first time, there was definitely occasions where I kind of went against what he said, but, you know, I always had his voice in the back of my head. And when I would do something and it wasn't right, I would hear him telling me what I should have been doing, and then I'm just like, yeah, he. He already told me. I should have knew better.
Jon Jansen • 45:42
For you, the moment where your brother had that touchdown against utep, what was that moment like for you seeing it from the sidelines?
Aisea Moa • 45:49
So I was looking down at the iPad, and then everyone started yelling at me, and I looked up and then I seen the replay of it. I lost my mind. I was so excited.
Jon Jansen • 45:57
After the game.
Jon Jansen • 45:58
What the. What.
Jon Jansen • 45:59
What's it like for you guys, not
Jon Jansen • 46:01
just to share a team, but to share some moments where you get a chance to talk about the game?
Aisea Moa • 46:06
Yeah, Salesi is very laid back. He's very chill. He wasn't, like, freaking out about himself. He was. He was just happy the team won and we went home. He went and just hung out with my family. He was talking to my mom, talking to my dad, just about regular things, like talk about himself too much at practice.
Jon Jansen • 46:25
Has there been that moment where he's
Aisea Moa • 46:27
coming across the middle and I will say this. I will say this. I probably shouldn't, but I. I got a pick on him, and I'm not gonna let him live that down.
Jon Jansen • 46:36
It's always.
Jon Jansen • 46:36
It's always nice to have that one moment, isn't it?
Aisea Moa • 46:38
Yes.
Jon Jansen • 46:39
Well, hey, Ice, I do appreciate your time. Thanks for spending some time with us and. And we'll catch up with you again down the road.
Aisea Moa • 46:45
Yes, sir. I appreciate you guys.
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Jon Jansen • 46:53
Thanks to Ice for stopping by and sharing. Sharing the insight of playing with his older brother. Now the opportunity to play with his younger brother. A great football family. For everything that's going on in and around Michigan football, keep it locked in here on in the Trenches.
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Jeff Laurence • 47:06
Thanks for listening to this edition of in the Trenches with Jon Jansen, presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan football season, and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest, in the Trenches is part of our Michigan athletics podcast network, M Go Blue Podcasts. The preceding is a Learfield presentation of the Michigan sports Network.
