The current mindset of this Michigan team is coming into focus after talking with six players in two days. They understand that a win over Ohio State means so much for this program, but it doesn't mean they've achieved perfection. The tale of the tape is such that there are still things to work on, and Michigan's players know they'll have to do exactly that before facing an Iowa team that is solid in all three phases. For extra on those topics and more, read what Cornelius Johnson had to say when he met with the media last night:
What does he see on film that allows Iowa’s defensive backs to create so many turnovers?
You can just see overall they’re just a really well coached team and they take a lot of pride in practice. It’s gonna be one of those games where they’re going to be juiced up on energy drinks and smelling salts and we’ve got to make sure we come in and take advantage of whatever we can and make sure we’re locked in and ready to run.
Do you guys use energy drinks and smelling salts?
Yeah. I only drinks energy drinks on Wednesdays, and then I’ll sniff some smelling salts right before we run out of the tunnel.
On whether he has ever had a better birthday weekend (he turned 21 over the weekend)
Yeah, this was a great way to celebrate my birthday. Just wanted to come out here and be a winner and be able to win last weekend, so it was great to celebrate that win and carry that into my 21st birthday. It was really fun.
How much fun is this team having?
I mean, it’s fun to win so we want to make sure we continue our duties and continue to win and continue to put something on tape that we’re satisfied with and when we look back that’ll be very fun.
On whether he’s satisfied yet with what’s on tape
No, I’m not. I mean, that’s something that Mazi said. I’m sure a lot of players on our team, even if you’re on a winning streak or you’re up at a certain point, there’s always stuff to work on no matter what. You can’t ever feel like you’ve somehow arrived or something like that because that’s how you end up getting messed up mentally, so just the focus on the details every day and staying consistent is something that I’m focusing on.
On how difficult this offense is to prepare for given its multiple threats
Yeah, that’s something that we stress as an offense, making sure that when you--our coaches always tell us that if you just continue doing your assignment well, the football gods will somehow work out in your favor. So even if you’re on the backside of a play where you don’t think it’s coming to you or you don’t think you’re getting the ball on a certain play, just continue playing hard, practicing hard, and eventually it’ll all come around full circle and you’ll get your time to shine. What you do in the dark is eventually going to find its way to shine on a national stage. So, we all know with team success will come individual recognition.
On some big pass plays coming off concepts that look identical to runs they often use and how much they practice symmetry from concept to concept
That’s a big credit to our coaching staff and all those guys behind the scenes who stay after the game. One of our coaches said even after our last game everyone was out with their families and everything (and) he just stayed in until almost midnight practicing for the next opponent and breaking down film and everything. That stuff behind the scenes always finds its way to help our team. And like you said, showing schemes that look like each other, it’s a chess match out there and we have to execute what’s given to us, whatever route I’m given, whatever the play call is, I want to make sure I attack that because it’s all part of the scheme.
On whether it was difficult to refocus this week given last week’s emotional buildup
It’s something that we really have to stress as a team because we did have a very good win for our program, but at the same time we’re not champions yet. We haven’t claimed anything, so we have to make sure we come out locked in. Sort of like th relock coming back into practice Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, making sure you’re never too up about a win and never too down about a loss and keeping that mindset helps me perform because it just keeps me at a level mindset where you’re never tweaked out mentally or physically.
On weighing the goals of a Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth and whether one is particularly motivating
It’s something that motivates me throughout the whole year. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve never personally played in a Big Ten championship, I’ve never played in the College Football Playoff, and that’s like one of those opportunities you only get once in a lifetime so going to bed every night thinking of that opportunity, it just helps me on a daily basis making sure I’m going to class, eating right, doing all the stuff I have to do and keeping it consistent throughout the week so once we get to gameday it’s nothing that’s too out of the ordinary for me and I can just stay grounded and be ready to run.
On his deep catch on Saturday and his connection with Cade McNamara
Yeah, that’s a product of us both just being on the same page at the right time. For me and Cade, (we were) able to connect on that pass in the game. We were able to see that at that moment, once I got the play call I’m sure Cade looked over and saw me in the boundary and he probably knew before the play was snapped that he was going to go my way, so I wanted to make sure I had my head down running and was able to look up and catch that pass in a crucial moment to put our team in position to win. And that’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time, so there’ll be more of that going in the future.
On whether the receivers took it upon themselves to be more physical given the identity this offense wanted to take on this season
We have to set the tone as a receiving group. We take, for example, perimeter blocking, we take a lot of pride into that because as a playmaker on the outside you think it’s just about running routes but there’s a lot more ways that a wide receiver can contribute to a victory other than just running routes. Being tough and physical and just really having that mindset that you can’t be stopped or can’t be broken. That’s something we have to set in each individual person and especially as a wide receiving group.
Is there a receiver who has embraced that more than others this year?
In terms of just toughness and overall? We’ve got a lot of guys who have really stepped out, just overall improvement. Some of the guys who may not get the recognition on Saturdays but they’re out there every day busting down and helping the team. For example, Matt Torey and Cristian Dixon and all those guys who are really just grinders, grind-meat type of guys who are not afraid to get dirty. They’ll help us on Saturdays for sure.
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