Everything Jesse Minter said during his pre-Iowa press conference

On Michigan's coverage on Marvin Harrison Jr.

Quite a bit. He's probably one of the best college receivers in the last 15-20 years, one of the best NFL draft prospects in that position in a long time. Great skill set, ability to move him around so I think there's a lot of answers you gotta have in so many different spots. We certainly trust our guys as well. There's times where Will was on him one-on-one, there were times where Mikey was on him one-on-one. We certainly wanted to try and limit his ability to wreck the game. When I go back and watch, them and Penn State was kind of an evenly-matched game and he was the difference in their offense. While he still did some damage on us, there's a couple plays we'd like to have back, to be able to somewhat keep a roof on him and to keep him from being able to wreck the game was certainly a big part of the game plan.

On Will Johnson's interception

Not to get crazy specific, we had sort of a double on him so Will was able to play with inside leverage. He had protection over the top so you try to, in certain formations, anticipate what routes they might run out of that look and sometimes you want the double coming from inside out. Sometimes you want the guy on him to be able to play inside for types of routes they're running. We try to vary that and that particular formation, that particular play, Will did a great job of sort of giving them a zone look, almost like a cover two look but really being able to play inside on that and know he was protected over the top. Was a great play by Will.

On whether this game was personal for him

This game, to me, this is the game. When you come to Michigan, it's for this game, or this type of game. Our season goals are really hinged on that game. All the reasons the guys came back, all the reasons we want to get to that next step as a program and have success in the championship game and the playoff hinged on that game. It was a moment. Was happy with the way the game ended, Rod made a great play and certainly got caught up in the moment, got excited.

On what makes Iowa's defense successful

We've seen them a little bit on crossover tape so they're extremely disciplined. They play, I wouldn't say vanilla scheme, that's maybe what people think is that they're really vanilla, but I think this year particularly they do a little bit more on defense than they've done in years past. I do think we've had some games, Penn State game, Ohio State game, this game, where I do think we're playing against their defense. A goal of ours in those types of games is to be the best defense on the field. That's definitely a goals of ours this week.

On whether there's anything Iowa does defensively that he would like to mimic

They were one of the teams we really studied in interception returns. If you watch them, when they get an interception, very, very well-coached in how to block, how to try and get points out of that. In the offseason, that was a team we tried to study in that particular facet. Has showed up really well for us this year with our ability. Really thought Will could've scored on that play. We've had four of them so the guys have done a great job in that regard. We had a lot of good blocks on that play as well. They were a team that we looked at how they do those types of plays and certainly learned a lot from watching them.

On balancing coaching the current team vs. looking ahead to the portal

That's just college football so I think you're always looking at roster construction and what's the best way to build your team. Obviously, we have what we have now and we're going to have until, hopefully, January 8th. After that, you've got to really have eyes towards what you want the roster to look like next year. As the portal opens up, similar to last year, you gotta keep your eyes on guys. We certainly have a few, mainly some positions where we're really looking knowing we may or may not have some guys back and things like that. I just think that's part of it in college football is that the timing of it. Different than the NFL where you play the season and free agency open down the road. With the portal, it's an ongoing deal. Typically, as it opens up officially, I believe, next week, that'll take some of our time over the first couple of weeks in December to see if there's something out there for us.

On what interior pressure from the DL has opened up for him as a playcaller

The rush we've gotten with four, I think, has been really effective. It's been effective on normal downs than previously and I think it's been effective on third down. I think Coach Elston, Coach Roney do a great job. We try to manipulate protections to try and create stunts that give us an advantage because you're still going to be going 4 vs. 5, sometimes 4 vs. 6, so you're trying to manipulate it enough to get a certain guy one-on-one. Maybe set a pick on a certain player, attack a certain interior O-lineman. All that goes into that but certainly pleased, I look at the last couple of games and, in crunch time, I feel like our pass rush has won us the game in both of those last games where we've had tight situations in the fourth quarter. All the offseason emphasis of those guys, all the offseason work that they put in has paid off in big moments for us.

On his dad being on the defensive staff

He's the oldest. To have him here for that particular situation, what a blessing. Obviously, you want people you trust and know, know how they're going to handle situations. He's been around the last couple of years and has been a huge help to me and the rest of the defensive staff. I think it was a great move, great situation for us to really just keep the train moving as best as we could under those circumstances.

On whether it's awkward that he's his father's boss

We've had a similar situation before both ways, at times I've worked underneath him, he worked underneath me at another school. There's nobody that's a bigger fan and supporter than me in this profession than him. It's great to have him there.

On whether he sees anyone on defense as future coaches

I definitely think there could be. We have a really intelligent group of players, really smart. People that can do a lot of different things. I think they all have, particularly the guys that play, all have the capabilities of eventually playing at the next level first. I think all that stuff kind of works itself out. What happens is that guys, maybe they play for a year or two, maybe their playing career doesn't last as long and they really want to stay in the game, those are the guys you certainly want to try and get back. Any of these guys, they're all great people first, which you want in this profession. They're great communicators, they're unselfish, they all fit the qualities you want. Let them run their race with their playing career and kind of see where it goes from there.

On his pitch for Sherrone Moore to win the Broyles Award

Just look at what he's done. He has two Top-10 wins as a head coach, I think he's 4-0 now as a head coach. What he's done with our offense, what he's done as a leader, what he's done with our offensive line now, I know it's not like a career achievement award but when you really look at his last three years as a whole and what he's been able to do every time he's been elevated to a different role, has thrived in that role. There's no greater choice in the country than Sherrone Moore.

On how to balance Will Johnson's status on Saturday

Hopefully, he gets close to being able to do that, to give us some snaps. What a credit to the other guys. He didn't play from about the 8 or 9-minute mark of the third quarter. For us to still to be able to maintain what we were able to do, make some plays at the end with Ja'Den McBurrows hugely stepping up and sliding in and playing nickel. Mikey having the ability to go from an inside to outside. We'll do the same thing this week. If Will's ready, we play him and we'll try to keep him at a snap count that we can manage for his situation. We have a lot of confidence in the other guys to get the job done. There's some more—that's really, in my opinion, we're still trying to get that next guy or two really, really game-ready. The guys continue to work really hard in practice. Hopefully, this is a game where maybe we can throw some more guys in there even.

On what the transfers brought to the program

They've all brought high-level stuff. Josaiah, as a pass rusher, I look at the All-Big Ten stuff and what I think is really cool is sort of how we play defense, you have 14 different guys get recognition which is sort of speaks to the guys unselfishness, how they play. Josaiah being a big part of that. He has a skillset to be an elite pass rusher. He made two plays in the run game Saturday against a 330-pound tackle that were elite, that were zero to one-yard gains. Allowed us to play split safety behind it. The improvement that he's made as a player, the unselfishness that he showed and then you slide into the linebacker room and really a key, key piece is Ernest because last year at this time, Mike and Junior were kind of hanging on a by a thread health-wise. He's been able to take a lot of snaps off those guys throughout the course of the season. Allowed Mike B, he's played at an elite level this year, same thing with Junior. When a good player comes in, they push other players. They raise the level of their games. With Josh, he was a godsend, because he was at a position where we really had a need. It happened later. We had looked at some other guys at that position all the way back to December and January and we were able to get him late. His ability to come in and be a pro, learn a lot, kind of jump right in Mikey's hip and sort of understand the culture here and understand the DB play, he's been a guy that's played inside and outside as well. Those three guys have just been huge assets. It's a great selling point now to the next wave of guys. Josaiah Stewart who was an all-conference player at his previous school, freshman of the year, comes in and really accepts the role of — we treat him as a starter but he shares time with another guy who is all-conference as well. Great selling for those guys. I do think, in the long run, the less reps, particularly as a front player, actually benefits you as you go towards your NFL career for your health and extending your career and stuff like that. Huge selling point for us to the next wave of guys we'll try to bring in as well.

On how Chris Partridge's departure hurts from a recruiting standpoint

I think, right now, we're at a point where we have guys at that position in the boat and they feel really good about what we've got going on. Other than that, I'll get with Coach Harbaugh and we'll sort of make that next move and then I think whoever it is, and however we decide to do it, it'll work itself out and we'll try to keep thing moving full-steam ahead.

On whether he's had to step up and do more in recruiting with Partridge's departure

Yeah, I think any time something like that happens, the first thing I did was to reach out to the players that I knew he had a good relationship with. Was able to sort of ease their concerns or ease their mind a little bit. Certainly had relationships with them all just from recruiting. I think any time that happens, it's everybody trying to raise up a little bit. Certainly feel good about us moving forward in that regard.

On Mike Sainristil's traits to move around the defense

It speaks to who he is as a person and how much he cares about the game. How much he studies. His receiver background, I think, helps him a lot. When you can go from inside to outside. He's really good at anticipating routes. Reading the body position of receivers so he can anticipate which way they're breaking and cutting, things like that. He's got really good ball skills. I think the thing that over the two years that surprises me the most is how sure of a tackler he's become and his ability to know down a stiff arm and get a guy on the ground. A 220-pound back who might be a first or second-rounder. The ability to lay big hits and not get targeting. We had a couple plays in that game where an undisciplined player, whatever, that doesn't lead with their hands or lead with their shoulder, might be out of the game. There were some plays that set up for what they wanted to be targeting. Both Mikey and Q, in particular. Mikey is such a smart, heady player who studies the game but that doesn't diminish the skill set that he has. He's got elite quickness, elite speed, elite ball skills and I think his ability to tackle really makes him, I think, somebody is going to take him and I think somebody is going to love him as their nickel for a lot of years. His ability to also do things on special teams. Play some safety, play some corner. I think he's made himself into a high-end NFL prospect in that regard.

On how much the U-M defense is built to stop Ohio State

Anytime you go somewhere and you assess — it started with Mike and try to carry it on. Anytime you go somewhere, you assess, what's the thing that's kept this place from reaching the highest goals that you might have. Particularly, it was that game. There were so many wins and a lot of success and a lot of really good defense. Number one defense in the country, top five. But, is it set up to beat the team that you know you have to beat that you're gonna play in the last game of the season every year? When I interviewed here, it was like, how are you gonna beat Ohio State and how are you gonna beat Michigan State because we were coming off a loss to Michigan State as well. I think it's something you work on every day here. You work on it year-round. All the drills that we do, all the physicality, all the things — I even think our offense has things built in to allow us to be ready for that game, you see it in spring ball, you see it in training camp. It's a year-round thing and it's really important. Even after the game, you're already thinking about what you're going to do the next time you play them and the answer is that you need to have for maybe some things you showed. It's a year-round process and the guys here have really bought into that and it's allowed us to be successful over the last couple times we played them.

On how Josh Wallace graded out vs. OSU

I thought he did a really good job. He ended up in single-coverage a good amount because of some things we were doing. I thought he really held his own. He made a great play there at the end and forced the fumble. Whether it was a catch or not, they called it a catch but he did a great job punching the ball out, something he does almost every single week at one time or another in practice. Just couldn't be happier with his ability to just battle and stay consistent. He's got a great demeanor. Like I said earlier, huge pickup and very happy with how he played.

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