Everything Jim Harbaugh said during his pre-Nebraska press conference
On Nebraska's option play and memories of Rick Leach
It's one of the best plays in football. Very effective when it's implemented correctly, whether it's the double option or the triple option. That was my hero growing up, Rick Leach, watching him as a young fan and quarterback. That was the guy that I tried to be like.
On whether he has to do anything different with the new clock rules
Just becomes more about possessions, right? Possession is 9/10ths of the law. We had 7 in this past game. The 8th would've been Mike Sainristil's interception that put points on the board, which we love. Points per possession, ball control, time of possession and turnovers become even more of a factor in the game.
On zone blocking
Yeah, zone blocking, gap schemes, counters, those insert plays, a lot of ways to skin a cat. The staple is our zone blocking and gap blocking.
On whether he'll learn more about his team on the first road game
The preparation is much like anything, getting good at football. Pack a good football team to go on the road, especially the defense. Make sure you've got your defense packed. Don't leave them at home.
On Mike Sainristil's interception
The play on the field, I lost where the ball was. First thought it was on the ground and he was just scooping it up. Could've been a fumble and our guys are trained in practice if a ball is ever on the ground, we're hopping on that mistake or trying to pick it up and advance it, even on incompleted passes in practices. Our guys are picking them up. Mikey, it was an incredible play. When I got to see it from the different angles, the way he kept his feet. First, the ball skills, which he has tremendous ball skills. The athleticism, the balance. We do the slack block control and he's really good at it. Cornelius Johnson is really good at it. Saw Cornelius' show up in the Ohio State game last year when he was—normal, average athlete human being would've fallen down. Same with Mikey, he would've been on the ground. For him to stay up and making the moves he did and take it back to the crib, as the young people like to say, that was just a beautiful thing. His leadership, it's constant. He just affects everybody he comes in contact with in a positive way. I'm sure he see the same thing that we do. Loved by the players, loved by the coaches. It's great to see. He's already a Michigan legend, right? To see him continue to add to that, it's just a beautiful thing. Wonderful thing.
On what Nebraska being number one against the run does for the gameplan
It's the planning of it and recognizing how they're doing that. They're good. They're really good at playing multiple fronts, multiple schemes. Going to be an important week of planning and preparation. We'll go compete and try to execute to the best of our ability.
On Nebraska's rushing attack
It's a great formula. Stopping the run and being able to run the ball is a winning formula in football. We're just going to have to play good. It will be a game of blocking, tackling, focusing on fundamentals, reads. Getting off blocks, defeating blocks, playing assignment, being in the right alignment, being in the right technique. A lot of focus on real football, fundamentals and technique.
On when he knew DJ Waller could play corner
He's been a freshman that has been doing well. I see tremendous upside. Already been freshman of the game at least one, maybe twice. Length, physicality, speed, athleticism, all the good traits. He likes football, too. He's getting coached really well, getting great training from Coach Clink. Long corners, athletic, length, it's really good for the position.
On whether he thought Waller could play at corner when watching him in high school
I think my first impression was, is he an edge? He might be an edge guy. He just looked big to me, tall. I like long, athletic, as everybody does, edge players. We saw the basketball traits and things. Wow, that's a great thing. You see that length sometimes in receivers and DBs. Could be edge players, could be really good receivers. Could be really good DBs. Length is a good thing. Length and athleticism. Those are blessings from mom, dad and God.
On the offense being a work in progress
Coming out of this game, to be able to win, to be pretty darn healthy, too, those are great things. For everybody to play well and execute and still have things to lean into, to learn from. To a man, I thought there was some really, really good things. Whether it was the running game, the passing game, the quarterbacking was (A-plus), a really high-level. Roman, the receivers, continue to excel. Semaj, Colston had his best game. There were so many positives. A.J. Barner, I thought he played extremely well. Max Bredeson had one of his best games. The line was really good. Keegan, Zinter, they probably graded out the highest. Myles Hinton, Barnhart, they had some great plays. There was a lot more plays this week, probably triple, from the BG game where all 11 were doing what they were supposed to be doing and doing it at a really high level, in-sync type of level. Just keep trying to build on that. Also, I thought Sherrone Moore—one of Coach Moore's best games. The planning, the play-calling, the balance, creativity. The timely calls, everything, one of his very best. A real gem. The rest of the offensive staff as well, I thought particularly, playcalling was outstanding.
On J.J. McCarthy and his relationship with Harbaugh
Hope that's the case, and hopefully he'll agree. He's been good ever since he got here. One of those kind of freshmen that's just good right away and contributing right away. From the first practice, the presence that he walked out with, it's just been that way ever since. This was one of his best games. When I say AP quarterbacking, the shot play was being defended and he kicks it out in the flat and we get a nice gain to Donovan Edwards. There was another really good play, it was similar to the ECU game where we're running a flat corner combination. In the ECU game, J.J. made that throw in there that was right on the money into a tight window. I think you probably remember that one. Similar play in this game and CJ is running the route and the corner was baiting JJ. Had seen that play on film, and doing a great job of baiting him into the throw, but he was moving to intercept that ball and JJ just kicked it out of AJ Barner who was in the flat on the sideline, might've been a six-yard gain. Might've been an eight-yard gain. There was a play where, multiple times, people were covered, there was nobody open, and he brought the ball down, ran it. There was another play where they were covered and he was starting to get pressure, stepped up and threw the ball away. The very next play came back and threw a touchdown pass if I'm remembering that sequence right, which I think I am. Quick hands in decision on the option, the two-way option, hand off or run himself. Big gains, big third down conversions by running and throwing. Big plays by running and throwing. He was sharp. Just a really sharp gain.
On Semaj Morgan terrorizing defensive backs
I don't know how he described it but he had to be feeling good, right? I know Erika Morgan, mom and dad, the buttons are popping on the shirt, they're so proud. We're so proud of Semaj. I thought the catch and run he made earlier in the game was really good, too. He's got a knack for that. I think, yeah, I'm with it, as the young people like to say as well. Let's keep going. Keep doing you. It's working. If you want to get a little better at something, just work a little bit harder at it and whatever you do, don't get a big head. That's a trap. A deep, dark, lonely trap. Just keep playing in that confident manner. Courageous, never careless. I think that was a great step for him and he's really proving to be one of those type of freshmen that can come right in and start playing. Kickoff return, too. Some of the return game I think he'd be really good at. Just keep going. Keep doing you, Semaj, my message would be.
On the difficulty of a transfer coming in and playing right away on the offensive line
Yeah, Olu did make it look that way. Drake Nugent is coming with the same kind of mentality and, really, gosh, they're both—I really can't compare them. They're that close in being good. Drake probably a little bit more athletic, now I'm beginning comparing. Olu, a little bit—they're both good. They get it done in slightly different ways but they both play at a really high level. And smart. Olu is smart as you could have a guy playing football and so is Drake. I'm sure it's a lot harder than they're making it look to come in as a transfer and play center. The good ones, the great ones, that's what they do. They make it look easy. Same quality, they're both making it look easy.
On whether he watched Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
I was watching. My wife got this YouTube TV, it's like half the price of DIRECTV. No offense DIRECTV but we're over there at YouTube TV now. Must be 150 games to watch. I'm in hog heaven on Saturday night watching those games. Watching a lot of them. Then you can go back and watch them again, if you didn't watch the one you can go back and start and select the tape for you right there. I don't know if I learned anything, just bouncing around watching a lot of football.
On how he would assess where Donovan Edwards is with the run game
He's good. He's good like he's always been. We play multiple backs. Statistics don't mean anything to us. When it comes to all the players, it's what's good for them individually and what's good for the team. I see it from the individual and the big picture with the team. Each individual guy, I treat them like I'm their dad, their agent. I want what's best for their career. In the running back position, to make a long story short here, I just don't believe in a guy carrying the ball 30 times a game. They probably may not have some of the stats that some of the other backs have. Even Blake, running the ball really good, 97 yards and took him out of the game because I don't think he needs another 100 yard game as much as he needs to be healthy. The lifespan of a back, their career—I don't know what it is on average, maybe 8, 9, 10 years total including college. While they're not getting paid. I don't like to take the tread off the tire. Like to keep that tread on the tire. There's going to be games where one back may be featured more than the other. That's kind of how it's been here. If you look at least year, look at the year before and look at the year before that, all 8 years that we've been here. We'll probably have this conversation again, like, next week, Dono carries more of the load and you might ask me what happened with Blake. Blake had a heckuva game, Dono had less carries but had an effective game catching the football. He's an outstanding back because he can do all the things. He can run outside the tackles, he can run inside the tackles, he can pass protect and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and get open. To answer your question, absolutely nothing wrong with Donovan Edwards. Also, was cool, just talk about that you're not into stats, your offensive coordinator is not into how many points we score or the yardage. You got the ball with six minutes or so left in the game and if you don't turn it over, you're going to win the game. Even if you don't make a first down and you punt and get the ball back, don't get a first down again, you're going to win the game if you don't turn the ball over. To watch us keep the ball, that's why it warms the cockles of the heart that we can do that in that situation. Plus, we've got an offensive coordinator and a play-caller that's about the team and making sure the team wins. Then, Kalel Mullings, I didn't want Dono in there anymore and I didn't want Blake Corum in there anymore. Kalel Mullings goes in and just the vision to have for one of those backs being a big back, he was really going. I was reminded of Toby Gerhart watching Kalel on those carries. I hope that continues. That's pretty much the running back room right now. Absolutely nothing wrong with the running back room.
On the back-up quarterback
It's still real close. No, we haven't been able to make a definitive—it'll be pretty much week-to-week because they're so close still.
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