On the tunnel dedication

It was a wonderful weekend, or week, to be able to celebrate with so many players that came back for our reunion of the '97 team. Of course, the tunnel naming was something that I want to thank Warde Manuel and the Board of Regents. Most of all, all those guys that I have coached through the years. My name is up there because of the way they played the game and the way they represented the University of Michigan. It was a great week.

On whether there was one part that was more emotional over the other

It was all special. Especially at the tunnel, Jon Jansen and Eric Mayes got up on their ladders, I was scared to death they were gonna fall off. It was great leadership of those two guys for that team and, of course, there's nothing like going down that tunnel and onto the field, the welcome that we received when they recognized the '97 team, that was really special. Where did those 25 years go? It was great fun.

On what he thinks of the current Michigan team

What this team did, especially with the injuries we have, you always have some injuries but this team was able to outplay a schedule that was set up for Jim took advantage of in terms of the way he handled the quarterback situation. I thought it was great. I thought the key to the whole season, for me, came down to the last drive of the Illinois game because everything was on the line. Jim punted the ball and he trusted his defense with a couple minutes to go. He punted the ball away and his defense came up with a big stop. Then, that offense, the McCarthy kid, really, I thought he learned—he has confidence coming out of that game because he took his team down under the greatest of pressure. Behind, the clock was running, that team caught some passes and you just had to leave that game feeling he was ready to take on all-comers. Certainly this last Saturday in Columbus, he showed that.

On how much he likes Michigan's identity of running the football

I think it goes back—Jim and I spent important parts of our careers with Bo Schembechler. His philosophy there has carried on. People have asked me about the same question you have asked, if you can run for 270 yards a game and you have the backs that we have, you're going to have a chance to win a championship. As I mentioned before, they did with an unbelievable number of injuries. I think Jim Harbaugh did a miraculous job of taking a group of guys, the way he handled the quarterbacks, the way that he's built this team. You talk about recruiting and I don't follow it. The part that impressed me is the way, game after the game, without Schoonmaker or Corum, those are great players, they didn't miss a beat. They're doing a great job of recruiting and recognizing what they want. The type of guy they want. Jim talks about character and the way he loves what goes on in his locker room. I think if you can run the football like that, you saw what happened in Columbus. They put nine guys up there, that puts the deep part of the field—there's only three back there as opposed to four. When you can do that, their game plan going in there, those big plays kill a defense. They kill your morale. I think it's a team for the ages. This team, what they have in front of them is a new season. I feel great about it. I look down on that field and I like everything I see.

On what it's like watching Michigan play Ohio State in Columbus

(Laughs) I had the great opportunity to coach in that game for 27 years. Now that I'm retired and I follow it, the excitement is still there. You're counting the minutes, you're watching all the pregame shows and the fans and all those things that make it so special, when toe meets leather as Bo used to say, you knew you were about to see something really special. In '06, we were undefeated, Ohio State was undefeated and we were playing in Columbus. Those games, now that we have an opportunity this year to win another national championship. It's exciting, I can tell you that.

On CJ Carr's recruitment

First of all, my grandson, if he's happy, I'm happy. He's a great kid and he made a decision. I'll only know when we get there. I'll be rooting for CJ Carr wherever he is. What goes with it, he grew up here and the recruiting process, he went all over the country and had a lot of people in here. It was not an easy decision in some ways. He fell in love with the place but I'll never cheer against Michigan. I'll be for CJ Carr and that's what I know right now. We'll see.

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