The Michigan players knew they couldn’t afford a second loss this past weekend if they wanted to keep their national title hopes alive.
With those hopes basically gone and their Big Ten title aspirations fading fast, fifth-year senior fullback Henry Poggi explained what the team’s mindset is right now.
“It’s just ‘onto the next game,’” he said. “We took a pretty bad loss, but the best part about football during the season is you always have another game coming up to correct all of your wrongs.”
Michigan’s goals have always been sky-high as a program (national title, Big Ten title, etc.), and although Poggi didn’t necessarily say those goals are changing, he did say they’re being simplified.
“Our focus right now is to beat Rutgers,” he said. “Our goal today is to come in and watch film, and practice the best we can. We need to take things one day at a time right now.”
With things as tough as they are right now, there has been plenty of criticism from outsiders.
“With any team and any fan base, there’s going to be negativity,” Poggi said. “That’s just the way it is. Everyone wants perfection, and when that doesn’t happen, people start falling off the ship.
“We know no one on our team can fall off the ship — that’s what’s so important about being on a team.”
Some fans may especially worry about the young players on the team “falling off the ship,” but Poggi said he helps make sure that doesn’t happen.
“I talk to them about it,” he said. “They’ve gone through tough times before, like last year after we lost to Ohio State. The best way to teach the young guys is to lead by example. We need to practice even harder than we have been to correct our mistakes, and lead with our actions.”
Poggi insisted that if the offense just keeps perfecting its craft, things will eventually start to click.
“It’s the little things we need to work on, like missed assignments and missed blocks,” Poggi explained. “We’re so close to really kick starting our offense. We need all 11 guys firing on all cylinders.”
One thing that could potentially give the offense a boost is if redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight returns from injury. Although there have been conflicting reports on the severity of his injury, it does at least seem to be a realistic possibility that he could return sometime in November.
Poggi gave an update on the redshirt junior’s status.
“He’s doing good,” the fullback said. “He’s trying to get back out here and is getting ready. We obviously wish he could be out there playing.”
Poggi may get his wish in a few weeks.
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