Michigan Football: Mo Hurst Knows The Team Has To Stick Together
Although Michigan’s offense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain in yesterday’s 14-10 loss to Michigan State, the same can’t be said for the defense.
The Wolverines only allowed 252 yards to the Spartans, despite constantly being put in bad field position by five offensive turnovers.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Mo Hurst explained how his teammates kept fighting through those tough situations.
“That’s just what we do,” Hurst said. “We’re an attacking defense and we’re always excited to get back on the field and do what we can.”
While MSU’s defense forced five Michigan turnovers, Hurst said he was disappointed that he and his teammates didn’t force any turnovers of their own.
“We didn’t generate any turnovers, and that’s a big part of our game,” he said. “We needed to do that to change the outcome. We hold ourselves responsible, because we want to generate turnovers and make big plays.”
Although Hurst said the players definitely hold each other responsible, he explained there wasn’t any finger pointing in the locker room after the loss.
“We work extremely hard, and we have to trust our process and stick together as a team,” he insisted.
The fifth-year senior said the halftime mood also echoed that sentiment, when the Wolverines were trailing 14-3.
“The message was to stick together. We’d been there before, and we had to do whatever we could to get the win.”
Unfortunately, heavy rains and wind made the second half incredibly hard for either team to do much of anything. Hurst spoke briefly about what it was like playing in such extreme conditions.
“Our shoes were extremely heavy, and it was very wet,” he said. “Football is a tough person’s sport, though, so we have to come out and play no matter what the conditions are.
“It really brings you back to your childhood — it’s always fun to play in the rain. I’d always do that as a little kid.”
Being one of the few fifth-year seniors on the team, Hurst said he had a message to the team after the game.
“Our dreams of playing in the playoff aren’t over,” he iterated. “A one-loss team will still have an opportunity to play in the playoff, so we have to keep working toward it.”
As he insinuated, a team’s toughness is defined by how they respond in the face of adversity.
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