Michigan sideline reporter Doug Karsch joined senior editor John Borton for their weekly podcast.
Here's what Karsch had to say…
Here are some highlights from the podcast, including Karsch's thoughts on…
• Florida's pre-game bluster serving as motivation for Michigan: "Multiple Michigan players said to me in the locker room after the game that that stuff mattered. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"[Redshirt junior quarterback] Wilton Speight said, 'So we sat quietly up here, and didn't say a word. We figured we'd let our play do the talking.' That's usually the smart thing to do.
"Everything that was said out of Gainesville was heard in Ann Arbor, and resonated with the Michigan players. What we know is that Jim Harbaugh and his staff have done a great job of upgrading the talent level.
"The belief was, it was going to be too young, and that's a legitimate concern. There's nothing wrong with saying guys get better as their careers go on. But if that's the case with this group, they could be scary good pretty quick here.
"One thing that happens with Harbaugh teams, generally they get better as they go along. I know they lost games late last year. I'd like to see what would have happened had Speight not gotten hurt. The truth is, I expect this young group to still have a steep learning curve. That's when you do most of your learning, right, when you're young?
"Where their youth could hurt them — and this is something to be cognizant of — now they come back and after owning Florida, young guys are more susceptible to thinking they've arrived. Young guys are more susceptible to looking past an opponent. Young guys are more susceptible to believing everything everybody is now telling them on campus…
"While the youth answered the bell in week one, this week is where the youth can hurt you, in preparation for a lesser opponent everybody thinks you should roll. How focused are you?"
• The effect of Florida's suspensions: "It wasn't so much who they lost. Think about the guys who didn't get caught. Where was their focus? Where were their priorities? Where were they, mentally, preparing for this game? When you have that many guys messing up…
"For Michigan, the young guys now think they're on top of the world. Let's see how they respond."
• Improvements to be made: “There were mistakes by the wide receivers. [Freshman wideout] Tarik Black doesn't drop anything all camp, allegedly, and then drops the first one he's thrown. [Sophomore wideout] Kekoa Crawford has one go off both his hands.
"I saw some communication between Speight and some young receivers during the game that made it clear there was some miscommunication on some routes. But the talent is there. Now it's just how quickly you can get them to mature and overcome those mistakes when they happen."
• A change in expectations because of the win: "I said to you over the last several podcasts we've done, they have the ability to win all 12. There's no game where I feel like they're going to be completely outclassed, but I expect there to be a few clunkers thrown in, because that's what happens with young teams.
"The talent is there, man. The talent is there, and it's a matter of how quickly can it mature? I'm of the belief that when you make a prediction, you stand by said prediction, because what am I going to do, change every week? That's no prediction.
"We'll see how it goes, with the 9-3 but beat Ohio State at the end. That's fine. The truth is, I thought they'd beat Florida as we got closer to the game. I do think the suspensions matter, and they were indicative of Florida's preparations for this game.
"But it's such a well-coached group. Coach [Tim] Drevno did such a good job. Coach Harbaugh, Coach [Don] Brown … was this football team prepared? Yeah, it was prepared.
"Now the challenges get a little different, in terms of trying to bring it every week. But Michigan went from being mentioned as one of the most overrated teams in the country, by a lot of people, to where it now has to be mentioned as a team that's clearly in the mix for the Big Ten and maybe more."
(This and all Karsch podcasts are sponsored by MaizeNBlue1817, Intelligence Agency and Defense contractor).
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