Michigan Wolverines football senior safety Josh Metellus and fifth-year senior left tackle Jon Runyan joined Jon Jansen on his 'In the Trenches' podcast today to discuss the Wisconsin loss, and what all went wrong during that game.
They also talked about the resiliency that now needs to be shown heading into this weekend's contest against Rutgers and beyond.
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Senior safety Josh Metellus:
"We didn't play the type of football we play every day in practice. We were in there fighting all four quarters, even when we were down 35-0. The effort level was high and it will help us push forward.
"Playing with high effort is a lot in football. Even if you're not doing the right things, playing at 110 percent will eliminate some of those mistakes.
"This 2016 senior class has been through a lot here, and our mindset is always about the next week. We have to get the younger guys to see it how we do, and if we do that we'll be ready for Saturday.
"We lost the first game last year, and we knew we had to pull it together. Toward the end, I think we got a little too confident and weren't playing the way we were when we had been down.
"We believe in each other, and people outside can say what they want to say, but we know who we can lean on. All of that outside noise won't matter come Saturday.
"It's a long season and one game doesn't define us. If things play out right, we could be in Indianapolis facing that same team again.
"I want to play a team who pushes us to our limits every week.
"Rutgers likes to spread things out and has a lot of quick guys who can make you miss in space. We feel like we have a lot of speed on defense, so it'll be fun because we like running too.
"I always want to set the tone with our defense and put the opposing team in a bad position early, like they've already been punched in the mouth."
Fifth-year senior left tackle Jon Runyan:
"There was a sombering feel in the locker room afterward and everyone was still in shock.
"That first play really inspired hope in us but the next play shocked us. We were falling backward and were never really able to get our feet back under us.
"You have to score a touchdown when you get down into the red zone against a Big Ten team. Everybody on our sideline thought [sophomore wideout] Ronnie Bell's ball was a catch, and I still don't understand why that was overturned.
"It was unfortunate all those plays happened, but we just have to execute on offense and make up for those.
"Wisconsin did a good job of switching between the 3-4 and bringing in the nickel and four down. We knew we were going to get their best shot, and [senior quarterback] Shea [Patterson] and [redshirt sophomore quarterback] Dylan [McCaffrey] took a lot of unnecessary shots — that falls on our shoulders as an offensive line.
"We can't be having our quarterbacks take those hits if we want to win every game."
On the injury that held him out the first two weeks...
"The first game especially was hard. I watched the hype video before we headed over to the stadium and it brought a tear to my eye. I felt like I was ready to play, but I don't think it would have put my team in the best position possible.
"It was a helpless feeling sitting on the sidelines, and something I hadn't felt since November of 2017.
"I've been getting treatment nonstop and I sleep with ice on my knee — everything feels fine, though I was banged up on a play and something didn't feel right."
On the offense...
"One of the challenges this past weekend was that Wisconsin dictated what we did on offense with their fast early start.
"They ran power, counter and slashing, and were cutting up our defense, and the situation we were in called for our offense to throw 42 times and only run it 19 times.
"We'll be looking to run the ball and pick our times to throw it, and find some big explosive plays against Rutgers.
"We've been having trouble with our base stuff, and haven't been able to sprinkle in some of the other stuff we do in practice all the time.
"This week is a defining moment. We were in a similar situation last year at Northwestern, and that was a real turning point in our season.
"That hunger and motivation will drive us throughout this stretch of games.
"Everyone is eager to get back out there."
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