Michigan football players Aamir Hall, Greg Crippen, Josaiah Stewart and Trey Pierce met with reporters on Tuesday ahead of Michigan's matchup with No. 1 Oregon at the Big House on Saturday. Here are the most important takeaways from what the players had to say.
Aamir Hall
- Hall prepares every week like he will get the start, even if he doesn't end up being the starter. He wants to be a "game-changer" like Will Johnson.
- Speed of the game and physicality are the two biggest differences between FCS football and FBS.
- Playing both field and boundary corner at Michigan has helped Hall develop his game. He thinks it will help him at the next level. At Albany, Hall mainly played boundary.
- Hall watched what Josh Wallace did at Michigan last season, but Hall didn't see it as a blueprint for playing with the Wolverines this season.
Greg Crippen
- Crippen says the mental aspect of being the starter versus the backup is the "same, but different."
- Trick plays are just as fun for offensive linemen as it is for the skill position players.
- Crippen admits that "you like to hear a consistent cadence" coming from the quarterback, but snapping to a different set of hands isn't an issue.
Josaiah Stewart
- Michigan's mindset is always the same, and the energy hasn't changed much coming off the Michigan State victory.
- On the game-changing sack late in the first half, Stewart felt like he was chasing MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles for "too long," and that he was worried if he was chasing him for one more second, he felt Chiles would've gotten rid of the ball.
- Stewart has "accepted more of a leader role this year."
- Through 23 games of his Michigan career, Stewart says it's everything he expected when he arrived in Ann Arbor from Coastal Carolina.
- Stewart is 'playing loose and having fun" this season.
- With three top-12 matchups coming up, Stewart acknowledges that "nobody remembers October," but that Michigan will need to play well down the stretch in November.
- Stewart didn't have a specific goal for number of sacks this season. He just wanted to improve his overall game and impress scouts.
- When the offense doesn't turn the ball over, it makes it much easier for the defense to dominate.
Trey Pierce
- The mood in the locker room is "confident," and Michigan feels like it "can compete with the best teams."
- Josaiah Stewart is "ridiculous" and a "freak." Explosiveness helps him make up for his lack of size.
- Pierce sees himself as a "guy like Josaiah." Stewart inspires him to be better.
- Oregon's offensive linemen are lengthy, and they present a good challenge for Pierce and the Michigan defensive line.
- Michigan's win over Michigan State was "huge for us," and a big confidence boost.
- Pierce says the game has slowed down for him. Getting reps in practice and in games has helped slow the game down.
- Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant show Pierce what it's like to dominate.
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