On Wink Martindale's defense differing from what he's seen previously

Very similar, a little bit more pressure, but he's got his own flavor to it. But, you know, similar to what they've done in the past, same philosophy in terms of the structure of the coverages. But, you know, a little bit more aggressive in terms of pressure.

On managing emotions during the week

I think this part of the week you're putting the plan together and you really try to make sure you're focusing on the process right now because you only can really control what you can control. And every time you can start getting focused on things that don't matter, you've got to get right back into your work. And that was the message to the guys on Sunday. And so that's it. We're going to really focus on the process, the same process that we've been working on all year. Everything that we do in the offseason, every decision that's made in terms of the coaching staff, the roster, how we practice, schematics is all working towards this moment right here. So let's just go to work, trust the process, and focus on what we're going to get done today.

On what he tells recruits about the rivalry during the recruitment process

Yeah, well, in the recruiting process, you make sure that that's when they commit, that that's the number one goal. Understand that for everybody in a program, that is the number one goal when you come here is to win this game. And that needs to be embraced. And then you go on from there. And we live it every day of the year in our workout, the way that we structure everything. And then just the fact that if you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't know. So lean on the guys around you that have been in the game before, players, coaches, everybody else in the building.

On how weather will impact the game

I just think that when you get to this time of year you're going to deal with weather. We've said that all along. And it will be the same for both teams. But this time of year you're expecting cold weather. You're expecting wind, rain, snow, all of the above. And you've got to have a plan for it. So we'll be ready to go. It'll be the same for both teams.

On wanting the run ball in the rivalry game

Well, that's how you control the game on both sides of the ball. So that's something that has to be done. And you just look historically that that's how you win the game. But that's not the only thing. There's a lot that comes with it. And so, like every game we go into, we'll work hard to do what we think best helps us win the game. But, yeah, the team who runs the ball and the team who stops the run is going to win the game.

[Speaker 14]

Obviously, none of the games this season are this magnitude. But do you feel like there's stuff from Oregon week, Penn State week, that your guys can take just about the way they handled some of the bigger matchups, the matchups that are talked about different than others going into this game?

On how the team is looking at the last three years

Yeah, I think it's like I said, what's happened in the past has really nothing to do with what's going on right now. And I think the focus has to be on each other and playing so hard for the love of your teammate, not so much what's going on across the field. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to focus on that this week because it's easy to get distracted with everything else. You know, we'll let the fans and everybody else, you know, kind of talk through all those things. Like we're going to focus on each other, playing really hard for each other, focus on getting ready to go play in this game so that we can execute at a high, high level because ultimately that's all that matters.

On what a win on Saturday means

I think you know what it means.

On why the last three years have been hard on him

Yeah, I would say not to get into too much of it. It's just, this game is a war. And anytime there's a war, there's consequences and casualties. And then there's the plunder and the rewards that come with it. That's what it is. And I just think that that's really what it comes down to. And so, as we all say, and it happened in my press conference, and I'm one job is to win this game. And so, that's the focus right now. And I don't wanna get too much into the past because we're just focused on right now, and we've worked really hard to get to this point. I think I'm excited with the fact that our guys are here now. Because when you go through the offseason and you talk about this game, it's just like, all right, how many times are we gonna talk about this? We gotta get to this game and go play it. We're finally here right now. So that'll be the focus, and then in the offseason, we'll figure out what's what.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and BlueSky