On the message to the team now that it's a new week
We always talk about a 24-hour rule and we've been fortunate where that 24-hour rule has just been wins. So now the 24-hour rule applies to a loss and you gotta get over it. You know, we gotta learn from it though. We can't let failure be our undertaker and we have to make sure we continue to push forward and have some fortitude and strength to get better, which our guys have already been in here watching the film. You know, I walked in yesterday, early, early in the morning. Colston Loveland was in here by himself watching it, you know, kicking himself in the teeth about how he played. We got so many great players, great kids, so we gotta just, as coaches, make sure we do everything we can to put them in a great position to go win.
On how he makes sure a good player doesn't get too hard on himself after a mistake
I mean, really, we had the same thing happen last year with JJ. You know, JJ threw three picks against Bowling Green and I probably consoled him for another 45 minutes after the game and on Monday and just told him to be himself and not try to force things or make plays happen because when you do that, that's when mistakes happen. And for Colston, it's be who you are. You know, people make mistakes. That's gonna happen not only in football and in life, and now it's time to learn from them and not make them again.
On whether he's seen his defense live up to the four pillars
I'd say the biggest thing for us last game, you know, pursuit, tackling, we have to be better at. You know, that's the biggest thing. And the communication piece is another. You know, those led to two big plays, or the three big plays, and the running back being wide open. So that's something I know the defensive guys have harped on and, you know, are gonna emphasize even more. And then the tackling piece is something we've been really good at and we've got to get better at. And we will. Ready to work on it right now.
On how he gets the top-end talent and back-end defense playing good team defense
I think you have to realize that this game has always been about 11 guys. It's never been about one person. It's never been about just your talent. And what we've learned here is that you've got to play, when you're equal talent, you have to play disciplined football. Because that's a good football team that we lost to. And you've got to be able to make the tackles. You've got to be able to have the non-miss assignments. And if you do that, you can win. But if you don't, you're not going to win. And I think that really taught us a lesson.
On why Texas was so successful on third down
I think one, they did a good job in communication protection. They full-slid a lot of the pressures and created open lanes in our zones. Our guys were, our eyes weren't correct all the time. And I think the quarterback did a really good job staying calm in the pocket. He's obviously a really good player, but really, really steadfast experience and showed those things on Saturday.
On what a defense can do to throw a talented quarterback out of his comfort zone
I think obviously pressure and putting things in his face, but giving him different looks and coverages, which we'll continue to do and make some adjustments on how we attack quarterbacks like that to make sure that we're in the best position for our kids to be successful.
On how to help other DBs when Will Johnson isn't getting thrown at
We've got some adjustments in our toolbox that we can help our other guys and we'll continue to explore those and do different things in different ways. How have you seen the leaders on defense step up? Yeah, it's been interesting to watch it because from my perspective, you know these kids, you've been around them and you've seen the leaders and to watch the kids, how I thought they would attack it, very unselfishly, try to pick each other up, it's been great. So even during the game, to watch them go to the offense and lift them up, to watch them, big play happened to not point fingers but to try to figure out what was wrong. And I think that tells you the culture that's here. So these things are, you never wanna lose and I think, but it's gonna be a good learning lesson for us.
On where he wants the defense to be better heading into Arkansas State
I think for us to be better on defense is to follow our four pillars, but really to tackle really well and play great fundamentals, play lower, I thought on offense and defense, we just gotta play lower. And I think if we do that with that shock and effort, we'll be a much better defense.
On the challenges creating rhythm on offense
Obviously turnovers. Turnovers will, in this game, we had three of them off a tip pass, off of a miscommunication on a route concept, and then the fumble. So I think whenever you have turnovers in a game, it's not gonna create a rhythm. You gotta be able to possess the ball and create long drives. And then on third downs, putting ourselves in longer down distances and not converting to third downs have been a huge reason why we haven't been able to create the rhythm we needed to.
On what's been the most frustrating when watching the offense
Probably the biggest thing is that you're one person away or one guy away from being where you need to be. So we just have to continue to stress and strain in every position. It's gotta be 11 as one for us to be successful in offense.
On the performance of the offensive line
Not good enough. We gotta be better. You know, I think any time you lose, you're definitely gonna make sure that group understands the mentality and the standard of what we gotta do there. There's some bright spots and some positive things, but for us to be the team we need to be, it has to start with that group. So we've gotta definitely improve with that group.
On what the path of improvement is for the offensive line
For us, I think it's simplicity. You know, for us, what we do on offense, we've gotta just make it simpler for them. We gotta do less to help them out and give them all the looks that they can possibly get because this is a different group than last year and the years before, whereas you could practice a play and only give them one rep and if the left side got it, the right side got it based on they just watched the left side do it, whereas this group, they need all the reps to do it to be successful. So for us, it's gonna be a, you know, make the packages a little smaller on offense, do some things to help them to bring out their strengths, and I think that'll help those guys be more successful.
On evaluating the quarterback play
I thought Davis overall, he played good. I mean, he didn't play exceptional, but he also didn't, you know, put the ball in harm's way, you know, a lot because of the interceptions that happened. One was a tip pass and the other one, we didn't cross the face of a safety. So both of those, if the receiver makes a play, then it's not an interception. We're talking about a whole different thing and then the fumble was on Colston, which we talked about. So he did some really good things and he took care of the ball for the most part. The two picks, you know, it's terrible that it happened because it looks like he threw two picks and, you know, we as ball catchers, receivers, tight ends have to make plays to help them as well.
On developing chemistry with the quarterbacks and receivers
I think it'll start with the run game and how we impact the run game to help those guys be more successful so that, you know, the passing game can open up even more. So for us, it's gonna be about balance, how we develop it and this week, making the plan even simpler to help those guys in the run and the pass game.
On whether he's open to making personnel moves on offense
I think really, you don't wanna, like I told them, it's all about, we're gonna have urgency but we're not gonna panic. And I go back to last year of, you know, we had JJ who was an established quarterback but he threw three picks in the game and you could have easily panicked and said, yeah, let's take JJ out. But for us, it's gonna be for the whole process for us to work together. You know, we can't just, we can't panic and make these changes all of a sudden. We just gotta make sure we do what we can that's best for the team. And if we go through practice this week and we feel like somebody else is better at a certain position, then yeah, we'll make those changes. Whoever we think's gonna help Michigan win, that's who we're gonna help play.
On evaluating his coaches
You know, I challenge them every day. I challenged them at halftime, I challenged them after the game, I challenged them yesterday when we talked about, you know, how I wanted to look and the things that we need to do to adjust to be better. And I think they're applying those challenges right now as we speak. So I'm just ready for Tuesday practice to see what our team's gonna look like.
On how involved he is in gameday prep and calling plays
Kirk will ask at times, you know, should we do this, should I do that? And I remember as a play caller, you get a rhythm sometimes. So I try to not to be as much because I'm so involved in everything else. But I've definitely, you know, taken a step more into looking in the offense and the things that we need to do to get better.
On the running backs
The big thing is both those guys, and I thought they ran extremely hard. The biggest thing we told them we all need to work on is making that third level defender miss, because there's some explosive plays to be had if they do that. And mixing in Ben Hall was a good change up. He obviously showed some spark, showed some things that he can do. So ready to get him some more reps as we go through the season.
On Jordan Marshall
He's been a spark plug in training camp. And, you know, at some point he'll have his reps at running back and he'll do some really great things. But he's been good. He's a disciplined kid. He works extremely hard. He's got ability and talent. So we're ready to see what he can do.
On how he's dealing with the time between the loss and the next game
It's tough, man. You don't like these feelings. And the players, they're walking around. They're somber. But really, I feel it's my job to lift them back up, to instill that confidence in them. Because they are kids and they work extremely hard to get here. So, you know, they feel it more than anybody. So I'm just doing everything I can to make sure I uplift them.
---
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, and Instagram
