Player Comments from Weekly Press Conference
10/19/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
Weekly U-M Football Media Luncheon
Offensive Lineman Steve Hutchinson
On the play of the offensive line ...
"I think we are starting to become the offensive line that we wanted to be when we started this season. The movement (position changes) changes a little bit of the chemistry. We have guys that used to play one position or used to play next to somebody else, but I think we are getting used to it, we are starting to settle down and we are starting to play the type of football we want to play at Michigan."
What is the difference between playing left tackle and playing center
"At center you have to make all of the calls. You have to be the captain of the offensive line. You have to snap the ball. At guard you have to do a lot of pulling. It is pretty much a different position altogether. I played left guard last year and I transformed over to center during the summer and in training camp. I came into the Notre Dame game a little uneasy and by the end of the Syracuse game they (the coaches) put me back in at left guard and I felt more comfortable immediately."
On how close the team is to performing like last year ...
"Last season was last season. We haven't had that many personnel changes. We came out this year and we weren't playing the type of football we wanted to play. With the weather these last couple of games, I think we are starting to concentrate and play better as a unit offensively, defensively and the kicking game. We are not making the mistakes on offense we were making before. I think we only had two penalties in the Northwestern game."
Offensive Lineman Jeff Backus
On how the offensive line has progressed ...
"I think each week we are getting better. We still have a lot of improvement to make, and I think we need to get the five starting guys and work together and just stay consistent. We are not going to worry about anybody's expectations but ours. There was a lot of hype about our offensive line in the preseason, but nobody is saying any of that stuff now. We just need to dig deep and motivate ourselves to improve."
On the shifting of positions within the offensive line ...
"It is a little bit different, but in practice, we are shifting all the time so it's not like you are lining up and playing next to a guy for the first time when you line up during a game. We probably have 13 or 14 guys that rotate in on the offensive line, so we are pretty much used to playing against each other."
On playing against Indiana defensive lineman Adewale Ogunleye ...
"We watched film on him yesterday. He is going to be a tough player to play against. When he is on my side, I'm definitely going to have my work cut out for me because he is a big strong guy. I remember playing against him last year and I was lucky I survived that game. He taught me a lot about Big Ten football."
On why the line was better against Northwestern ...
"We didn't jump offside. I think we were just a lot more relaxed out there. We are all used to playing with each other and we all have confidence in one another so all we have to worry about is ourselves and make sure we know our assignments."
On what it was like to avoid penalties and play with better concentration ...
"Besides the coaches sitting there yelling at us, it's really something you have to do on your own. Nobody can make you keep your head in the game but they can remind us. It's really up to the individual."
On the experience of playing in the rain storm of Saturday night
"I had a lot of fun. It was probably one of the most fun games I've played in. Football technique was out the door. It was just too hard to take steps and run especially for big fat guys like us. It was just fun to get down in the mud and be sliding around."
On Justin Fargas becoming a game breaker ...
"He definitely has the speed to become a game breaker. In the beginning of the season it looked like he was being tackled easily, but now he seems to be running over people. He is one of the fastest people on the team and we definitely need a game breaker."
Punter Jason Vinson
On the recent improvement of his game ...
"I think the thing I've done recently is to try to improve my concentration. On Saturday, my concentration level was at its peak. I don't know if it was the weather, but I was able to focus really well."
On his relationship with Lloyd Carr ...
"I didn't have a very good week of practice, so coach was getting after me a little bit. Coach Carr helps me out with punts. He watches me punt with the team and helps me out if he thinks I'm doing something wrong or something I don't normally do. He is very supportive of me, too."
On the last kick that was downed at the one-yard line ...
"On that one, I was just trying to do what I was doing on the rest of the kicks. I wanted to hit it a little bit left, but I saw a guy coming up the middle when I was getting ready to punt. I wanted to hit it in a spot that wasn't clogged. I wanted to hit it in an area where it would get a good bounce and I was lucky enough to do that."
On being named Big Ten co-Special Teams Player of the Week ...
"It's a great honor, but it's not just my doing. It's everybody on the punt team, especially (long snapper Jon) Jansen. With as good of a job as he did, it helped me a lot, especially in that weather."
Contact: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
