1998 FBL vs. Indiana -- postgame quotes
10/24/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
On the victory over Indiana ...
"I thought our defense, with the exception of three of four big plays, was outstanding. They did a tremendous job on the option. We kept our game plan right where we wanted it to be. Our guys up front really played hard. I thought Ian Gold was outstanding. Offensively we have a long way to go. We are not running the football like we should. We are a long way from being the type of football team we want to be and are capable of being."
On defending the option ...
"The biggest difference was we took Julius Curry and we had him take on the persona of Randle El. We had a good practice cutting up and making the plays. It gave our defense a good idea of what they were going to see. I thought our preparation was the key."
On the attitude of the team ...
"When you come off of two loses, you find out a lot about the people around you. These kids and their attitudes have been tremendous. They did not blame anybody after those loses. We are a long way from where we want to be. We have had a good attitude in practice and we are getting close to being a good football team."
On the difference between the two halves ...
There is no question we were much better in the second half. We wore them down some in there. Anthony Thomas played hard and Justin (Fargas) played tough. Tom (Brady) made a big run there, running for the first down. In the first half we were bad on third down. I keep waiting for us to play a complete game. I think we should be able to do some good things. Thomas and Fargas ran the football well. Thomas ran the football with some authority for the first time this year. If you can't run the ball, you are going to leave your defense on the field way too long."
Junior QB Tom Brady
On the emotion of the game ...
"Anytime you win a Big Ten game in October, it is an emotional win. We have Minnesota next week and they are going to be a big test for us. We are focused on improving as an offensive team. The offense has to step up if we are going to be a better football team."
On his play at quarterback ...
"Thought I played okay. I did not play spectacular. I had some good passes in there when we needed them so I am happy about that. I have to continue to improve also."
Senior WR Tai Streets
On his first touchdown of the game ...
"There might have been a little subtle push, but the refs did not see it. So I guess I got away with it. I just thank God Tommy (Brady) threw a good ball."
On lack of sustained drives ...
"We are playing good defensively. Fortunately, we finally put together a drive that took 10 minutes. We just got to try to have more of those drives; it helps the defense."
Junior LB Ian Gold
On defending the option ...
"We stressed option in practice all week and Julius Curry did a great job simulating Randle El in practice all week. Against Notre Dame we were tentative, apprehensive and passive and this week we were striving to play more aggressively."
Head Coach Cam Cameron
On the game overall ...
"The game basically came down to two plays in my opinion. The two passes to Tai Streets were the difference in the game. When Michigan gets into third and long, we know what is coming, yet we were unable to stop them because they out-executed us."
On Michigan's running game ...
"We did a nice job of containing their running game. Anthony Thomas is one of the best running backs in the nation in my opinion and when he gets healthy he will be tough to stop. Then when they throw Fargas in for a change of pace, it makes it very difficult on a defense."
On the play of Indiana's offense ...
"We did not make any big plays offensively. Antwaan Randle El, he did some things in terms of scrambling. However, when it came to making a big play in the passing game, we could not come up with one."
On Michigan's defense ...
"Michigan has a big, physical front seven and now that they are healthy they are a difficult team to run against. We improved defensively, but the next step for our program is to step up at the line of scrimmage and improve against physical fronts."
Freshman QB Antwaan Randle El
On the difference between the two halves ...
"Michigan came out in the second half and did a great job of stopping the option. They did what they had to do to win the game."
On Michigan's defense ...
"They have some great linebackers who played a big role in stopping us. I give all the credit to them."
