Coach Carr Comments from Weekly Press Conference
9/21/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
U-M Head Football Coach Lloyd Carr
On the Big Ten opener coming against intrastate rival Michigan State:
"I don't think it matters to anybody when this game is played. It's always, in my mind, one of the great weeks of the season. You don't have to worry about getting guys to practice hard. You know that everybody is going to give their best. This game brings out the best in everybody. It's one of those weeks when the entire state seems to be involved in one way or another and I think that makes it a lot of fun particularly for the guys that play. It always has great meaning for the people involved."
On the general feeling of the football team and what the concerns are:
"I don't think we know where we are as a football team, yet. Defensively, we've given up some big plays. That always concerns me because I think the key to having a good defense is being able to prevent big plays. If you can prevent big plays, you have a chance to be a very good football team. If you give up big plays, it destroys the morale of your team offensively and defensively. We've given up big plays in every ball game. You can't hope to be a championship caliber team if you give up big plays. I think our team is tough, but we've played a lot of young people and Michigan State will be the biggest test of the season for us. I think we are going to find out what kind of team we have."
On the absence of William Peterson:
"We've missed William Peterson. He is an emotional guy who plays hard with a lot of enthusiasm. He has ways of sparking a defense because of the way he plays. I don't know how long he will be able to play. He's certainly not in condition to go an entire football game, but he is going to give us some quality plays."
On what the difference was between the Michigan State team that lost the first two games and the one that beat Notre Dame:
"I think Michigan State played extremely hard against Colorado State I think that game was a very tough loss for them. I thought they played well for awhile against Oregon until Amp Campbell got hurt in the second quarter. I don't think there is any question that something like that will impact your football team. They have done a good job offensively with Bill Burke and they compliment that with big play receivers and Sedrick Irvin in the backfield. In the Notre Dame game, they blocked a punt and got ahead. Any time you block a punt, it is a momentum changer. Then they did a great job offensively and defensively against the Irish."
On the play of freshman kicker Hayden Epstein:
"Hayden Epstein did a tremendous job. That's probably the most impressive kicking job that I have seen since I've been around college coaching. He kicks the ball high in the air so if it doesn't go through the endzone, the coverage is there to stop the return."
On the play of freshman WR David Terrell in the first two games vs. his play against Eastern Michigan:
"David has outstanding confidence, but he still has a lot to learn. Two weeks ago, school had just started, he didn't have a good week of practice and he didn't play well. Against Eastern Michigan, you saw he has outstanding ability and we have to find a way to get him the ball."
On Michigan State quarterback Bill Burke:
"I saw Bill Burke play two years ago in Michigan Stadium. He impressed me with his ability, his mobility and his big arm."
On the week off for the Spartans:
"I think if you were to ask Nick (Saban), he would say it's a disadvantage, but I think it is an advantage for them because of the time they have had to prepare and the time they have had to heal the injuries from the first three games."
On what Michigan needs to do to improve before Saturday:
"We cannot give up the big play. I am also concerned about third down. For the first three games, our opponents have had the ball for 25 more minutes than we have. What that tells me is that we are not converting on third down and we are not stopping the other team's offense on third down. We have to improve in that area."
On the improvement of punter Jason Vinson:
"Jason is getting rid of the ball quicker. He is a kid that is tremendously conscientious. He has worked as hard as anybody to become a good athlete and a good football player. Jason is a very analytical guy and right now he is just concentrating on getting the ball and punting it and not worrying about all of the little things that prevent you from getting rid of the ball faster."
Contact: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
