Player Comments Previewing Northwestern Game
9/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
University of Michigan Football Player Comments
Previewing Northwestern (Sept. 29); Reviewing Penn State (Sept. 22)
Sophomore Center Justin Boren
On the transition of becoming a starter ... "Jake Long and Adam Kraus have taken Steve Schilling and I under their wing. They have given us a lot of tips. Being a starter, you just have to put more time in during the week...watching film, and you have to get a better understanding of who you are playing and who you are up against."
On the Penn State game ... "We knew going into the game that Penn State had a great defense, they were allowing I think 17 rushing yards a game. We knew if we had any chance to beating them though we had to run the ball, so we focused on that the whole week. We just had to get prepared to go up against a great defense."
On how physical the game was ... "It was real physical. The defense, the linebackers, they were real good. At the end I think we started to wear them down a bit, but they were a great defense."
On playing with Ryan Mallett ... "Ryan and I just got comfortable. We were both working on where the ball was. I guess it is a little different being a left-handed center. Ryan and I worked on snapping both before and after practice, and we were both real comfortable with it."
On the difference between playing center and guard ... "It's not too much different. At center you make a lot of line calls, but Adam Kraus and I, whether we are playing guard or center, both help each other out with that. They're both inside positions, so blocking isnt that much different besides the ball handling part of it."
On Ryan Mallett's improvement ... "Ryan's doing a great job; he's a good leader, especially because he is a freshman. He's out there and he takes control of the huddle, takes control of the offense, and he's doing a great job. He's also getting better each week."
On becoming more comfortable since week one ... "The first week, I was real nervous. I was most nervous with the snap. Getting out there with Chad and stuff, he made me feel fine about it. That one CQ (center-quarterback exchange) with Notre Dame, where they moved me to guard, I wasn't nervous. You get a little feedback, but sometimes you don't know. I talk to Mallet. I get feedback every time: where is it coming; what I need to do different. We've been working on it, and I started feeling real comfortable with it."
On the difference in game situation ... "It was different. In a game situation, it's always different. It's so much quicker. You concentrate on who you're going to block and where you're going. You just have to remember to get the snap up every time. That's the most important thing. That's what the coaches were saying, and we've been working on it and getting there."
On the rotation of guys, especially junior Tim McAvoy, going through the right side ... "Tim did real well for coming in at a position like that; it's a hard thing to do. We practice. We rotate in practice, so we're all comfortable playing next to each. We know people are going to get hurt, and we're confident whoever we bring in is going to get the job done, and Tim did a great job."
On Mike Hart nearing the career rushing record ... "Mike's attitude is always, when [people] announce [accomplishments] in the stands, everyone's all happy, but Mike doesn't focus on it. Mike's a great leader, and all he cares about is going out there and working his butt off every time. He's one heck of a worker, and he's never going to give up. It's a pleasure blocking for a guy like him. He's got so much heart, and he does a great job."
On Mike's blocking ... "That's what the coaches always say. He not only does great when he has the ball, he does just as good when he doesn't have the ball blocking. He knows how to pick up all the blitzes and stuff and help us out. He just does a great job with everything."
On adjustments for the snap ... "Just concentrate on getting the ball up. Ryan worked a couple different things with his hands. I think he finally got it down, some little stuff like interlocking his thumbs. They film that everyday in practice. We go through and we watch it. Basically, as a center, you just have to get the ball up and make sure it's in the middle where he can get it. Other than that, it's pretty easy."
On expectations for Northwestern ... "They're strong. They're strong up front. They have a lot of guys returning. They were a solid defense. I remember last year, I think, we only scored 17 points on them, and they're tough."
Sophomore Right Tackle Stephen Schilling
On run-blocking ... "As an offensive lineman, we love run-blocking. It makes it easy with a great running back like Mike behind us, even if we slip off our block, Mike can adjust, and he can definitely make the catch. So it's definitely fun to block for a guy like Mike with guys like Jake (Long) and Adam (Kraus)."
On Jake Long ... "Jake's proven throughout his time here, All-American and everything. He's a great tackle. He's definitely a great role model for me and for Justin [Boren]. We have our young tackles and he's definitely a great role model for us, someone we can look to. He does everything the right way. He's someone that we can look to and say that in four years, in three years, that's where we would want to be."
On what makes Jake great ... "He plays hard every play. You could think that maybe someone like Jake who already has accomplished so much might take a play off here and there in practice. But I think he's the hardest worker He practices hard. He practices almost as hard as anybody out there on the team. He has a great work ethic. He's smart. He watches film a lot. He's big. He's strong. Everything he does is the right way, and he does it to the best of his ability."
On what he would take from Jake's game ... "I can't see a flaw in Jake's game, so I think if I can play like Jake, I think I'll be pretty happy."
On Mike Hart and blocking for his rushing record ... "It's definitely an honor. It's going to be exciting for Mike, but this is my first year, and I've only been there for 600 yards of them, so he's gotten thousands of others behind other people. It's going to be a good honor for Mike, and he's a great back."
On whether it was strange working next to three different guards ... "I don't think so. I've practiced with Alex [Mitchell], Jeremy [Ciulla] and Tim [McAvoy] throughout camp and everything. So I think all of them came into the game prepared to play, and when each one went down, they stepped in and did a good job."
On getting junior Tim McAvoy ready at guard ... "He is now in his third year, and he's been through two years. He's played guard. He's played center. He's a smart offensive lineman, and I think he knows what he has to do. He got second-half experience, and I think he'll be ready to go."
On what he has learned at the position ... "It's a different game than high school. Clearly it's faster. People are bigger, stronger and faster. But I feel like I've learned, from the first game to now at least, I feel a little more settled out there than the first game. I feel a little more confident and able to read the defense a little bit easier, slow it down a little bit for me."
On the first road game ... "I'm excited. I've never traveled away to play anywhere, so I'm definitely really excited for that opportunity. The team hasn't had a chance to go away. I think it's going to be good for the team. We're going to go out and we're going to play a really tough Northwestern team. I think it's going to be a good game."
On the difference between senior Chad Henne and freshman Ryan Mallett in the huddle ... "They have different personalities. Chad's obviously a great leader and a great motivator. It's his huddle. I think Ryan's done a great job of kind of maintaining that stability. He's mature beyond his years, and he's definitely able to control the huddle and keep us focused."
On his own play ... "I think I've done well. I think I can do better. I obviously have a lot of room to grow, so I'm just trying to play as hard as I can. I'm just going to keep trying to practice hard and get better."
Junior Punter Zoltan Mesko
On how good he feels adjusting (to something) ... "I feel like I have prepared a lot more and that definitely gives everyone more confidence in me, including the coaches. I definitely have more confidence in myself. It has been a growing experience."
On why the special teams played better this past Saturday ... "One thing that we did improve on was our coverage on punts. We knew that special teams was going to be a big part of the game on Saturday, so by taking them out of the equation, it allowed us to focus on offense and defense and win the game that way."
On if there is still a battle for Jason Gingell as the kicker ... "There is always pressure on Jason because the coaches put it on him. And all the kickers that back him up, Bryan (Wright) and K.C. (Lopata). But I have a lot of faith in Jason getting the job done. If he keeps on improving, he will be alright and help us for the rest of the season. He is gotten a lot more technical and his work ethic has definitely improved."
On the adjustment to holding ... "It was a little strange in spring ball, but doing it over the summer and practicing this fall, it kind of got to be a natural position for me. I thought I was holding last year, but that is how it feels like this year."
On what was more impressive against Penn State, the overall defense or the rush offense ... "I have the best seat in the house on the sideline. All I saw was Jake Long plowing people over and Mike Hart getting the job done. And our defense stepped it up. They were very aggressive like a swarm of bees going to the ball."
On Jake Long plowing people down field 10 yards ... "After seeing him (block like that) so many times, it just becomes routine. Even seeing it in practice, you just expect it from him."
Senior Defensive End Tim Jamison
On playing against a spread offense ... "We still have confidence. We can stop a spread offense. A spread offense has a lot more thinking to it and a lot more responsibility. But we have confidence against a spread offense."
On playing Northwestern after their loss to OSU ... "We aren't going to take the game lightly at all. We are going to study them hard because anything can happen. If we take anything lightly, they will upset you. We are going to study them hard because they have a great running back and a great quarterback from last year. We are looking forward to playing a good game."
On Brandon Graham ... "He is a young player who is getting his confidence up. He brings a lot of energy to this team and he shows it on the field. He is pretty intensive in meetings; he asks a lot of questions and he studies the films hard. It is not something you really expect a first year starter to be doing."
On a change in Shawn Crable since being elected captain ... "He is used to be a jokester type. He still is a little bit, but he has matured also as a leader. He is a great captain and I am glad that we elected him captain. His progress shows on the field. He feels better every week and he will keep on improving."
Senior Safety Jamar Adams
On the first two games compared the last two games on defense ... "I think we just executed better in the game. We've been practicing better. Maybe the other guys have a better understanding of the game plan. I think we're just coming together pretty good right now."
On the pride factor ... "There's always a pride issue, the Michigan defense always held to a high standard by the media, by the coaches, by your teammates, by yourself, by the former players. It's definitely a big game for us because that's what you come here for, to win games. A defense can kind of control the game, so we definitely worked hard to try to get some of that back."
On the five pass break-ups ... "It was a fun game. I think the coaches did a good job of putting me in position to make plays. My teammates did a great job of doing their job, which allowed me to make some plays on some balls. So that was really the deal. The coaches put me in good position, and my teammates did a great job of really executing, which kind of led the quarterback, in some position, to make some throws in my direction."
On this week's game inspiring the rest of the season ... "I think you always have to take the good and the bad from the game. And that's definitely one thing we can take, good from the game. It was a physical game. We came out. We played tough. That's one thing we kind of pride ourselves on. We want to be able to go out there and physically be able to match up with people if they're running the football or whatever. We just did a good job. We felt confident in the game plan as well, so it was a good game for us."
On more frustration from the beginning ... "I didn't think about it much. If I see somebody out of position or want to remind a guy about this, I just took it upon myself to say something. But one thing we're doing a good job is we're getting together as a group and watching film together. I'm able to share some of the things that I would like to tell them on the field in the film session, so they know some of the things that I'm thinking in the back end when they come out of formations."
On freshman defensive back Donovan Warren ... "I think Donovan's doing a pretty good job out there. Being a freshman, that's a tough position to be in, starting in games and getting all those reps. But I think, just like everybody else on the defense, he has to continue to improve. I have to continue to improve. Shawn Crable has to continue to improve. And Donovan Warren has to continue to improve. I think he's young, he's talented, and he's always eager to make plays. So he just has to continue to improve, just like everyone else on the defense."
On being in the right position ... "You want to get in the right position, because if they're not in the right position and the ball comes through, it's you, the ball carrier, and the end zone. And nobody knows on TV that the three-technique wasn't in his gap or the linebacker wasn't in his gap. Only thing they know is how the safety guy is shook for a touchdown. So I definitely try to get guys lined up, makes it easier on me and the others in the secondary, and just make sure the defense is functioning in the right capacity."
On the mental progress with the new guys ... "I think it's just a combination of things. The coaches are doing a great job of making sure guys are prepared. We're doing a great job in practice. That's one of the biggest things. We're practicing really hard, and guys are just gaining confidence from the practices that we have, and they're just confident in what they're doing."
On having fun playing ... "When you have success, it's easier to have fun. And when you're going out there and you're holding guys to three-and-outs, it's a little more fun than when they're going on 12-play drives, and they're moving the ball up and down the field. So that's a part of it. We're executing better, which has allowed us to have fun. That's accumulation from a lot of things: film study, practicing hard, coaches doing a great job putting in great game plans, and guys going down and executing. So it's accumulation from a lot of things, but the fun part only comes when you're playing good. It's hard to have fun when you're losing."
On Northwestern compared to the other spread teams faced this year ... "Different may be the fact that the quarterback may not have the running abilities of the other two quarterbacks that we faced earlier this year. The similarity is probably the number of receivers they're going to put out on the field at one time. They have a great ability to throw the ball, probably greater than the other two teams that we played earlier. So that's probably the biggest difference, the quarterback's ability to run the football, and Northwestern really has a very good game plan to throw the football."
On confidence ... "I think we just feel confident right now because we just came away from two games where we played good defense. Like Coach English says, you kind of get used to playing good, and you kind of get used to practicing good. So that's what you expect out of yourself. I don't think anybody can really say, 'We feel really confident about this game.' The only time I feel confident is after we practice and after we prepare for the game. We haven't really prepared for this game yet, so once we've prepared, we'll be able to say, 'Hey, we're a confident group right now.' But right now, we're a group that's just trying to find our way in the sense of studying to see what Northwestern's trying to do."
On confidence of the defense specifically after the two losses ... "You can't be too confident when you lose but we have some coaches that were definitely on us, and they believed in us. That's probably the biggest thing. The coaches believed in us, and because they believed in us so much, we started to believe in ourselves again, and we started playing better."
On the quality of tackling now ... "I think guys are pursuing the ball better. Like I said before, it stems from practicing. We've been practicing tackling better. We've been pursuing the ball better. We still have to get so much better. That's probably the most promising thing to me. When we watch the film, there are still so many things we can improve on, and we really want to improve on those things in practice so we can get even better for this week."
On the team's tackling problem ... "We kind of had a problem of leaving our feet in the tackles. We weren't wrapping up as well as we are now. But probably the biggest thing about tackling is that we're getting a lot of numbers to the ball. So even if one guy misses, the guy might gain only one more yard, but the other guy's making a tackle. That's one thing we're trying to do even better now, to get more guys to the ball so even if a guy misses a tackle, he feels confident in really going after the tackle because he knows his teammates has his back."
On Mike Hart this season ... "This is probably one of the most impressive performances he's put on this year, probably because of the young freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett we've had. And we really put a lot on his shoulders just to run the football. The offensive line is doing a great job of punching holes in there, but I think he's performing at a tremendous level, making people miss in the backfield. I see commitment outside, not just on the field. I see him in the training room all the time in the ice tub, making sure he's fresh. So I see commitment off the field as well, in the training room and in the film session. I will call him, 'Where you at, Mike I'm going to watch film.' So this is a Mike Hart who really understands that the team is putting a lot on his shoulders, and he's definitely able to carry that load."
On Brandent Englemon playing next to him ... "It's a difference. It's a senior guy out there who knows what he's doing because he's been there before. I know he can control the side of his field, and I can really focus on controlling my side. He's making plays, so I love playing with Brandent. I've known him for four years. He is a very good friend of mine. It's fun to go out there and compete and have fun with your friend."
On Brandent making the game easier ... "I think it is easier with him back there with me. Like I said, he knows what he's doing. He knows how to control his side of the field, and likewise with mine. And sometimes if we have to change the coverage, sometimes I might be so caught up in something else, he'll have to remind me, 'Hey you might be in the post this time.' It's great to have two guys back there that know exactly what they're doing and have experience playing in the games."
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