Wolverines Q&A: Hoke on Rutgers, Penn State
10/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Kornacki
Michigan football coach Brady Hoke and Steve Kornacki will talk Michigan football each week on MGoBlue.com. On Sunday night (Oct. 5), the two discussed the 26-24 loss at Rutgers and upcoming first-ever Big Ten night game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 11, 7 p.m.) with Penn State.
Q. What did watching the videotape of Saturday night's game reveal to you?
A. I think the progress in the running game and the offensive line. They played with an attitude and a demeanor. I thought their intensity on the line of scrimmage -- you could feel it and you could see it. Derrick (Green) and De'Veon (Smith) both poured it up in there and made some things happen. The movement created at the line of scrimmage was something that was really good. And this (Rutgers) defense was a very quick defense. They have some size to them, but are real quick and were doing a lot. And I thought the guys up front did a nice job of handling things.
Q. What did you see in the pass coverage, with Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova throwing for 404 yards, that needs to be corrected?
A. We got out-leveraged a little bit from an alignment standpoint -- either on the motions over or not pressing (at) the line of scrimmage off the motion. That hurt us a little bit. And whenever you talk about pass coverage, you've got to talk about pass rush. And we got two sacks (by Willie Henry and Taco Charlton), but we also had some opportunities to hit the quarterback that I think we've got to follow through with as the ball is released. I mean, you want to send messages, and I didn't think we did that as well.
And as a whole, we played the run very well. Yeah, the coverage needed to be tighter some. And we're coaching them in the right alignment and making sure the leverage is part of it. And making sure they are seeing everything that they can during the week.
Q. You mentioned the run defense, and Rutgers had 74 yards on 30 carries. Getting back to those kinds of numbers - with the proper tackling technique and staying in gap assignments -- was something you stressed correcting last week in practice and that got results.
A. I think so. I think, like we talked last week, those guys went back to the fundamentals, back to your fits and your integrity as a defense. But we did a good job of getting off some blocks up front, and I felt Joe (Bolden) and Jake (Ryan) did a good job and both did a nice job of being linebackers.
Q. You had eight more tackles for losses in this game, and the 39 after six games is the most Michigan has had at that point of the season since 2009. Can you talk about the success you're having there?
A. There are a lot of guys who are doing the right thing there. They are either sending the ball (carrier) back and it's coming back to the guy it should, a guy who's unblocked. And guys are doing a better job of getting off blocks, and we've just got to keep that moving in that direction.
Q. And what did you see from sophomore defensive end Taco Charlton, who had two of those tackles for losses?
A. He got his first start, and I think he did some really good things. He got the one sack. And I think you can see that his length (6-foot-6, 275 pounds with a significant wing span) is such an advantage with him. As he continues to improve as a player, he could be somebody that we would expect a lot from.
Q. Taco has a lot of talent, and you can see it coming together now.
A. Yes, it is. And he's still young, and so his maturity and preparation and stuff like that we've got to keep working on.
Q. You were three-for-three in the red zone and are one of five teams in the nation perfect in scoring opportunities in the red zone this year. And 13 of 15 trips to the red zone have resulted in touchdowns. What is it that you emphasize in practice or do in drills that has helped lead to that success?
A. We do a lot of one-on-one stuff in the red zone on both sides of the ball. I think that work is part of it. I think offensively (offensive coordinator) Doug (Nussmeier) sets the schedule in what he does in the red zone. I think, obviously, the quarterbacks have done a good job in the red zone of getting points while we're in there.
Q. Devin Gardner threw for 178 yards and ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns in returning to the starting lineup. Shane Morris had started the previous week. What's your quarterback situation headed into Saturday?
A. I think as we continue, Devin will be the guy who will start. I think he had a good football game. He did a lot of good stuff from playing the position of quarterback to his leadership. And I thought that was evident on the sideline. When the defense was out there after him and Nuss got together and did what they needed to do, he's one of the first guys up there cheering those guys on. And I think that's something that's special. But Shane will be second, and then we'll go from there.
Q. What did you like about your team as a whole against Rutgers?
A. They played hard; they fought for each other. I thought the leadership was excellent. We had two drives in the fourth quarter, even though one of them stalled out with the incompletion to (Amara) Darboh.
Q. You said after the game that you were certain that Darboh's third-and-eight grab was a good catch, and it would've meant a first down at Rutgers' 30-yard line with about three minutes remaining. You challenged it, but the review didn't change the call. Do you have any other thoughts on it?
A. Well, we talked to the Big Ten, with Bill Carollo, who's the supervisor of officials. We discussed it, and I think him and I got through it. They know my concerns on the play, and he was just starting to review everything. But talking about it, it's not going to change. We've got to move onto Penn State. But you want to be enlightened. Maybe we didn't have the whole rule or whatever. You never know -- you don't want it to happen again, let's put it that way.
Q. The Penn State game on Saturday will be the first night game played against a Big Ten opponent at Michigan Stadium. Can you share your thoughts on the significance of that?
A. I think, number one, whenever you play at Michigan Stadium it's special -- going down the tunnel. But this is the first Big Ten game under the lights in front of our fans, and I think it will be a great environment just like the other two night games (with Notre Dame). And this will be special because it's the first one against a Big Ten school.
