Brady Hoke Monday Press Conference: Utah Week
9/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 15, 2014
• Game Notes 
| Game Central
• Press Conference: Coach Hoke 
| Beyer, Green & Miller | Nussmeier | Mattison
• Inside Michigan Football
Note: Michigan's Sept. 27 home game against Minnesota has been announced as a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC (ESPN2 mirror).
J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Coach Brady Hoke
Opening statement ... "Thanks for coming out. Saturday was good to get back on the field, to compete. It was good to win. The effort was very good from our team. We certainly always have things we've got to do better, and we will do better. But the hardworking aspect of it, I thought some guys who stepped in in critical spots gained some valuable experience and confidence, and we're excited for what they did.
"We had five minutes in the second quarter that would be five minutes we wouldn't like to have. But I think coming through the adversity, coming out in the second half, defense shut them out. Offensively we rushed for 7.9 yards carrying in the second half, which is something that you want to do. From playing at home, and the crowd, and the beginning of the fourth quarter their series that they had really had an impact. (Miami) had to call timeout, in a fourth down situation. They come back out, they false start. And then on the fourth down we get a good get off from our guys up front. We get pressure, and the ball is thrown out of bounds. We can attribute that to the impact that it got a little louder. I'm on the field, and I know you all aren't, but you could hear it. It was good, it made an impact.
"We've got Utah coming in this weekend. They're undefeated; they had a bye week last week. They're second in the country in scoring offense. I think they average 309 throwing the ball, 268 running the football. Second or first in the country in tackles-for-loss. Somewhere there in for sacks -- I think they have 11 in two games.
"Something that we've got to do a better job with in coaching it and executing it is the turnovers. We had a chance on Saturday to come up with three turnovers defensively. We got the one interception, started fast as a team. The first two drives on offense we scored. First-team defense out on the field, we get the interception. But we did have two other opportunities we need to capitalize on. Obviously, the communication on the pop kick we need to do a better job on, from the standpoint of coaching it, the little things. Justice (Hayes) told me he yelled, 'mine, mine, mine,' and Wyatt (Shallman) just didn't hear him on that. That's something we have to emphasize as coaches. When you look at Devin's (Gardner) interception, the ball was tipped on the line of scrimmage that made it float a little higher, so it was out of Jehu (Chesson)'s reach and obviously (Amara) Darboh makes a great catch, gets a first down, and as he's putting the ball away, trying to secure it, the guy knocks it out. But you know, those three turnovers in a quick period of time, you don't want that. But I think the way the kids and the team handled it was very positive. Probably the longest opening statement in the history of college football."
On the offensive line's improved targeting ... "I think that's one way of putting it. There were a couple of plays where we didn't target as well that could have been huge plays, and that's one thing. After watching the film with the offensive staff and Doug (Nussmeier) talking about it, I think the target areas are better. The leverage is more consistent. Not where we want it when you talk about pad level. Outside zone plays, we for some reason targeted them as inside zones. You get your mike count; you've got a lot of things going on. Either the communication wasn't all the way out, or we just had bad target areas."
On DB Jabrill Peppers and where he fits in returning punts and kicks ... "I think, number one, there's a chance that that will happen, with him and Dennis (Norfleet) and (Amara) Darboh. Those three guys we've used most of the time. Obviously we want two return guys for those rugby punts -- one short, one a little deeper. Really, we have Norfleet being the guy in control and having an experienced guy short I thought was important. I know Darboh hasn't had a lot of experience, but he's been on the field, he's been in big games, so we thought that was important to do. I thought Jabrill Peppers held up pretty well. It's a learning process every time he goes out. From a leverage or playing bump or whatever it might be; every time he plays he'll get better. He's very instinctive, which is a plus."
On the reason why DB Jabrill Peppers was listed as a starter but didn't enter until the second quarter ... "Depth charts are what they are. We compete and challenge all the way through; he's had a great week. Just the way things went."
On DB Jeremy Clark's progression ... "You look at Jeremy's progress from freshman year. He's always been blessed pretty well with the physical attributes. His football intelligence continues to grow, and that's what you need at that position back there. In high school, some of those guys can line up where they want. Not because they're undisciplined but because they can make a lot of plays, because of that ability. The competition that we play, week in and week out, adjusting defenses, going from one coverage to another coverage on a motion -- all those things are things I think he's really worked hard on."
On RB Derrick Green's workload and the expectations for him ... "I always like to have one guy to feature. Having De'Veon (Smith) to go to is a big plus. We'll keep rotating guys through. He got the majority of the reps, and you never know when that could change, where De'Veon could get the majority of them."
On the turnovers, to trying to avoid back-to-back turnovers ... "Coincidence, I don't know on Devin (Gardner)'s, the guy tips the ball and just tips it enough to change the trajectory a little bit. (Amara) Darboh getting a first down, trying to get more yardage, trying to tuck the ball away. And the kicking is the one that we have got to do a good job coaching through it, but yeah we're concerned about it. We need to hold on to the ball, and we need to get more turnovers on defense."
On TE Jake Butt's game and how he will fit into the offense ... "I think Jake's got the best of both. He's a guy who can play wide truly on the line of scrimmage and block and protect. He also can play some H-back. He can run well enough. We had him on a play count -- to be honest with you -- and he played about what we wanted him to. As he feels more comfortable -- he always tells you he's fine -- so we'll see."
On the difference in OL Jack Miller's performance from last season to now ... "I think as much as anything it is maturity. I think his maturity, how he has developed and the responsibility within this offense. I'm not going to say it's greater, but there's more emphasis on that. I think that has helped him grow as a leader but also from the football-intelligence, instinct part of it. I think that is as big of a difference. He's finishing things more. He played well the other day. He didn't play perfect, and there are things we would like him to do better. There are some things he would like to do better."
On if OL Jack Miller would play guard if OL Graham Glasgow was at center ... "He has before; I'll put it that way. But we have not done that since camp."
On K Matt Wile taking the last punt ... "As much as anything, if you remember Wile took all the pooch punts a year ago. We tried to back up Will (Hagerup) a little bit. Will has an awfully strong leg. It's one of the things that Matt was doing better, were the pooches. At the end of the half, we tried to move him back a little bit and still he had too much leg. I think some of that was a fundamental flaw in the punt itself."
On if it is necessary to force turnovers against Utah's high-powered offense ... "Turnover margin is one of the biggest indicators in the game of football, either at the National Football League level or the college level, of how you end up seasons. I think all those things with Utah and the explosiveness they have offensively, that's always going to be the factor, but I think it is a big factor in this game. I also really believe that special teams will be a big factor in this game."
On what factor is leading to lack of tackles-for-loss ... "I'm not real down on that part of it. We had eight last week, tackles for losses, which is the most we have had in a year in a game. I don't think that has been as much of a negative. You can look at last week. We had one sack, nine hits on the quarterback and four hurries. He had to run around and throw the ball away, or he lets the ball go and somebody got him to the ground. We are getting closer. Is it where we want to be? No."
On why Utah is getting so many tackles for losses ... "In the first two games, they probably haven't blitzed as much as they would like to for one reason or another. I think we'll see more of that. If you get behind the sticks on third downs you know you are going to get it. I just think (Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham) always been an aggressive coach, he's a defensive coach. We played them twice at San Diego State and got embarrassed at their place one year. We played well the next year. They are always physical and always aggressive."
On how the game plans changed on both sides of the ball due to injuries ... "Defensively I don't know how much it was an impact. Just because we got Jabrill (Peppers) back, which helped. I thought Blake (Countess), the way he practiced all week and even how he played in the game -- you like to see Blake play. He had a big third-down knockdown on a slant. From that standpoint I don't think it was limited. From an offensive standpoint, Devin (Funchess) can be a mismatch. He is a big target. I think some of the things that we tried to do with (Amara) Darboh, we tried to do and did do with Darboh and (Jehu) Chesson were things that he normally does. You got a chance to teach some other guys a little bit more in the package. I think one thing about what Doug (Nussmeier) does, Joe Kerridge is your outside receiver when we went to some empty stuff. There are a lot of different spots and a lot of creativity in what you are trying to get from a defense."
On RB Derrick Green's improvement this season ... "I think again, he was a freshman a year ago -- a true freshman. He came in not in good shape, hurt his ankle, and he lost a bunch of reps. He started to come around at the end of last year, him and De'Veon both. They really did a nice job in the weight room, spring football, getting more reps seeing things better, it's all a combination. I think it's also because the guys in front are creating some space."
On Utah's style of play ... "They are a physical group, and they have always had offensive skill: the receivers, the backs, the quarterback. They have always been pretty skillful. They are big up front. On defense, they are very active. They are a very active and they pressure a bunch. I expect the same. He has a new coordinator in Dave Christensen. Dave was the head coach a Wyoming. We played him for two years, but from an offensive concept they have got some really good offensive couches when you look at (running backs coach) Dennis Erickson and Dave. Those are some guys that have coached a lot of ball."
On confidence in DB Jabrill Peppers playing cornerback ... "It depends on some calls that we have. It depends some on if he plays on the nickel or plays on the corner. We do more of that with Blake, playing the nickel. The corner position helps him out."
On the development of the defensive line as a group ... "It is a small sample group, and I would say that the competing challenge that we talk about daily, those guys from the inside, because of the depth we have been able to recruit too, they know that every practice they are fighting for time. They are competing for time, which helps the competitive spirit. Ryan Glasgow had the best practice in a while last week, and he played that way. In that group is a really tight group that is neat to see."
On what he hopes to see in the Utah game ... "We're playing a team who is number one in the Pac-12 and obviously the Big Ten has had a great relationship with those teams, and we have played a lot of them in the past. Utah is a football team that has scored a lot and has not given up a lot of points. They have good football players and skilled positions. For us it is about working hard and getting better every day. If I'm a defensive lineman and I'm working on a slant move, or whatever, I've got to get better every day. We have to keep going to work every day. We have to keep pushing each other and competing."
On Utah's move from MWC to Pac-12 ... "I don't know what they have had to go through or what they are doing. I better know we are doing at Michigan and worry about that. As far as what kind of teams they have had, they have good football teams and very physical football teams and very skilled football teams, I can tell you that."
