Wolverines Q&A: Hoke on Miami University, Utah
9/15/2014 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 (Sept. 14), the two looked back at the 34-10 win over Miami (Ohio) and the upcoming Saturday afternoon (Sept. 20) game with Utah at Michigan Stadium.
Q. What are your thoughts on the resiliency your team showed last week, and the energy they played with against Miami (Ohio)?
A. As a team, it was nice and great to see them stay together throughout. It's what you expect, and that's what we have on this team.
Q. What did you see as the causes for the three turnovers against Miami?
A. We had some turnovers. Devin (Gardner's) ball got tipped at the line of scrimmage and floats a little higher and gets intercepted. Ball security, Amara (Darboh) makes a great third-down conversion and just doesn't get the ball put away in time. And on the kickoff, our communication has to be better. We've got to do a good part of it coaching on pop up kicks like that. We kind of expected it after Dennis (Norfleet) took the first kickoff out (for a 42-yard return). We've just got to communicate better. Justice (Hayes) told Wyatt (Shallman) that it was 'Mine! Mine! Mine!' But he didn't hear him. We've just got to do a better job with that part of it."
Q. At the end of the first half there were some things going on during your final possession. On a fourth-and-one, Miami called time out with one minute to play. And before you could run your next play, there was a penalty for delay of game. That made it fourth-and-six and you decided to punt. In order to give Will Hagerup a better shot at a successful pooch punt, you purposely took another delay of game penalty of five yards to put the ball at the Miami 42. It seemed as if you might not have gotten notification from the officials that the 25-second clock had started after the Miami timeout. Was that the case?
A. The mechanics from the officials to us -- there's always a mechanic that's used. For some reason, the mechanic of letting us know when they were going to start the play clock and the 25 seconds coming out of that and the time out (was not relayed). And we usually get an indicator. But no one got the indicator. And before we ever knew the 25 seconds had been approached, we got a penalty.
We were going to for it on fourth-and-one. I had a lot of confidence that we could get the one yard. And then the delay (of game penalty) happens and the thing that we looked at doing then is it's going to be fourth-and-six. Notre Dame scored in 1:27. We've got the game where we want it going in at the half, with us in the lead (17-10). For us to go for it on fourth-and-six and (potentially) give them a short field, as well as our defense is playing, I didn't want to put our defense in that position. And we take the other penalty to help the pooch with the wind behind him. And (Hagerup) got a little too much of it. But the mind-set of going for it on fourth-and-one, no question about it. The mechanics about the play clock, something is missing there. And for us then, on fourth-and-six, it just didn't seem like the right time to do it.
Q. We've seen Devin Gardner, both in the Notre Dame game and Miami game, getting involved even with what's going on for your defense from the sidelines. What have you seen from him after three games in terms of his growth as a leader?
A. Well, there's no question that his growth as a leader is improved greatly. His interaction with his teammates, his leadership when you look at how he communicates. He's a guy who from that standpoint is really developing into the kind of leader you want to have on your team. Even against Notre Dame, he was always very active on the sideline talking. He gets done with Coach Nuss (offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) and would come over to the defense and talk to them between series or during a timeout. He did the same thing yesterday. And that's the example that you want. It's heartfelt. I'm not going to speak for him, but I know how he feels about his teammates.
Q. With Devin Funchess out last week, Amara Darboh, Jake Butt and others really stepped up to make some catches. How pleased were you about that?
A. It was nice. Da'Mario Jones gets a reception. Freddy Canteen gets one. Butt, we get a little bit more from him during the course of the game. Darboh, obviously, and (Jehu) Chesson played a lot of football the first two games. But, I think their output and what they did from the standpoint of adjusting without Funchess in the football game was good.
Q. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Delano Hill made their first starts in the secondary. Tell us what you thought about them stepping up and the progress they've made to have bigger roles.
A. Delano missed a lot of fall camp, but he was able to do enough things without contact that kept him in No. 1 football shape, and he came in and played a good football game for us. He was a guy who had to take control without Jarrod (Wilson) in the football game. I thought he did a good job with that. Jourdan played much better when you look at his fundamentals and his technique. And that was a big part. We feel we've got great competing and competition going on, and challenging each other. He did a good job. Jourdan and all our corners after last week re-focused, and that's what you want them to do in knowing your opponent and knowing your fundamentals and techniques. When you look defensively, you always look at the leverage your defense is aligned with. And I thought they did a nice job.
Q. Your defense held Notre Dame and Miami to a combined 87 yards rushing, and it's been six years since a Michigan defense has done better in back-to-back games. What has your front seven done to hold down opponents there?
A. We've got a couple linebackers who are pretty active -- Jake (Ryan) and Joe (Bolden) predominantly in this football game and the Notre Dame game they are making a lot of tackles. And if they are making a lot of tackles, then the guys up front our doing a pretty good job. I think Ryan Glasgow played his best game this week. I think Willie Henry keeps getting better and better. And then having Bryan Mone, another inside guy, being able to come in the game. Chris Wormley, Matthew Godin and Ondre Pipkins -- all those guys are getting some snaps in there. I think the work they're doing and Brennen Beyer and Frank Clark, Taco Charlton and Mario Ojemudia ... I think all those guys are really playing more physical. And at the same time, that's got to improve because of who we're now playing."
Q. Playing so many defensive linemen is a reflection of your depth. It's going to be important having fresh legs in there and being able to rotate players against better competition, isn't it?
A. Keeping those guys fresh and trying to give reps to enough of them -- where they can play as fresh as they can and as hard as they can. That's important.
Q. You've liked the vocal support from your fans at Michigan Stadium this year, and they were particularly into it in the fourth quarter against Miami, weren't they?
A. On the series in the fourth quarter, Miami's going to go for it on fourth down (and nine yards to go) initially. The fans are doing a nice job of cheering and they take a false start (for a five-yard penalty), and that's a nice job by our fans. Then on fourth-and-14, they were loud. It's such an impact. They impacted the game in the fourth quarter.
I know how it is when we go places and venues we play at. When those fans are going wild, it really makes it tough on the offense. And we're going to need them this weekend because I think Utah is second in the country with scoring offense (with 57.5 points per game). And we're going to need them to be loud on those second and third downs. And that's going to be important every week. It's going to be important that we have that same volume because it makes it tough on the other guys.
Q. When you looked at film after this win, what areas are you still looking for the most improvement in?
A. We'll start with taking care of the football. We're minus-seven right now in (turnover margin) and something's got to change. Our ball security has got to get better. We had an opportunity for another interception and another ball that was on the ground. If the ball is on the ground, it's got to be ours. So, we've got to do a good job of rallying to the football. I thought our effort throughout, on both sides of the ball, was good. We stall ourselves a little bit. It was first-and-10 in the red zone, and we rushed for seven yards and have a snap that kind of slipped on Jack (Miller) a bit and Devin (Gardner) couldn't secure it. So, that makes it now instead of second-and three, we go third-and-five. Now, defenses can dictate a little more to you.
Q. That was different than what your team showed at the beginning and end of the game, wasn't it?
A. And the start of the game, we started well. We take points out of our first two drives. We get a field goal and then we score a touchdown (on a 17-yard Gardner to Darboh pass). (Our) defense's first drive, we get the interception (by Lewis) that sets up the score. That consistency is what we have to have because we finished strong, too.
Q. You got a big game from placekicker Matt Wile, who was good on 29- and 40-yard field goals. That was important for him to have that success, wasn't it?
A. I think that it was great to get him back out there. We have a lot of faith in Matt, and he works hard it. And to get him back out there in front of a live audience with our fans, he kicked two nice balls. So, that was really important -- especially the one at the end (for 40 yards). I wanted him to get another opportunity to kick the ball. That's something that I think his confidence is going to be much higher because of.
