Brady Hoke
On this week: Obviously
this is a special week. It’s a great rivalry game for us. It’s a fun game to be
a part of either as a coach or a player. We were pleased with the win last
Saturday, but we have to play a lot better than we did and we have to make the
improvements we need to make from week to week.
Why has Denard
Robinson been so successful against Notre Dame: I don’t know. I don’t know
if anyone knows that. Every year is different. Every game is different. The
pieces that are on the field are different. It has just been lucky for us…lucky
for Michigan
that he has played well late in ball games.
Are you concerned
about the future of this rivalry with Notre Dame’s new agreement with the ACC: That’s
probably a decision I will have nothing to do with. I think it’s a great
rivalry from a national perspective. I don’t know…they have to take care of
what they need to take care of by going into the ACC in the other sports and
having the opportunity to play competitive games against people outside the
conference. Believe me, we have enough going on here to worry about what we are
doing.
What stood out the
most about Denard’s performance last year against Notre Dame: No. 1, for
three quarters we did nothing, on either side of the ball. So that’s what I
remember the most. I think Denard, in the fourth quarter, played well. I think
his receivers did a good job. I thought some of the adjustments Al Borges made
were very good for us offensively. We just kept fighting away.
Is Denard a player
that shines in the big games: I hope he shines in a lot of games. He is
your quarterback and he handles the ball a lot. From my vantage point, we are
just glad he’s our quarterback at Michigan .
Are you concerned
about the physicality of your team: I think we need to play more physical.
I think we need to play faster on both sides of the ball. I think finishing
plays is something we need to do a better job at. When you look at defense,
getting 11 guys to the football and the physicalness we want to play up front
with. From the offensive standpoint, the movement at the line of scrimmage, so
we can be a little more vertical in our run game. All those things are part of
it.
What is Notre Dame
bringing to the table defensively that is different from last year: When
you watch them, their front seven is playing very aggressive. They held Michigan State
Mark Dantonio
On last week: Tough
loss this past weekend. It’s hard, but it’s very competitive out there and we
want to get back on the right path, so we’re moving forward.
On losing at home
during a big recruiting weekend and how that impacts landing the recruits: It
helps every time you get a young man on campus. I think that is the main thing.
A lot of our guys will come for the game experience. They will have the
opportunity to maybe see a coach, possibly see me, but there will be another
time they come where they will have an opportunity to sit down with the coach
and talk and I think it is important that every time a young man comes to
campus he sees a different aspect of what he is going to experience when he
plays here. That’s what we’ve always tried to do here. If one guy can only come
one weekend and he’s from a long ways away, we are going to try to give him the
total exposure. It’s extremely competitive. On a day like the Notre Dame game,
it’s extremely busy.
On Andrew Maxwell’s
learning curve: I think a quarterback continues to grow. It’s a lot like
golf. You can call the same play, but it’s always a different shot. You can be
the same distance away from a hole, but its always a different shot you are
taking. There are so many different things a quarterback is seeing, from
different coverages to different pressures, blitzes, that no play that we run
is too often the same because the different things that add up on it. I think
he continues to develop. The thing I have been most impressed about Andrew is
that he has a very strong arm, physically. He has a very good hand on our
offensive, conceptually. He is extremely composed and resilient and he doesn’t
panic under pressure. Those are the things that will bring him forward. The
other things, if he can maintain those things, the other things will iron
themselves out. It is an experience-based position. You just make great strides
in every game you play. Especially when you are doing it for…. he is going into
his fourth game this week as a starter. That’s not very many. When you look
back and make a statement, for example, Kirk Cousins played 30 as a starter, or
more. There is a learning curve, but I am very impressed and happy with what he
has done.
On the potential for
changes in the lineup: I think there are always guys that are in that area that
they may start, they may not start based on their inexperiences and other
things. Particularly at wide receiver and our remaining safety position and one
of our defensive tackle positions. Those type of things, there is a little bit
of play there because we have guys with similar abilities. It’s not like they’re
playing bad football, it is just we have guys that are similar in their
abilities at those particular positions that probably warrant opportunities.
What do you expect to
see out of your receivers: I think for us to step forward we have to catch
the ball cleanly. We have to make the tough catch. Credit Notre Dame with
defending some balls and getting them out with the swat or something of that
nature. But, you have to make the big play in the football game and you have to
catch the deep ball. You have to have great run after catch. Those are the
things you are trying to see who is able to create that and fill the void that
Keshawn Martin, B.J. Cunningham and Keith Nichol left. Those guys were more
experienced players and it was second nature to them to get the ball and go.
For our guys right now, they are young and inexperienced, so they are getting
the experience as we go. But, they are outstanding athletes and they have
outstanding talent and they have the ability to catch the football from top to
bottom. But they are young, and just like the quarterback, they have to get
lined up properly and run the right route and play within the confines of your
system.
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