00:00When you watch the tape of that game against Illinois, what did you see from the defensive line and how can it improve?
00:05Just being more physical, being more consistent.
00:08It all starts with the front. We have to be able to stop the run, have to be able to affect the quarterback.
00:13When you're not doing those things, it makes it hard to protect other areas of the field.
00:17It all starts right there, so that right there is something that group has to set the tone every single week.
00:23Any idea why they didn't set the tone in that game?
00:25I have no idea why. They got off to a slow start. Unacceptable. We've already talked about it over the bye.
00:32They had a good week of practice. They're locked in this week, but starting fast and just controlling the front has been a huge emphasis.
00:41What was the emphasis with the secondary just kind of going over the course of this bye?
00:45It was good to get a lot of guys reps in different spots and really just taking it back to day one.
00:55Unique, fundamentals, tackling, getting off blocks, man coverage, leverage, just small things like that.
01:01The guys did talk a lot last week about starting fast, the need to start fast.
01:05So what did you do during the bye week to really make sure that happens?
01:07And what can you do leading up to the game, too, even in warm-ups?
01:12I think it's just you're prepared and you go out there and you execute.
01:15I don't think it's something that you can just, you know, do in practice to magically pop up on the game.
01:21It's just, you know, you emphasize it. You practice hard. You practice the right way.
01:27You try to say it's process-oriented as you can and just seeing, you know, are we doing things the right way?
01:33And then on game day, you know, when they hit the field, it's not like practice.
01:36You know, we're on the sidelines. They have to go out there and, like I said, especially starting up front,
01:41they have to set the tone really for the entire team.
01:43So when you say process-oriented, how would you define the process at this point in the season?
01:48You know, we need to clean stuff up. We need to be more consistent up front.
01:53Linebacker-wise, we need to be more consistent with our fits.
01:55And then just from a secondary standpoint, really being more consistent with everything.
01:59When you say practice the right way, have they been practicing the right way since the last?
02:03Yes, they have.
02:04And what has their response been since the last?
02:06It was good. You know, we had a good bye.
02:08We had three or four competitive practices against the offense.
02:13And then this week, it's just been all locked in on Michigan.
02:16Riddick was kind of thrown into the fire against Illinois.
02:18What did you see from him in gameplay?
02:19Yeah, that was tough for him to do, man.
02:21I was super impressed.
02:22You know, he didn't get a chance to enroll early, so he wasn't here at all in spring.
02:26And he missed a big portion of camp.
02:28So he's been behind on reps, but he went in there.
02:30One thing, he's super competitive.
02:33So he was competing every single play.
02:34He's super, super unconscious.
02:37So every mistake he made, you know, he was very, very locked in, understood why.
02:41He's typically not a kid that makes the same mistakes twice.
02:44You know, there are some ups and downs, but he did a lot of good things out there.
02:46He did enough.
02:47You know, we were excited about it, and we're excited about the direction he's going.
02:51Michigan played this past weekend, obviously touted for the rushing attack.
02:53But what did you see against Wisconsin?
02:55You know, they're a complete team.
02:57You know, they obviously can run the ball, but as you look from week one to now, their
03:01passing game has kind of expanded each week.
03:04And you see the quarterback just getting more comfortable with the college game, with the
03:08speed of the game, and processing what he's getting from the defense.
03:12And I think you've seen him improve every single week.
03:15You know, at this point, I think they're a complete offense.
03:17What did you see from the three linebacker looks against Illinois?
03:20And what needs to happen to play three linebackers more often?
03:24It really just depends on the team that we're playing.
03:27You know, there's going to be times where we have three backers.
03:29There's going to be times where we have five D linemen.
03:31It's just going to depend on the package.
03:33What did you think of the three linebacker packages against Illinois?
03:37How did those look?
03:38They did some good things, and then there were some plays that we had to correct.
03:41You talked a lot about getting stronger and more physical, bigger in the trenches coming
03:45into the season.
03:46Does this feel like a game where that's really tested?
03:49Yeah, every team really from here on out is going to be tested.
03:53You know, every team from here on out has an offensive line that has the ability to control
03:58the line of scrimmage and has the ability to be able to control the game.
04:02So that's something that we have to respond, you know, with our front seven every single
04:07week.
04:07What stands out in particular about Michigan's running?
04:10They're very, very well coached.
04:12You can tell that they know what they're doing.
04:15Their offensive line plays very well together.
04:17It's probably the best backs we've played all year.
04:20Their tight ends are complete tight ends.
04:23You know, they're very, very big.
04:24They can block, but they can also hurt you in the pass game.
04:26Like I said, it's, you know, it reminds you of an NFL team.
04:29It's a complete offense.
04:30They can beat you in the air.
04:31They can beat you with their interior run game.
04:34They could beat you on the edge.
04:36You kind of have to defend everything.
04:37But again, it starts up front.
04:38How much confidence do you have in D?
04:40I know you already talked about him a little bit, but if he's progressing well, could Kamari
04:44potentially fall back into his normal spot and D play nickel?
04:47Yeah, so that was a good thing over the bye was being able to just pour into a ton of
04:52guys and get guys reps in spots where they've been getting reps, but being able to get them
04:57just a lot of just concentrated reps and back-to-back.
05:00And we have a lot of confidence in guys like D.
05:02You know, we have a lot of confidence in guys like Alex when we're able to get him back.
05:07And the more those guys get reps, the more comfortable we'll be with them in games.
05:12Where do you feel like Eric Gentry has maybe added most to his game coming into this season?
05:16And how important is he in a game like this when you have a mobile quarterback, you have
05:20a good run game?
05:20I would say just with the personnel and some of the injuries like that, he's been doing
05:25a lot more off-the-ball stuff.
05:27Last year, he was kind of like half and half.
05:29And I've just been impressed, really, with him taking that step off the ball.
05:32You see him communicating a lot more.
05:34You see him calling and plays out.
05:38You see him playing like an inside backer in the box.
05:41I just think he's getting more comfortable off the ball.
05:43Did you see the defensive line take what Illinois did on the offensive line personally?
05:48Have you seen any of that the past couple of weeks?
05:49I think the entire defense did, yeah.
05:52Giving up the big play was a point of concern last year against Michigan.
05:54We saw a little bit of that against Illinois.
05:56How do you, in practice, emphasize stopping that?
05:58I mean, it's tackling.
05:59It's getting off blocks.
06:00If there's an eight-yard curl that goes for 60 yards, we have to get him down.
06:06If there's a screen and we have three guys that can make the play, we have to get off
06:10the block.
06:10We have to know where our leverage is.
06:13And we have to just do small things like that.
06:16And you dealt with our mobile quarterback, Aiden Childs, Bryce Hunter.
06:19It's a little bit bigger.
06:20He is, yeah.
06:21How much different of a challenge has he maybe done?
06:24You know, they're similar.
06:26I would say he's probably a little bit more explosive.
06:28You know, they both have really strong arms.
06:31They can make any throw on the field.
06:34You know, I've just been impressed when you watch week one to week two to week three to
06:37week four.
06:38You actually, you know, you see him getting better and better each week.
06:41So, you know, I think he's going to be a hell of a player.
06:45Tremaine Carroll was spoken so highly of early in the season as far as conditioning goes.
06:49Now that we're quite a few games in, are you still seeing the results of that early
06:52season conditioning?
06:53Maybe even what he's doing now, too?
06:55Yeah, the guys love Coach True.
06:57He's done a great job with him.
06:59Him and his entire staff have.
07:01Hey, Coach, outside of Gentry, super young linebacker, how do you feel this bias helped
07:05with kind of the development of guys like Stevens, Walker?
07:08You know, it's helped a lot.
07:10It's helped, you know, let their bodies heal some.
07:13That's the thing you don't take account for.
07:15You know, that was really our first time playing in games.
07:17And just having that week to be able just to rest and heal up and then, again, take things
07:23back to square one.
07:24Okay, let's just go back to basic fundamental things.
07:27But I think all the young guys in that group have improved.
07:31Let's do one more.
07:33Coach, what's been the vote of confidence that you've been instilling throughout this entire
07:36play?
07:37You know, just playing our brand of ball, you know, and just really just staying locked
07:42in and just talking about mental toughness and really, you know, regardless of what happens
07:48to play before, regardless of outside circumstance, you know, just locked in and just playing our
07:53brand of ball and just being more consistent.
Comments