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00:00 And after this game, I know things got chippy,
00:05 I know things got a hand for you guys.
00:07 But what do you guys tell each other?
00:10 Not so much what the coaches are saying,
00:12 but how do you guys keep this together?
00:15 Obviously, we've got a group of guys
00:16 that really want to win.
00:18 And we're itching for that victory.
00:20 And when you've got a team with guys
00:22 that's hungry for success like that,
00:24 things will get heated in a sense.
00:26 Just want to expect the best out of everybody.
00:28 And we've got five more opportunities to win.
00:31 And we're going to do what we're going to have to do
00:33 to get those five wins.
00:35 Hey, Aaron, you guys came in with one of the best
00:38 third-down heat tests in the country.
00:40 They came in for their first five.
00:41 Was there anything they were doing early
00:43 that was giving them success in the heat tests
00:45 that you guys made?
00:46 They weren't doing much special early on.
00:49 Actually, I had a player I messed up on.
00:51 They got around the edge on one of the third downs.
00:54 And so far, they weren't doing nothing spectacular.
00:57 We were just us really doing our job
00:59 and giving the back end less time to cover
01:02 and get some runs up front so they can cover less time.
01:06 And some of those third downs, we didn't get that opportunity.
01:09 Give those guys that opportunity to make plays
01:11 because we want to get back there faster.
01:13 Aaron, I'm just watching you play tonight
01:21 in your body language.
01:23 It seemed like you were really, I guess,
01:25 bought into the whole rivalry thing.
01:27 Can you talk about just your feelings and emotions
01:30 during the game and how you as a player
01:33 take what--the way you performed tonight
01:35 and take that through the rest of the season?
01:37 Yeah, usually my energy feeds off of my teammates.
01:41 Guys like Zion, Sam, and all those guys like that.
01:44 Usually it's who I feed off of.
01:45 And I know that rivalry means the guys that came before me
01:48 and things like that, so I think that's probably
01:50 the one to play for.
01:53 Aaron, I hear Coach Brown was in here talking to us,
01:55 but he said part of his message to you guys
01:57 was about sort of trying to tighten things up,
01:59 not letting things slide, I guess, maybe at the end.
02:01 You know, being more focused,
02:03 I guess maybe a little less compassion.
02:05 Just what did you guys take away from that part?
02:07 What did you tell him? What was sort of the message?
02:09 -Before the game, you're saying? -After the game.
02:11 Oh, oh.
02:13 Yeah, we just got to stay together.
02:15 That's basically what he's saying.
02:16 He's just saying stay together.
02:17 Because in situations like this,
02:19 teams that don't have discipline
02:21 and don't have people to really, you know,
02:23 keep guys together, they can fall apart.
02:25 And I don't think that's the case with us.
02:28 We just really want to win.
02:29 And I think we'll eventually take that step
02:32 to get these-- get these--
02:33 pull these last five runs off.
02:36 You guys have talked about, you know,
02:39 staying together and rallying,
02:41 and, you know, when Coach was in here,
02:43 he was talking about, you know,
02:45 you guys know what needs to change,
02:47 not to, like, shoot yourself in the foot.
02:49 What can you talk with that you guys can actually
02:51 turn this around if it's kind of the same problems
02:53 that it presents to you?
02:55 We're going to do-- guys are going to go to class.
02:58 We're going to do everything right off the field,
03:00 leading up throughout the whole week.
03:01 Like Coach Barnett talks about us every week.
03:03 We're going to make sure the guys are doing things
03:05 right off the field and hopefully at least
03:07 success on the field.
03:08 Make sure guys are not on a missed practice.
03:10 If it's a little mixed and bruised,
03:12 everybody's going to be at practice.
03:13 We're going to practice harder each week
03:15 and we'll get through this.
03:18 [inaudible]
03:20 The last month, Coach Tucker,
03:25 that news happening,
03:27 how tough has this past month been for everybody?
03:31 I don't think it's as tough as we think.
03:33 We've been shooting ourselves in the foot, honestly.
03:36 Yeah, I think we have played a part in what's going on,
03:39 but we can't put the blame on that.
03:41 We've got great coaches that we put in place
03:43 to do what they do, and we've got--
03:45 they're calling names, right?
03:47 We've got to make plays.
03:49 And that's how tough this month's been for us.
03:51 Nathan Reiger, I wanted to ask you,
03:55 the changes you guys had to make
03:56 with getting the plays in from the sidelines,
03:58 just how did that affect the offense
04:00 and what type of adjustment was that for you guys?
04:03 I wouldn't say it was that type of adjustment.
04:06 We practiced huddle and going off to see those
04:09 throughout the week, so for us, it was just--
04:12 we do go off the replay rule a little bit,
04:15 just to slow the game down for us as well,
04:18 and just trying to control the game on that aspect.
04:20 So I wouldn't say that was a big change for us.
04:23 I also just wanted to ask you about some of their defense,
04:26 statistically the best one you guys have played so far.
04:28 Just what made them so effective?
04:30 Yeah, they're a very, very good team.
04:33 They're very strong, especially in their interior.
04:35 I don't know if you guys--
04:36 the biggest strength of the team is their alignment.
04:40 It was a challenge for us to be able to get those holes
04:45 and be able to push that fouls and be able to go out
04:48 and to move the ball.
04:50 But they're a really good team, and obviously,
04:53 there were times when we basically did well,
04:55 and they succeeded, and there were times
04:57 where they didn't actually do well and didn't work out.
04:59 So we have to control what we control,
05:01 no matter who they throw out there,
05:03 to be able to go out and support us
05:05 versus our job as offense.
05:09 Any additional questions?
05:11 Jim?
05:12 You know, keep up on the tight ends,
05:14 and not get the Colbert coverage.
05:16 They did a lot of damage there, nothing else worked.
05:18 I wouldn't necessarily say that they're hard to cover.
05:22 We've got to have good eyes on zone coverage
05:24 and things like that that we were playing,
05:26 and make plays when the plays come to us.
05:28 And I wouldn't say they did nothing much special,
05:31 but they're pretty solid schematically-wise,
05:33 and they were able to make plays when they were put in position.
05:37 What is it about changing authority
05:39 that makes them so hard to defend against?
05:41 Can you say that one more time?
05:43 What is it about Michigan's board of directors
05:45 changing authority that makes them so hard to defend against?
05:48 I think it's their scheme.
05:50 It's not necessarily them just doing all the work.
05:52 I think those guys are put in a great position
05:54 to do what they do, and they capitalize on a lot of opportunities.
05:57 That's the difference between top 10 teams
05:59 and teams on the outside, the top 10 and things like that.
06:01 They do little things really well,
06:03 and when they have mistakes, they fix them.
06:05 And I think that's what they do really well.
06:07 They're just really good at executing their game plan.
06:10 What would you say was just the vitamin blocker
06:12 after a loss like this?
06:14 I mean, something that was the most heart-rending loss in--
06:18 I mean, you can imagine a lot of guys were definitely upset,
06:22 you know, disappointed,
06:24 knowing us to have the right to beat them in our own house
06:27 the way that we lost.
06:29 So, you know, it's definitely something we have to be able to do.
06:33 It's definitely something we have to be able, as men,
06:36 to get our heads up and continue to move on and grow.
06:39 We still have five more games left this season,
06:42 and we have to go out there and do what we can
06:44 to win those last five games, no matter what team it is.
06:47 So that's our mindset right now.
06:49 We're going to continue to push forward,
06:51 and we'll continue to try our best to finish the season off strong.
06:54 Matt, you and Steven, this is for both you guys.
06:57 I was wondering, you already faced one top 10 team in Washington,
07:00 another today.
07:02 What were, I guess, the differences between them,
07:04 and what made them each what they are?
07:07 And is there one you think was better than the other?
07:11 The ball-related teams, Washington's a big play team.
07:15 They take a lot of shots down the field.
07:17 They have great receivers and things like that,
07:19 and obviously a really good quarterback.
07:21 Michigan, they're--
07:23 Matt, they sound, they do everything right up front.
07:26 Their quarterback makes checks and things like that pretty nice.
07:29 Not much of a similarity there, just two different styles of offense.
07:35 I'd say that both of those teams, they're very disciplined.
07:38 You can see that they had little to no penalties
07:41 between both of those teams against us.
07:43 They executed well, and they did a lot of little things great,
07:46 and they capitalized on opportunities that were planted.
07:49 So, when you're on a team, when you get to where they are,
07:52 you have to be able to not have a lot of penalties.
07:54 You have to be able to be disciplined.
07:56 We have to capitalize on a lot of the opportunities that we have.
07:59 Well, Steve and Chris, you're out.
08:02 I know you played against Michigan before,
08:05 but playing in this game here, I was wondering what your takeaways were
08:08 of being a part of this rivalry for the first time
08:10 and whether it was in the lead-up during the game after,
08:13 but just what did you learn from, I guess,
08:16 seeing what it meant to your teammates that have gone through it?
08:19 Yeah, well, first off, I'm blessed.
08:22 You know, the last time I played this team, I was a doctor this season.
08:25 And I'm just grateful that I had the opportunity to play them again
08:29 and show them the biggest atmosphere on the national club.
08:32 It's a blessing that I was able to take that program.
08:35 But like I said, it is rivalry,
08:37 and the nature that we have between each other is real.
08:41 So, I was able to see that firsthand being on the field.
08:44 And it's like I said, no one wants to lose the way that we lost,
08:48 especially if you're riding around.
08:50 I just said it's time to continue to grow from this,
08:53 and I wish I could see this show.
08:56 Chris.
08:57 This is for Nathan.
08:58 The whole science game, how did the team find out?
09:02 How did you guys find out?
09:04 We didn't think about that too much.
09:07 We found out probably how everyone else found out on social media.
09:10 And like I said, we were practicing huddle,
09:12 and we were practicing signals throughout the entire practice.
09:15 So, it never really changed much.
09:16 We didn't know what people were going to do going into game.
09:19 But we knew we wanted to slow it down,
09:21 and we did extra work on the lanes, and that team came in as a part.
09:25 So, I wouldn't say it affected us too much as far as changing up.
09:30 We didn't want to do all that stuff.
09:32 I'm wondering for both of you guys, over the course of the last month,
09:38 there's guys that are really, you know, I think you're a sophomore,
09:42 you're a senior, maybe you guys have been through some life.
09:46 How is this testing your leadership?
09:49 And how has it maybe developed your leadership at this point
09:53 that you guys can feel like you can guide the rest of your teammates the next five years?
09:59 People say once you're done with football, a lot of people like to hire football players
10:03 due to the fact that they're pretty stable in what they do,
10:06 they're pretty consistent in what they do.
10:08 And I think moving forward, like a number of other people, I think it's true,
10:15 moving forward, we just want to do everything right.
10:18 We don't necessarily want to do anything different.
10:21 There's nothing much that we need to change in what we're doing.
10:23 It's just executing and being more physical.
10:26 And I guess we're going to continue to do that.
10:30 I think this goes beyond football.
10:32 I think this is the principle for life.
10:34 And not if you're going to face adversity, there are going to be tough times
10:37 that you're going to have to get through.
10:39 So you have to be able to not just fall down to the adversity, but to continue to fight.
10:43 And Coach Reid told us the other day that he thought when he was born,
10:49 he didn't do anything else but we put down the running backs.
10:52 As our mom said, I believe that's just a lifestyle.
10:55 You have to be willing to fight because life, when the world throws crap at you,
10:59 you've got to be able to stand up and fight.
11:01 And where we are right now, we have to continue to fight.
11:03 We can't lay down.
11:04 We have five games left this season.
11:07 We've got to continue to finish strong.
11:08 We're putting the team out here and play our butts off
11:10 because this may be the last season for a lot of us.
11:14 Nobody knows what it is.
11:15 So how do you want to do that?
11:17 Do you want to be this guy who's on the team, the guy who laid down to the adversity?
11:22 We remember that someone fought and finished it through to the home.
11:26 So that's what's leading.
11:28 We have to be able to go out and share with the guys and the guys be able to respond to that.
11:32 I will put that right.
11:34 And I think this is really some of the easiest stuff, old-face in life.
11:39 Once you get to the real world, as you probably know, life is way harder than just football.
11:44 So I think what we have going on here, if you can't get past this, you'll struggle with what this has done.
11:50 So I think just do what you can here.
11:53 And I guess practicing for the real world and with the adversity that we're having right now
11:57 is going to lead to better things after the fact that football is done.
12:00 So I think that's the one.
12:03 Thank you, gentlemen.
12:05 Thank you, guys.