Biff Poggi on statement made during Sherrone Moore suspension: ‘We love our coach’

Biff Poggi and Michigan made a statement as the Wolverines beat Nebraska on the road 30-27 without head coach Sherrone Moore. The statement from Poggi and the team themselves? They love Moore.

Poggi, who acted as interim head coach during Moore’s suspension, guided the team over the last two weeks, improving to 3-1 on the season. But all the credit went to the full-time head coach as Poggi said he was just filling in and doing his job.

Poggi went 2-0 as the interim coach as Moore’s suspension was served amid the end of the sign stealing saga. But, he’ll return next week as Michigan looks to keep the train rolling after an impressive win over the Huskers.

“The statement was, I think, multifaceted,” Poggi said postgame. “First of all, it was, we love our coach, right? He’s our coach. He’s our coach for a reason. He recruited the team. He prepares the team. That was the first statement. And then the second statement was, there’s this narrative going around that we can’t win on the road. 

“And that was a statement and a little bit of a narrative like, hey, if it’s a really lively, hard place to play, we kind of, you know, we’re not finishing those games, and I think a lot of that was a statement today.”

Heck, Poggi opened up his postgame presser with a shoutout for Moore. Ever the comedian and great soundbyte, Poggie was ready for what’s next.

“I feel blessed,” Poggi said. “I feel so happy for Sherrone Moore because the building really rallied around him these last two weeks. And I’ll die a happy man somewhere.”

Tied 17-17 at halftime, Michigan rallied in the second half and outscored the Huskers 13-10, edging them out for the win. Poggi, emulating Moore’s style, said the Wolverines were already the more physical team.

“Sometimes those things happen,” Poggi said. “What’s most important is how do you respond from them and, at halftime, I called them up before we went on the field, I told them, I said I know it’s 17-17 but physically we’re beating the snot out of them and we’re turning this into a heavyweight fight and that’s going to be our big advantage in the second half and I think it was.”

Moore will patrol the sidelines in Ann Arbor in two weeks as it goes back to normal. Michigan hosts Wisconsin on October 4th after a bye week.