Biff Poggi describes 'tearful' team dinner, 'emotional week' leading up to Michigan's 63-3 win
Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi filled in for Sherrone Moore on Saturday, but if Michigan fans hadn’t known any better, no one would have known Moore wasn’t around. The Wolverines looked like a well-oiled machine under Poggi, as they scored nine touchdowns and surpassed 600 yards of offense for the first time since November 2016.
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Moore, who officially began his suspension at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning, will be away from the team until after its trip to Nebraska next weekend for the Big Ten opener. After Saturday’s 60-point victory, Poggi took time to reflect on what was an “emotional” week for everyone involved with the program.
Interestingly, even after winning by 60 points, Poggi said the day was heartbreaking for him.
“What an odd day,” Poggi said during his postgame press conference. “Because today, this day was actually heartbreaking for me. Because I have children that are Sherrone’s age. And we were texting last night. Just about how much he loves me, and I love him. And it was a really hard week in our building, a really hard and emotional week. I think what people that care realize that football is a game about relationships. And his players love him like you wouldn’t believe. And what I would say today was you saw a love letter from 120 young men to their football coach today. And I think that’s outstanding.”
For Moore, it’s hard enough having to be away from the team for more than a week, but Poggi explained that it’s hard on the players, too. Poggi described Michigan players’ deep love for Moore, and what Moore’s last words were before he departed from the team.
“[Moore] said, ‘I don’t want you playing for me,'” Poggi recalled. “‘I want you playing for yourselves, and I want you playing for the coaches and for Michigan.’ As soon as he walked out of the door, I said, ‘We love him. We all work for him. But we’re not listening to that.’ And so they were locked in for him. And it was a very — at dinner last night, it was a very tearful moment because the players brought him up and gave the break, had him give the break. At that point, he left and he was a wreck. But so was everybody else in there.”
Although Moore won’t be in Schembechler Hall for the next week as the Wolverines prepare for the Big Ten opener against Nebraska, Poggi said everything that happens with the football team from Ann Arbor will continue to be about Moore.
“I love this guy, and so it’s hard. It really is hard. But I love Michigan too,” Poggi said. “Sherrone said to me, he sent me this text, I don’t know, about 7 o’clock last night, he said, ‘You’re who I want to do it. I know you’ll love our boys to the core.’ That was the text. So when somebody trusts you like that, and, I got to say, Warde trusted me with this. I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful. But, this was all about Sherrone Moore, and it’s going to stay all about Sherrone Moore.
Moore will return to the sidelines in three weeks, when the Wolverines host Wisconsin coming off of the Sept. 27 bye.
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