TRANSCRIPT: Everything Michigan HC Sherrone Moore said during his pre-MSU press conference

On Blake Frazier’s progression and development up to this point

Yeah, really proud of him. Really proud of the player he’s become and having those extra alignment reps are huge. We’ve really done that past years of getting young guys time to play or getting another guy that we feel that could be a starter or a guy that’s going to play extra reps.

So you’ve seen the progression, obviously gaining the weight. I think he came in at like 255 or something like that, 245, and about 300 now. So having a guy like that ready to go was huge, and played well. Got some things to fix, as we all do, but definitely stepped up in a time needed.

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On whether he’s identified trends with fourth down struggles

No, we got to execute. There’s the one away from the student section, we lost a block. Also, it might be a touchdown and then the drop, you know, we dropped the ball. So, you know, we’ve got to fix that as a team and a unit, and we will.

On Evan Link’s status

Yeah. You know, it wasn’t as bad as we thought. I think we’ll have them back sooner than later. So we’ll see. We’ll just take it week-by-week.

On the back-up tackle situation with Link out

Blake will start, and then Brady Norton will also play some tackles. Well, he’s played that before in his career. So we always had that plan, and we’ll move guys around accordingly.

On the education about Michigan State week for a young team

During training camp, we talk about our rivalries. We talk about every game. We talk about all the big games. They’ll definitely re-educate them on what this means. This means a lot. This means everything.

We’ll talk about Paul Bunyan, what that means to us here in this facility and in Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. We’ll talk about the history of the rivalry, what it means, and all the implications of what winning this game is about. So we’ll definitely educate our young guys and let them know that this is a game we put everything into.

On his first introduction to the Michigan State rivalry

That’s pretty intense. It’s 2018. It’s Devin Bush stomping on the field. Yeah, I got a quick one to that one. So I was holding Devin back while he was trying to fight half their team. So, yeah, I got introduced fast. But that was a good game. So I remember we had all four seasons in that game. It snowed. It rained. It was sunny. It was windy. It was everything. That was my introduction to the game is the Devin Bush, and 2020 and 2018.

On what stands out about Nick Marsh

Big, strong, physical receiver can make the 50-50 ball, really good route runner detailed in his route running. He’s evolved as a route runner. But he’s a really good player, man. So we got to have a great plan to stop him.

On every week featuring a premier receiver in the Big Ten

Oh, yeah. I mean, that’s just the big 10. I think every week you’ve got great, great players on both sides of the ball. So there’s never a break of, you know, you’re going to get this week and you can take a breath. If you decide to take a breath, you’re going to lose, or you’re going to be in a bad mindset. So every week, got to prepare for the best.

On preparing younger players for the ‘extracurriculars’ in rivalry games

The biggest thing is that you’re not going to win the game talking. You’re not going to win the game with all the extra stuff. So conscious effort on just attacking what we need to attack to win the football game. The fans, the crowd, their players talking, people talk, that doesn’t matter. So we have to worry about executing and put in the work to go win the game.

That’s it. Don’t worry about all the other stuff that can harp you from — exerting energy on things you don’t need to exert on.

On whether there’s any satisfaction of silencing the outside critics

No, I really don’t care about the critics. But it is kind of cold outside. So having a jacket is nice when it does get cold, because I get here pretty early, about 5, 5:30 in the morning. Real feel was 43. So it’s good to have a good jacket. You got a nice shirt, though. Decorative.

On whether the big third down pass was intended for Andrew Marsh and not Deakon Tonielli and Bryce Underwood handling pass rush

Yeah, it was to Deakon. It’s crazy, him and Deakon all summer. He worked a lot with a lot of guys. But I remember early mornings in the summertime, Deakon was here, and maybe it was even May when he was here. Deakon would be in there with the receivers, throwing and catching. So he’s put a lot of hard work in to get where he is. And that game was no accident of his potential, what he can do. So that was awesome to see.

Bryce, just, he does some things sometimes that you can’t teach, you can’t coach. That throw was one of them. The throw to Andrew Marsh, which he caught one-handed was one of them. Throwing to his left, the defenders to his right, he throws it away from the defender, and he catches it with one hand. I mean, there’s some special plays by some freshmen. So he does some things sometimes that you can’t coach. But yeah, you never want the pressure. But he does a real good job of aiding it.

On what Andrew Marsh wasn’t doing to start the year to not play

He’s a true freshman, you gotta learn where to line up, you gotta learn where to go, you gotta learn the playbook, you gotta be able to execute everything at the highest level. And he’s just done that more and more and more. And really, after the bye week, you really saw it even more. There’s full confidence in him to go out and execute. And he’s put himself in a position to do what he’s been doing.

On avoiding pregame and postgame scuffles against MSU

Yeah, that none of that helps you win the game, it actually takes away the energy from you winning the game. So all we have to do is, you know, rinse, repeat. But urgency is the keyword right now, urgency in everything we do. Urgency in the detail, urgency, and that’s going to class, making sure everything’s aligned perfectly for us to win this game.

So we can’t worry about it, can’t worry about the past, but we can learn from it and learn about those things. So we’re just going to continue to harp on that. All that stuff doesn’t matter, just work on things we need to work on to win the game.

On his impressions of MSU

Start on offense. Chiles is a really good quarterback. He does some really good things. He’s created some explosive plays with his legs to a little similar to last week, as far as explosiveness with his legs, not as not as twitchy as Williams was, but he definitely can make those plays with his legs. And he does a good job with play actions and things in the pocket, rolling out. So we got to do a good job containing him.

And, you know, obviously, Nick Marsh, we got to do a good job with him. And then the run game, schematically, Coach Smith and that staff have done a good job always going back to Oregon State of whether it be under center gun, pistol, whatever it is of doing things to attack your defense. So we got to have a real good plan to defend and be gap sound.

Defensively, been against this coordinator. He was at Minnesota in 23. And obviously last year and this year. Base four-down defense, they want to start in quarters, they’ll roll to three, they’ll play a little bit more cover one now. So we got to do a good job of schematically attacking those coverages and in the front structures.

On the excitement for the future with having so many young playmakers on both sides of the ball

Yeah, I mean, it’s fun. You bring in high-quality players, you bring in high-quality kids, and you give them the opportunity. And they’re one of the better ones allows them to play.

These kids are getting those opportunities, they’re taking advantage of the opportunities. But we can’t, you know, I was thinking about that the other day, you know, we’re, I think we’re the youngest team in the Big 10. But it doesn’t really matter. And we have to attack now, we can’t worry about next year, or next week, we got to worry about today. So everything we can do to help these players be the best version today, that’s all we’re going to do.

On a rivalry game bringing out the best in a team

Oh, yeah, 100%. Records don’t matter. Records do not matter in this game. So you can’t look at the past and say, Oh, they’re gonna do that. We’re going to get everything they got, we’re going to get their best, they’re going to get our best. So it’ll be a great game, be a physical game, be a great atmosphere. So that’s all we can worry about.

On whether respect is not talked about enough in the MSU rivalry

Yeah, I mean, I respect them, respect the coaching staff, respect their players. Fear nobody, but respect them all. So yeah, I respect them.

On where the defense has grown limiting mobile quarterbacks

Yeah, I mean, everybody did their job to the best of their ability. And I thought it was a great play of how we’re controlling him and making sure he didn’t get out the pocket. He didn’t affect us as a runner in the quarterback run game or protection and scrambling out because that’s where he was dangerous. So there was always eyes on him, whether it would be three rushers, four rushers, movement with rushers. And we got to continue to do that as we go through the season.

On Derrick Moore’s game on Saturday

Yeah, he played outstanding. I mean, you just get better and better. And the opportunities don’t always find you just because sometimes, you know, they slide or move around you. You’re almost at the play, and you don’t make it, or the blocks and whatever the scheme that we run is not allowing. Make the players and the protections slide to you. So he made the plays when they are there to be had. And he really practiced like that, too.

On how he would describe the MSU rivalry as some think its toxic

Yeah, I mean, I can’t worry about what everybody else says. So it’s a respected rivalry, respect them, and we got to go out and go win the game.

On allowing Underwood to change a play at the line

Yeah, I mean, he’s kind of done that throughout the games. He’s done some stuff like that. But there’s just a parameter that you always give people, you know, even with JJ, we did the same thing, he didn’t just change plays all of a sudden.

So there’s checks within plays that we give them. And then there’s things we look at to change the play. So I think that’ll just come as we go.

On challening the Underwood spot

Oh, yeah, I tried to challenge it. They didn’t let me.

On what he tried to do

Just try to challenge the spot. But sometimes when you’re told by the refs, you can’t challenge it, you challenge, don’t challenge it. So. Can’t get into that. It’s not my avenue. So I just worry about the game. That’s it.

On Rayshaun Benny’s status

Yeah, he’s doing okay. I think we’ll look to see if he can practice this week and see where that goes. But we’ll know in the middle of the week where he is.

On envisioning Underwood with only two interceptions and what goes into taking care of the ball as a freshman

I think he respects the football. You’ve seen it in training camp. You saw it in the spring when he first started that the ball was not in the defense’s hands a lot. And if it was, he got pretty upset about it and never made that mistake again. So I think he does a really good job with that. But also I think Coach Lindsey is doing a really good job of coaching them through the fundamentals, through the coverage looks, through the progressions of what it is.

Don’t be afraid to run. Don’t be afraid to — sometimes it is you do need to take the sack because that’s always better. Punts, always better than throwing an interception, but always trying to make the plays when they’re to be had. So I think he’s done a good job of just taking care of the football and respecting the football and understanding that he’s the dude that is responsible for it when it’s in his hands.

On assessing the linebackers

I mean, they’ve been outstanding. Ernie, just play after play after play. I think he’ll be okay too. So update on him. He’ll be fine. Jimmy Rolder feels like he might be playing as good as anybody. Just making plays all over the field. I think he had eight tackles, tackles for loss, had a pick. And then Cole Sullivan feels like every time you see him, he’s just making a play.

And sometimes I forget how young he is. I forget he’s a redshirt freshman, but he just keeps making plays over and over, so that group’s playing at an elite level.

On Brandyn Hillman’s status this week

We’ll see. I think Brandon will practice this week. So we’ll just take it day by day and see where he’s at. And then TJ will be there. Jaden will be there. Mason will be there. And again, same thing with Rod.

On Cole Sullivan having a knack for being around the ball

And he does. It started really in spring. He just continued to be around the football. I remember in spring, he jumped up in the air. Someone threw an over route, and he picked it off, and he just continued to happen and happen and just continue to make plays. I said it in Media Day in Vegas that I thought he’d be a guy to have a breakout year and just continue to do that.

So I think there’s something to it. But also just doing your job and being in the right position helps.

On whether urgency applies to just the MSU game or the rest of the year

The whole year. Just every game we go into, complacency will take away your edge. And if you get complacent, you get happy. You can be happy about the win, but you can’t be complacent about it. You can’t be satisfied. So, you know, we’ve got to stay hungry.

We’ve got to stay starving throughout this process. And that’s what we’re going to do.

On whether the sense of urgency was something that came out of the USC loss

Yeah. I mean, it’s really what you want all the time, but I think it just revamped after that game. You see, it’s not to say that our players weren’t urgent or had urgency, but, you know, you go into a game like that and you have results like that.

You’ve got to look at yourself. You’ve got to make adjustments. You’ve got to do things, you know, you’ve got to change a little bit and do some things that help you win that game. So I think the urgency that our team showed in that game, we’ll just continue to carry over as we go through the season.