fancy harbaugh.jpg
The scoring run that Jehu’s [Chesson] on here: three receiving touchdowns in three games. Why it’s happening and how much of a weapon he is for you guys.
“Well, I would really say Jehu Chesson, Jake Butt, Jake Rudock, Amara Darboh, those four I think are playing as well as anybody in the Big Ten Conference as a group, and all four of those deserve any success or accolades for their performance that they’re achieving because they’ve really earned it all, all four, with their work ethic, with their dedication to being good and their seriousness about winning and winning performance at a very high level. It’s just wonderful, wonderful, and they deserve it because they’ve worked extremely hard for it.”
You said on Saturday that you thought that Jehu kind of looked like an NFL player right now.
“Mmhmm.”
Did you think that earlier in the year? What kind of changes went down where you were thinking he could play at the next level?
“Well, it was just the constant improvement in all phases of his game. I think the one thing he is improving at, the final piece, is tracking the deep ball. You watch him run, you watch him catch, you watch him block, cover kicks, the way he plays in all phases and now the deep ball. Tracking that is really coming along well. You see that improving, and I think that’s the final piece that he’s acquiring.”
Thoughts on a second straight road game and the challenge that Penn State presents?
“Uh…I acknowledge that it’s our second straight road game. Fully aware of that.
“Challenge that Penn State presents is a big challenge and our team will be prepared for it this week. Outstanding defense. Offensively, outstanding quarterback, outstanding running back, receivers that are outstanding, so…acknowledge both of those things. Formidable task, and it is a road game.”
Because you’re beat up especially on the defensive line a little bit, do you approach this week-
“We’re not beat up. Nobody’s beat up that I know of.”
Well, physically-
“No, not-”
Dipping into the depth chart a little bit-
“Do you know something I don’t know? We’ve got a bounce in our step. We’re ready to go.”
[After THE JUMP: “I’m like Abraham: I’m gonna die leaning on my staff. I think that’s the way Abraham said it.”]
This late in the season, when it takes its toll on student-athletes, do you go about your practices, do you approach things differently during practice because of the wear and tear of the season?
“Yeah, to me just back to your original premise, I think the student-athletes have a bounce in their step and they’re ready to attack the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
Why didn’t Derrick Green travel? Was that performance or an injury?
“He’s working through something…that he got in the last game.”
Do you expect that that’s a long-term thing?
“We’ll see. I haven’t seen Derrick today yet, but we’ll see where he’s at physically today.”
[Guy identifies himself as being from a Toledo TV station] This one’s a little off the wall. Wondering if you have any memories or if your parents have shared any memories with you about your first house in the Toledo area?
“Just where we were living, in Perryburg. My dad was the head football coach at Perrysburg High School. Both my brother and I were born there. We have driven by the house that we lived at in Perrysburg but it’s been quite some time. Most of the time growing up here in Ann Arbor or in Iowa we’d always drive back to Ohio to Cleveland. That’s where my grandparents lived and uncles and aunts, etc. So, the stories were always, ‘There’s the Maumee River! You guys were born near here, in Perrysburg.’ And sometimes they’d literally drive us by where we lived.
“But it’d always happen either way we were going, whatever direction we were going- if we were going to or coming home, we’d talk about that and…was it Jim Leyland who’s from Perrysburg? And the…who was- Jerry Glanville. Those kind of stories. That good enough for your story?”
Perfect.
“Yeah, we’re proud. We’re proud. My brother John and I are proud to be born in Perrysburg, Ohio.”
You guys played a lot of snaps defensively. Did you feel like Royce Jenkins-Stone had one of his better games?
“Yeah. He was fighting and battling. He won some and lost some of the battles. Everybody on our defensive front, we’re gonna watch the game, refit, retool, regroup, and see how we can improve in that area. No doubt the fellas were battling up front.”
Was there a common theme between the penalties when you watched them on film? Something that was wrong technique-wise or something, or were some of the calls questionable?
“The ones on us? Penalties on us?”
Yeah. There were 13 or something.
“Lot of false starts. We were figuring out ways to jump offsides is probably the biggest thing in terms of theme.”
Were those mental issues or physical issues more?
“Yeah, I don’t know what the physical would be that I’m aware of. Not aware that there’s any physical issue leading to a false start, are you?”
Were they just trying to time the snap?
“Are you talking about defensively or offensively?”
Well, offensively, why are they jumping so early?
“We had three on defense and however many we had on offense. Seems like three or four that I can think of.
“Five out of the six call them mental, and the sixth, Joe Bolden looked like he was trying to time up the snap, which he didn’t accomplish.”
The last thee- you mentioned the run game. The last three games, teams have had a little more success running the football on you than they have previously. Is there something you’ve seen from your group that you want to change immediately? Something other teams are starting to pick up on?
“We’re looking at it. We’re looking at all those ways. We have some ideas, but why say them to you? Tell you and you’re liable to go tell somebody else, so probably will just keep that to ourselves. That’d be the best course of action.”
As well as the defense has played most of this year, is it any kind of a head-scratcher to you that you’ve got nine takeaways with one fumble recovery?
“Uh…yeah. Yep, certainly would like to have more turnovers. They’ve got to attack it. And ball finds energy, so we need more of that. That plays a roll. Keep coaching and keep striving for it, but we definitely want more turnovers.”
You mentioned after the game that Jake Rudock doesn’t flinch. Is that something from day one he’s had or is that something he’s developed this season?
“Yeah, he’s had that. He came here with that. He’s got great parents. Like I told his dad, the branch doesn’t fall too far from the tree. He’s been raised really good. All those good things: smart, composed, talented, tough. He’s got all those good things that make up that kind of reaction to pressure and adversity.”
He seems to turn the page really well whether it was a bad play or a great play, if you could address that as well. Talk about that ability.
“Well, I can only agree with you. Can’t disagree. Can only agree and concur that that’s a wonderful part of his personality and his makeup. As a team member, you’re really showered by guys’ attributes and you really try to pick out the ones that do the best job in a certain area, whether it’s their work ethic or their ability to overcome adversity or their toughness, their strength, and you just try to emulate those kind of guys. Pick a guy here, pick a guy there, who does it the best, and try and incorporate that into your own game.
“You know, use that as an example and Jake is as good as they come when it comes to the things you’re talking about. Myself, I look at him and go, ‘I gotta be more like Jake.’ It’s working really well for him. See if I can’t incorporate that into my own game, my own personality. Can learn a lot by just watching people, observing them.”
Looked like Mo Hurst and Willie Henry played a lot without Glasgow available. Do you expect them to continue playing that many snaps, or do you want to try and work more guys in there?
“Well, we’re working guys in there. Henry Poggi is now a two-way player. Tom Strobel is a two-way player, and he played quite a few snaps toward the end of the ballgame. Think he took some good snaps there, and continue to try and prop that up from a depth standpoint.”
We obviously saw the big plays on Saturday in the passing game. How close was Jake and the receivers to executing that before Saturday?
“Close. Think you saw it a few times in earlier games.”
What was the difference?
“Sometimes it’s not a big difference. Sometimes it could just be a matter or inches or feet. What does water boil at? 212? 212 it boils, 211 it doesn’t. 213 is the magic number. Sometimes it’s close. I would agree it’s been close, and now it’s boiling. It’s good. Bodes well for us.”
Bryan Mone was supposed to be a 6-8 week injury. Is there any chance he comes back and give you some help there, or is he done for the year for sure?
“It’s possible.”
Ian Bunting: I don’t think we’ve seen him lately.
“No, he’s here.”
Has he been healthy? Has he been playing?
“Uh, hasn’t been pl- he’s healthy, yeah. Okay? Good now?”
I’m good if you’re good.
“I’m good if Ian’s good. If the players are good, I’m good.”
MGoQuestion: I think you said something about drawing up the stop-and-go in double overtime in the dirt. Is that something that was in the playbook that you tweaked or was that completely new?
“No. We practiced it before. We had the playcall and we repped it during training camp. We repped it during weeks in practice. It wasn’t something that was in the gameplan, on the call sheet. We hit three curls earlier in the game. Jedd Fisch, from the box, wanted it, suggested it, dialed it up, and I was hesitant to call it because we hadn’t practiced it this past week in the days leading up to the game in our preparation, but…I’m like Abraham: I’m gonna die leaning on my coaches- on my st- I’m like Abraham: I’m gonna die leaning on my staff. I think that’s the way Abraham said it. I’m going to die leaning on my staff, too. Trust Jedd and what he was seeing, and the rest is history.
“Walkoff overtime touchdown pass. I guess that wouldn’t technically be a walkoff, would it, because we had to play the bottom half of the inning. But glad we did! Glad we called it! Glad Jedd suggested it and was adamant about it and dialed it up. Then the play was executed.”
On the missed field goal, Sypniewski, was he sick this weekend?
“Yeah, he was battling the flu.”
And he arrived separately? He didn’t travel with the team?
“Yeah, that’s right. He was battling the flu. Felt like he could possibly still be contagious and we didn’t want him to travel with the team. He drove down with his parents.”
Generally speaking with the special teams, the last two weeks they’ve given up scores. How did you diagnose the punt return this past week? What happened on that?
“Similar. Very similar to the last one. The two were very similar.”
Quick fixes?
“There will be refitting, retooling, regrouping. Addressed? Certainly, yeah, as it was last week. We’ll see if we can get it fixed.
“Before anybody wonders, we travelled- you’re allowed to travel 70. We traveled 69, so we had an extra spot for Scott to come down and dress for the game, just in case. I know you all very well [and] how you think.”
/laughs for a long time
“Can’t argue. Can only agree, right? Can’t disagree, can only agree.”
/laughter continues
Is there ever a time where you trust your quarterback so much when he’s in a rhythm that you let him call plays to a certain extent? I know trust can be a difficult thing between an OC and a quarterback. Do you feel that Jake has reached that point almost if he hasn’t already?
“Yeah, yeah. I think he’s reached that point, and yes, we would trust him and we have. I mean, to the extent that we do it now is I’ll give him a play or two; which one do you like better? Here’s three; which one are you feeling more comfortable with, and now he’s giving good feedback. It’s either, like ‘em both, like this one better than the other, like these two better than the third. So, to a certain extent we’re doing that.”
Is that during a game?
“During a game. During a game, yeah.”
/SID points to next person with mic
“Then when I call him he comes over to the sideline between series, etc. It’s not every play. Quarterbacks like to just play. Most all I know don’t like the play to come in from the sideline. They trust what the coaches are seeing in the press box. It’s rare when you do get feedback, good feedback, because the guys are so in the moment. So wanting to execute the play and thinking so hard about their responsibility. At the quarterback position you’re thinking about your responsibility and the other ten on the offense and what their responsibility is in addition to what the key players are doing on defense in coverage, front, blitz adjustment, so there’s so much that they have to think about. It’s not easy- plus just be the coach and call the plays and even give feedback, so it’s rare when that happens, but the good ones are like that. Jake’s like that, which is good.”
You said earlier that no one’s feeling beat up, that everybody’s feeling fresh-
“No, actually I said everybody seems like they have a bounce in their step.”
Some of the guys said a couple weeks ago that you told them the rest of the way has to be a playoff-like mentality, a playoff-like attitude after that Michigan State loss. What does that mean when you say that?
“Well, I mean, I just think back to any playoff situation that you’ve ever been in or that you know about, your own experience. I can draw on coaching teams in playoffs, being in playoffs as a player. When we were young and living over on Anderson Street in the summer we’d all get together in the morning and go play basketball at Pattengill Elementary School. Concrete basketball floor, two rims with the chains as the nets. You picked your team and you started playing. The team that won got to play the next game. If you lost you had to go to the side and pick a new team, and the goal was to play all the way to lunch. Didn’t want to miss any games. To me, that’s what- when you’re in playoff situations you’re going to play more games if you win. If you don’t win then you’ve got to watch. We’re in that kind of situation. If you win you get to keep playing after the next two games. If we don’t, we don’t; we watch. So…that’s it. Facts are stubborn things.”
Lunch would be Indianapolis?
“Lunch…what?”
You said play to lunch.
“Yeah.”
What’s lunch for you?
“Yeah, that would be having the opportunity to play in the championship game and the playoffs. Playoff situation, it’s limited. It’s limited in college football. Really, they have a four team playoff with a national championship, which is unlike any other sport in college athletics that I’m aware of, but at least we have one. Have it on a limited basis. I-AA subdivision, they have a 16-team playoff. I think if you looked at basketball, hockey, all the other sports in college, there’s a playoff. So yeah, I personally love the playoff-type of situation and atmosphere. If you win you get to keep playing, you know.”
Unlike the Pattengill playground, you need someone else to win on the other court. Are you going to be rooting for Ohio State to beat Michigan State?
“There was only one court at Pattengill.”