• The way Michigan handled Nebraska: "It shows they have the talent to be a really good football team. I was pleased with the way things worked out.
"I think there's improvement going on [in the offensive line]. As I study the tapes and look at things, we are walling off defenders. That means we're getting on the right people. We aren't leaving somebody unblocked. We'll walling off.
"I would still like to see us be a little more aggressive, and not just wall off, but knock people back off the ball. When we do that, then we're going to be able to run the football against any kind of a defense that they put up against us.
"In this particular case, we were able to get people on their people, and the cracks opened in that line were great things to see. Those running backs loved to see them, because they took advantage of them, not just to break the line of scrimmage, but to get into the secondary and make some moves, make people miss, and turn short gains into big plays.
"[Senior tailback Karan Higdon] came out and had 98 yards in three carries. Now, 98 yards is a day's work, and he had it in just three carries. It kind of set the tone for our running game, and I was really pleased to see that. I hope the improvement continues up front."
• Northwestern as less than the most daunting road venue: "I agree with you, from that standpoint. We've always had a big following, as the Chicago alumni [club] is the largest in the country. They do follow us, particularly when we play there at Northwestern.
"But, let me say this. Northwestern is a different team at Ryan [Field]. When you play there on the lake, they tend to play their best when they're at home. While we may have a lot of fans there, that's when their kids kind of heat up and really try to get after the team and see if they can't get them going.
"Should we win this game? Yes, but you've got to be a little bit careful when you go in there. I've played in that stadium on numerous occasions and never lost, but the fact is, those were some tough football games. You don't think you're just going to throw your helmet out there and you're going to win the game.
"You've got to play good, hard-nosed football. They are good kids, they're tough kids, and they can come up with some good plays. You'd better be ready, particularly playing on that lake up there. You don't know how the wind is going to blow, you don't know how the weather is going to be, so you'd better be ready to play a good football team and keep in mind we've still got to improve."
• How he thinks this one will go: "I think we can win this football game. I hope there isn't a big letdown after last week. We were very high, and played really well. We have to continue on that trend, because this is a Big Ten game and we're marching on toward that Big Ten crown.
"I was really sorry to hear about his [Northwestern tailback] Jeremy Larkin [done with football after being diagnosed with spinal issues]. I just heard about it, that he's not going to play. He's part of the Larkin family … I recruited Mike, a cousin of his, and Barry, of course, who I brought here on football, and he ended up being one of the great baseball players of all time. That shows you how much I know about athletics.
"That's a great family, and I'm sorry to see he has a condition that will prevent him from playing football, because the family down there are good people. I hope he'll continue on, maybe in coaching. I wish him good luck. It's a shame he won't be able to play in the game.
"I'm looking forward to this game, and I just want to see continued improvement, particularly on the offense."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...tball-podcast-jerry-hanlon-with-john-borton-2
"I think there's improvement going on [in the offensive line]. As I study the tapes and look at things, we are walling off defenders. That means we're getting on the right people. We aren't leaving somebody unblocked. We'll walling off.
"I would still like to see us be a little more aggressive, and not just wall off, but knock people back off the ball. When we do that, then we're going to be able to run the football against any kind of a defense that they put up against us.
"In this particular case, we were able to get people on their people, and the cracks opened in that line were great things to see. Those running backs loved to see them, because they took advantage of them, not just to break the line of scrimmage, but to get into the secondary and make some moves, make people miss, and turn short gains into big plays.
"[Senior tailback Karan Higdon] came out and had 98 yards in three carries. Now, 98 yards is a day's work, and he had it in just three carries. It kind of set the tone for our running game, and I was really pleased to see that. I hope the improvement continues up front."
• Northwestern as less than the most daunting road venue: "I agree with you, from that standpoint. We've always had a big following, as the Chicago alumni [club] is the largest in the country. They do follow us, particularly when we play there at Northwestern.
"But, let me say this. Northwestern is a different team at Ryan [Field]. When you play there on the lake, they tend to play their best when they're at home. While we may have a lot of fans there, that's when their kids kind of heat up and really try to get after the team and see if they can't get them going.
"Should we win this game? Yes, but you've got to be a little bit careful when you go in there. I've played in that stadium on numerous occasions and never lost, but the fact is, those were some tough football games. You don't think you're just going to throw your helmet out there and you're going to win the game.
"You've got to play good, hard-nosed football. They are good kids, they're tough kids, and they can come up with some good plays. You'd better be ready, particularly playing on that lake up there. You don't know how the wind is going to blow, you don't know how the weather is going to be, so you'd better be ready to play a good football team and keep in mind we've still got to improve."
• How he thinks this one will go: "I think we can win this football game. I hope there isn't a big letdown after last week. We were very high, and played really well. We have to continue on that trend, because this is a Big Ten game and we're marching on toward that Big Ten crown.
"I was really sorry to hear about his [Northwestern tailback] Jeremy Larkin [done with football after being diagnosed with spinal issues]. I just heard about it, that he's not going to play. He's part of the Larkin family … I recruited Mike, a cousin of his, and Barry, of course, who I brought here on football, and he ended up being one of the great baseball players of all time. That shows you how much I know about athletics.
"That's a great family, and I'm sorry to see he has a condition that will prevent him from playing football, because the family down there are good people. I hope he'll continue on, maybe in coaching. I wish him good luck. It's a shame he won't be able to play in the game.
"I'm looking forward to this game, and I just want to see continued improvement, particularly on the offense."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...tball-podcast-jerry-hanlon-with-john-borton-2
