... and talked about:
• The defensive effort against Maryland: "You saw a more dominant defensive performance, one that we've kind of been expecting as a fan base. We've been talking about how they're right on the cusp, that they're a very good defensive team across the board in many categories — No. 1, or top five, in so many different categories.
"But that defensive presence and dominance early … the scoreboard wasn't necessarily indicative of it right away, but you just felt like Maryland was smothered. As soon as the ball was snapped, it was like the Little Giants playing the Cowboys. They were just waiting for us to blow the whistle.
"That's what we've been expecting to see from our Michigan defense, especially when we play against someone who maybe doesn't match up as well across the board. That's exactly what we were looking for defensively as we go into this next stretch and some of these bigger games coming here in mid-October."
• Stopping Wisconsin's run game: "They're not going to out-athlete you. We've got the fastest defense. If you want the fastest guys on the field, you've already got it. So make sure we match up, size-wise.
"I remember — and I don't like reliving it — when we went into Wisconsin, Camp Randall, and we were convinced we were going to run a 3-3-5. I remember lining up and knowing I would be getting a double team coming my way. The guard's about to pull and hit Jordan Kovacs, all 5-10, 175 pounds of Jordan Kovacs, and he's supposed to take out the pulling guard.
"Not having the bodies or the size you need against Wisconsin is a critical error, and a mistake that will cost you later in the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see some things like that [bigger defensive personnel packages on the field] happen."
• Junior quarterback Shea Patterson's performance: "I've continued to be encouraged. Every single week, he's continuing to learn more about the system, he's more comfortable in the system, his timing on the throws has been great. He did have one interception, but that's a tipped ball. You can't fault the quarterback for that.
"He's really done a great job of taking care of the ball. That was one of the hits on him coming in — yeah, he's a dual-threat guy who can hurt you with his feet and he's accurate with his passes, but he takes some risks that aren't necessary. He likes to push.
"I feel like we've done a great job as a team of really taking care of the football. That's something that's only going to help us as we move forward.
"His development has been fantastic, and honestly, he's going to be the reason we're still around in a couple of these bigger games and why we, as Michigan fans, can feel confident with him having the ball in the fourth quarter, trying to go down and get us a score. He makes plays, and that's where we've been lacking at the quarterback position.
"We've had some game managers, but guys that are big-time playmakers, make guys miss, make something happen, he's shown that, more and more consistently as we keep rolling."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...ll-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-2
• The defensive effort against Maryland: "You saw a more dominant defensive performance, one that we've kind of been expecting as a fan base. We've been talking about how they're right on the cusp, that they're a very good defensive team across the board in many categories — No. 1, or top five, in so many different categories.
"But that defensive presence and dominance early … the scoreboard wasn't necessarily indicative of it right away, but you just felt like Maryland was smothered. As soon as the ball was snapped, it was like the Little Giants playing the Cowboys. They were just waiting for us to blow the whistle.
"That's what we've been expecting to see from our Michigan defense, especially when we play against someone who maybe doesn't match up as well across the board. That's exactly what we were looking for defensively as we go into this next stretch and some of these bigger games coming here in mid-October."
• Stopping Wisconsin's run game: "They're not going to out-athlete you. We've got the fastest defense. If you want the fastest guys on the field, you've already got it. So make sure we match up, size-wise.
"I remember — and I don't like reliving it — when we went into Wisconsin, Camp Randall, and we were convinced we were going to run a 3-3-5. I remember lining up and knowing I would be getting a double team coming my way. The guard's about to pull and hit Jordan Kovacs, all 5-10, 175 pounds of Jordan Kovacs, and he's supposed to take out the pulling guard.
"Not having the bodies or the size you need against Wisconsin is a critical error, and a mistake that will cost you later in the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see some things like that [bigger defensive personnel packages on the field] happen."
• Junior quarterback Shea Patterson's performance: "I've continued to be encouraged. Every single week, he's continuing to learn more about the system, he's more comfortable in the system, his timing on the throws has been great. He did have one interception, but that's a tipped ball. You can't fault the quarterback for that.
"He's really done a great job of taking care of the ball. That was one of the hits on him coming in — yeah, he's a dual-threat guy who can hurt you with his feet and he's accurate with his passes, but he takes some risks that aren't necessary. He likes to push.
"I feel like we've done a great job as a team of really taking care of the football. That's something that's only going to help us as we move forward.
"His development has been fantastic, and honestly, he's going to be the reason we're still around in a couple of these bigger games and why we, as Michigan fans, can feel confident with him having the ball in the fourth quarter, trying to go down and get us a score. He makes plays, and that's where we've been lacking at the quarterback position.
"We've had some game managers, but guys that are big-time playmakers, make guys miss, make something happen, he's shown that, more and more consistently as we keep rolling."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/mi...ll-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-2
