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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 10, 2018

Chris Ash

Piscataway, New Jersey

Michigan - 42, Rutgers - 7

CHRIS ASH: All right, guys. Appreciate you coming. Credit to Michigan. It's a very good football team. Got really good players. And coming into the game, they were playing as good as probably anybody in the country.

To play a team like that, you got to play almost perfect football, and we made some mistakes in all three phases of the game that let that score get the way that it did.

Really proud of our guys. The effort, the attitude, the fight. We've just got to keep working, keep getting better, and we will.

So with that, I'll go ahead and open up for questions.

Q. Thoughts on Isaih's production today?
CHRIS ASH: I thought it was outstanding. I think, again, you've seen glimpses of that throughout the season. To do it against an opponent and a defense like that, those are just signs of things to come.

Q. Chris (no microphone).
CHRIS ASH: Say what? I couldn't hear you.

Q. Michigan went 9 for 14 on third down. What was the issue (no microphone).
CHRIS ASH: Good players make plays. Can't put it any simpler than that, you know. They pass protected well. And some of their play actions, we couldn't get to the quarterback, and that's really the difference.

Q. Is there any reason why Pacheco only got three carries over the next two quarters after the 80-yard touchdown?
CHRIS ASH: No. Just the flow of the game. Just things that we were calling offensively to try to work against that defense. That's a good defense. We had a game plan, and we just were working the game plan.

Q. Chris, Michigan has always played a line of scrimmage game. How do you think your guys held up physically?
CHRIS ASH: I think very well. I've got to watch the tape before I say that too much. That's a very good football team up front on both sides of the ball. They're big, they're strong, they're a veteran group, and I thought we battled exceptionally well.

It's unfortunate we gave up the long run at the end, 61-yard run. We misfit a run. Other than that, I thought we played really good run defense tonight defensively.

Offensively, I think we ended with 193 yards rushing. That's one of the best rushing performances we've had in a long, long time against a team of that quality. So I'm pleased with what I felt I saw from the sideline, but I've got to watch the tape first.

Q. How do you get the passing game on the level that the rushing game has been?
CHRIS ASH: Until tonight, our rushing game has been an issue. That's part of the issues in the pass game. But you play a team like this, they can rush the passer. They play press coverage. It's a tough combination when they do that. They've got the best pass defense in America, I think, if you look at the stats, or one of them.

Passing the ball against these guys was going to be tough. We can't stand back there very long and protect against that defensive line. It's tough to get open against their DBs, the way they play. We do need to continue to work it. We will. It's an area of emphasis for our whole offense. We've got to get better.

Q. Was it an issue, the couple screen passes early on that dropped or just didn't connect, did that kind of get you guys off schedule?
CHRIS ASH: Yeah. There were some plays early in the game that we felt like we could take advantage of and make. We didn't, unfortunately, but we thought they were there.

And, again, got to go back and watch the film. It just felt like we had a couple opportunities that we didn't capitalize on.

Q. Avery Young takes off on fourth down and the pass breakup, how much progress has he made from when he started until now?
CHRIS ASH: Oh, a ton. I absolutely love the kid. I think a lot of our young players have made a ton of progress from the first time they've been playing.

The first game for Avery was against Ohio State. He got beat several times in that game. Tonight, he defended several passes, gave up the one touchdown to a really good receiver.

But I love Avery. He's getting better every week, and it's because of his attitude and his preparation. He's a competitive guy. Can't say enough good things about him.

Q. The wildcat, the trick plays in general, was that a result of the offense stalling or was that something you guys planned?
CHRIS ASH: No, it's part of the game plan.

Q. How do you think the wildcat looked?
CHRIS ASH: We had a couple plays. Obviously, put the one ball on the ground. Unfortunately, we didn't get it recovered was probably the bigger issue. But I thought we got a lot of production out of it. Again, got to watch the tape to see for sure. But I thought it gave us an added dimension that we hadn't shown yet.

Q. Reggie Sutton, I know, last week he was in line (no microphone). What led to that, and what made you guys realize that he could fulfill that role?
CHRIS ASH: We've been really high on Reggie since training camp. And when Jerome's been out, he's probably our best blocking tight end. We have struggled to block at tight end. It's an area we've got to get better at. Our tight ends are very young.

Reggie's a lot bigger than those guys. He's got pretty good feet and athletic ability. We're trying to find a role for some players that can help us improve and get better. That's really what he's done. He found a role. Obviously, he helped us tonight. He made some big blocks, and he keeps getting better. We've been high on Reggie since training camp.

Q. Thanks, Coach.
CHRIS ASH: Thank you, guys. Take care.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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