UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 14, 2005

Willis Barringer

David Harris

Bill Martin

Tim Massaquoi

Pat Massey

Adam Stenavich

Carl Tabb

Brian Thompson

ADAM STENAVICH: Well, I think a lot of times, a lot of years the Ohio State game determines that. We've got a big challenge ahead of us, but we're looking forward to it.

ADAM STENAVICH: I think the losses we've had at Columbus didn't really allow us to capitalize. Opportunities in the red zone, things like that. Their defense played great. We just needed an overall complete game.

ADAM STENAVICH: I definitely think so, and Ohio State's defense.

ADAM STENAVICH: I wouldn't say anything game-plan-wise, when is when you played on the road -- (Inaudible).

ADAM STENAVICH: It's very important. They've got a great offense, and if we're able to keep the ball, keep that offense moving, and that -- (Inaudible).

ADAM STENAVICH: It's always hard to win if you can't run the ball. It would be very hard if we couldn't get the run game going, so I think we're going to study it.

ADAM STENAVICH: They just make plays and they're fast. They all have a lot of experience. They move around a lot. Yeah, they've got a great football team.

ADAM STENAVICH: I think we've just got to make sure we get a handle on them all the time. We've just going to make sure that they're accounted for. You can't let them -- (Inaudible).

ADAM STENAVICH: Well, they have a great running back. He made a lot of great plays and had a great game. As far as this year, we've got just to do what we're coached to do. I mean, we've just got to play our game.

ADAM STENAVICH: Yeah, I'd say Mike adds another dimension to the offense, the way he runs and what he does every game that he's there. (Inaudible) -- extra yards and everything that. Hopefully Pete will be playing, and if he is, that's great.

ADAM STENAVICH: Yeah, he definitely -- (Inaudible).

ADAM STENAVICH: I would say a lot. Turn it around I guess if you look -- (Inaudible).

ADAM STENAVICH: Yeah, it has, it's pretty weird. I just want to go out and play and beat Ohio State.

ADAM STENAVICH: Hopefully this Saturday, but so far I'd have to say Penn State was up there.

ADAM STENAVICH: Oh, definitely. We needed Iowa to win there in order for us to get another shot at the big one.

ADAM STENAVICH: I don't think so, no.

ADAM STENAVICH: You know, I mean, obviously we want to win. We want to beat Ohio State. Yeah, every guy who came through whoever played with us thinks it's the biggest game every year. We always want to win that one.

ADAM STENAVICH: I would say the first time we played three years ago in Columbus, it was pretty intense. I found out real fast what it was all about. Just the whole game was really intense, the most intense game that I had ever been a part of up to that point, so you learn quick.

ADAM STENAVICH: You know, pretty much the rivalry and the game.

ADAM STENAVICH: Not as much as I'd like, but it would be a lot better than 1-3.

ADAM STENAVICH: Yeah, I'd say in most of the games, like Notre Dame, things like that.

ADAM STENAVICH: You know, being the last game of the year, both teams are fighting for the championship in college football.

ADAM STENAVICH: Not really. He's a little more excited and everything like that. The way he talks, like only seniors are allowed to come, everything like that. He wants -- (Inaudible).

CARL TABB: The moment for me when I began to understand the intensity of this rivalry firsthand, I'll say was my sophomore year when I was first able to play, and Jason got hurt and I had to fill in. To be honest with you, I had already filled in once, and that was just a big game, but there was just something different about filling in for Jason that game. That was actually the first time in my life when I've ever had to step in and play, and I was completely nervous.

CARL TABB: There's a lot of things that I definitely did wrong that day, so I'm not going to say that that was a highlight of my career, but I am certainly proud that the things I did helped the team to win, and I didn't do anything that hurt the team's chances of winning.

CARL TABB: What I have seen of Ohio State's special teams, Ohio State has explosive returners, Ohio State has a very good special teams unit. With that being said, our special teams unit has done a pretty good job this week in maintaining and trying to minimize the game that that special teams unit is going to have. Like I said before, they have a lot of great players, and they have their best players on special teams, which enables that team to have, like I said, a formidable special teams unit, which creates problems for other teams.

CARL TABB: Knowing that I'm going to have a special teams unit that's going to be good -- let me not even say good. Knowing that I'm going to have a great special teams unit that I'm going to be facing that week is a challenge to me. To me, it means that I have to bring my "A" game and I have to bring my "A" game every week on a week when I know that their special teams unit is of that caliber, I know I have to be on my "A-plus" game because I can't make any mistakes because my mistakes may cost my team a touchdown or the game, and that is not something that I'm willing to put on my shoulders. So when it comes to practicing this week, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm not the one that makes a crucial mistake at a critical time.

CARL TABB: When I was watching the game growing up, to be honest with you, as a young player you have no idea what special teams does for a game of this magnitude. In high school I remember Coach asked me do you want to play special teams, and I'm like, "Yeah, I'll play special teams, no big deal." Special teams was four or five extra plays a game, no big deal, and it didn't really change anything in the game. If you just look at the dynamics of college football, every special teams blunder or mistake, it ends up hurting the team dramatically. You can have a fumbled punt, mishandled snap, you can have a missed field goal or extra point and each of those cases can cost you a game, whereas in high school those things may not necessarily be that important because special teams didn't determine that much in a game. But now they've become so much more important that we actually have to put a lot more of our focus into playing special teams.

CARL TABB: It's interesting that you asked that question because being on this team, I've never felt like we were not a confident team. We've always been a confident team. We've always believed in ourselves, even when no one else believed in us. I think it is that very confidence that has gotten us where we are today, and it's that very confidence that kept us from quitting. I think this team has great resolve; I think this team has shown that no matter the situation, we're not going to stop playing, we're not going to stop fighting. Even when the situation doesn't look that good, we are committed to trying to make a way for ourselves, and I think it's that drive that's allowed this team to achieve all the things it's achieved. And in terms of your question on confidence, in order to build on that confidence, to have a situation where your belief in that confidence has helped you, only makes you more confident. If anything I'd say we were more confident today than we were before, but we were always confident.

CARL TABB: To be honest with you, that game is probably one of the best returns I've seen. He has speed, which creates problems for the kickoff team, the punt team. But to be honest with you, one man doesn't make or break a unit. If you look at the kickoff return team that Ohio State has or the punt return team that Ohio State has and ask does Ted Ginn make that team, you are neglecting the other ten people on that team because without those ten people Ted Ginn would not be a name that you would know. With that being said, we have to focus not only on Ted but on the actual unit because if we overlook any one person on any team, that could be detrimental to our team.

CARL TABB: Can one game make or break a season? One game can make or break a season just like one play can make or break a game. I say that to say that every game is important, and any time that you have a situation where you fall short, you can make or break the thoughts that people have of a season in terms of -- from a player standpoint, one game, one play, one day doesn't make or break a season, just like one thing that I do in my life doesn't make or break me.

CARL TABB: To be honest with you, I don't think Coach Carr's decision to only bring seniors to this press conference has anything to do with his trust in our team because all the guys on our team are more than capable to do this. I don't think there is any one guy on the team that would have said anything that would have cost our team later or would be used as material for Ohio State. With that being said, there's something definitely to being a senior and there's something definitely to being the role of being a leader on the team. And when you've been here three, four, five years you tend to learn the things that you can and can't do, and you tend to not fall for some of the things that get thrown your way. With that being said, the people who are capable may fall short or fall victim to some bait that was thrown out that a senior might fall for. I think that's the answer to that question.

CARL TABB: It's interesting you say that because that's seriously a sensitive subject for me and I'm just going to stay away from that question.

CARL TABB: What I've seen so far, I see a very athletic secondary, I see a secondary that is capable of covering anyone. I see a secondary that is not undermanned and does not have depth problems. I see a secondary that if all of us are not on our "A-plus" game, we're going to have problems. I see a secondary also that in combination with their front seven can make it so that a receiver will never see the ball. When you have a team that can get a rush like Ohio State can get and you have receivers that -- DBs that can run with the receivers, that's what defense is. If you are forced to do nothing more than pass the ball and they're getting a great rush and great coverage, then you're going to lose. If you're forced to do nothing more than run and you can't run, then you're going to lose. So this secondary has the ability to try to minimize the team's ability to do one of two things in an offensive game plan, and that is our major problem this week in trying to stay balanced and trying to do what we at Michigan believe we can do and should do, and not getting away from our game plan because that's what this defense is capable of doing.

CARL TABB: To be honest with you, I've seen this question come up before with other games. Having it being said that we've beaten teams so many times and we have this winning streak against another team, to be honest with you, like I said before, that is all for the media and for the people outside of the team. I can't look at a game and say, Jim Tressel has beaten -- his teams have beaten us four times and we've only beaten them once, or we've beaten a team 16 times or this 17th game is guaranteed because to be honest with you, every game is dynamic, every game is its own game. Every game has no bearing or does not even -- look at the previous game. So with that being said, I couldn't care less how many times we have lost to Ohio State before today. What I care about is what we're going to do on Saturday.

CARL TABB: To be honest with you, I'm not thinking about being 1-3 at all because, like I said before, I'm not looking at the overall record for my team against other teams. What I'm looking at is winning on Saturday, and whatever it's going to take to win on Saturday, and in doing so, I'm setting myself up to have a chance to be successful; whereas if I say my team is right now 1-2 against this team with their new coach, I'm now thinking about things that I don't have any control over anymore because I can't change what's happened. I can only change what the future brings and what is going to happen on Saturday.

CARL TABB: We don't actually start looking at Ohio State or any opponent until the week we're gearing up to play them. That being said, I would be demoralizing and demeaning another team to say that I'm looking at Ohio State and saying, well, we need to do this to win this game or they're really looking good in this area. I'd also be lying if I told you that I don't go home like everyone else here and look at SportsCenter and find out what the teams in the Big Ten are doing. In some degree I'm looking at the competition I'm facing but not necessarily looking at the opponent and thinking about what I have to do to beat that opponent because all I'm doing each given week is thinking about the team that is on my schedule for that week.

CARL TABB: Mike Hart will bring nothing more than what he brought the last couple weeks because Jerome Jackson and Kevin Grady and Max Martin have done a great job in uplifting the team and providing a tackle along with Alijah Bradley. With that being said, having Mike back is certainly a plus to our team because it gives us one more person to do that job. When you have many people that can do the same job effectively, you then don't have to worry about the team and you then don't have to worry about someone not being able to go because you have more than one person that's more than capable.

CARL TABB: To be honest with you, that's the last thing on my mind. I will worry about whether Penn State lost after we get to our game on Saturday. If I worry about what's going to happen elsewhere before I worry about what's going to happen here, I'm not taking care of home.

CARL TABB: Actually this program was under no more pressure than we were after our first loss. A loss is a loss is a loss, when you're 3-3, when you're 4-1, when you're 5-2. I mean, the way that things work is you're going to be criticized. So after we lost our first game we were criticized. After our second game we were criticized, after our third game we were still criticized. Having last three games had no bearing on our team standing with the public so much as it just made us look in the mirror and determine what kind of team we wanted to be because we have a choice; we can either go in the tank and throw the year away or we can do what you have seen us do, which is come back fighting and swinging and fighting our way out of the corner that we have dug ourselves and put ourselves into.

PAT MASSEY: You know what, I think Coach Carr is pretty consistent throughout the season. I mean, I think if you just look at him, you can kind of tell there's something different from the look in his eyes. But throughout the season, Coach Carr does a great job of keeping a level head, which is good when you're playing teams that you're favored over, and then it's real good when you're playing a big rival like Ohio State.

PAT MASSEY: Once again, Coach Carr is level-headed. He's consistent, and he knows no matter what he's always going to be positive and he's always going to be thinking about the next game.

PAT MASSEY: I'm telling you, I mean, I told someone earlier, Ohio State, you can throw all the records out. We could be undefeated and they could have five losses and it doesn't matter. So it's about throwing out all the records. None of that makes a difference on Saturday.

PAT MASSEY: I've always been a Michigan fan growing up. My neighborhood at home, drive down the street and there's always this -- this weekend you would have an Ohio State or a Michigan flag hanging off your front porch. Growing up, to me it was always the epitome of college football.

PAT MASSEY: Well, the biggest thing, when I committed to Michigan there really wasn't too much backlash because Ohio State wasn't playing to people's expectations, and so now it seems like when I go home, there's more backlash than when I first committed.

PAT MASSEY: Yeah, I mean, I've never really heard anyone say that. I mean, Coach Carr is Coach Carr. How successful he's been, I can't imagine anyone trying to take anything away from that.

PAT MASSEY: Yeah, it's great. I mean, it adds to the game. That's what makes it so great is the intensity on and off the field. It's intense in the crowd, too. I've been there for it. But it's all in good fun, and that's what -- I still think that the fans have respect for each other just like the players who are on the field.

PAT MASSEY: They do it the traditional way of lining up and trying to ram it down your throats, and then, also, Troy Smith, if he doesn't like what he sees in the secondary, he pulls down a run, and that's where they get most of their rushing yards, so they can do it both ways. It creates a huge challenge for us.

PAT MASSEY: He's a great athlete. He's not going to go down just from arm tackles. You've got to wrap up and have all 11 guys getting to the ball. He's not going to go down easy.

PAT MASSEY: He's similar, but out of all of them, I think he's the best athlete and he's going to be the one who wants to run it the most. He's definitely going to pull it down. I think he's going to be the most active out of all of them.

PAT MASSEY: Well, it's similar to what we've been talking about in the off season. Throughout the season, it was just continue the rush lanes, pursue taking the right angle, those things, just trying to improve that all season.

PAT MASSEY: Yeah, a little bit because every game that goes by you kind of think, it's one down, one down. It serves as motivation to keep working hard. But at the same time it's exciting because this is what I've been working for. That is what -- my whole career has come down to this game.

PAT MASSEY: You know, right now we're not looking to pat ourselves on the back for winning a couple games in a row. We're thinking about Ohio State. After the season, we can look back and take time to reflect. But right now we're thinking about Ohio State and we're not thinking about beating Indiana, beating Northwestern. We're thinking about Ohio State.

PAT MASSEY: Hey, when you're 3-3 you're thinking about winning that next game, you know. I heard some people asking Carl the question about is Ohio State always in your minds. Yeah, they're always in our minds. Like he said, he'll go home and watch SportsCenter and see highlights. They're always in your mind. When you're 3-3 you're thinking about winning the next game.

PAT MASSEY: Yeah, my brother lives in Columbus, so every once in a while he'll send me an email with a link. It's hard to not be thinking about Ohio State at times.

PAT MASSEY: Last year at this point, if you look at our defense, it kind of seemed like we were on the decline. This year I think it's a little different because up to this point, I think we've gotten better from week to week. So hopefully we can continue to do that. If you look at Ohio State, you know they're not like any other team we play, so this is a huge challenge for us. We'll continue to get better this week and practice and improve on areas we need to improve on. I think if you look at the season so far, I think we've continued to get better.

PAT MASSEY: It's hard to say because like who's to say that you're flying under the radar? It's the Ohio State-Michigan game, you know. You can look at it as being favored or being an underdog, but I think when it comes down to it, like I was saying before, we're throwing out the records and it doesn't really matter. Both teams are in the spotlight.

PAT MASSEY: It's hard to put into words. It's hard for me to -- what separates it. It's just the tradition of it. You look at the great players on both sides of the ball who have played in this game. You look at the actual games themselves. I mean, it's some of the greatest games in Michigan history and Ohio State history. It's really hard to put into words.

PAT MASSEY: You're absolutely right, we've done that. It's important to move on and realize, you know, this is a whole different defense. But all of us on that defense last year, the majority of us. So yeah, we're not going to forget losing to Ohio State that badly last year. We're not going to forget that, our defensive performance last year. At the same time we do realize this is a whole new defense. We've got a new identity, we've got -- there's a lot new about us.

PAT MASSEY: A lot. Coach, he's brought so much to our defense, whether it was just confidence to us -- not just the D line. I think if you ask the linebackers and the secondary, they'll say the same thing, that he's part of the whole defense. The basics, techniques he's taught us or just little advice he's given us on the field, lots of credit has to go to Coach.

PAT MASSEY: No, because Ohio State, I don't consider them a dirty team whatsoever. What I do know is that they're going to go to the whistle, and that's the way it should be because we're going to do the same thing. But Ohio State, especially in this game, they're not going to be dirty but they're going to play hard, and that means playing to the whistle. There's definitely some things that go on, but I think there's a great amount of respect amongst the players, and guys will go to the whistle. Nothing too bad.

PAT MASSEY: You know, I wouldn't say it's a different person, but Coach Carr definitely -- we have a lot of fun with him, absolutely. We absolutely have a lot of fun with him. I mean, even in weeks like this, he does do a good job of keeping us loose, of joking around a little bit. I'm sure that's a side of him that not too many people see. We're kind of fortunate because we have a great time, throughout the whole year, not just during the season.

PAT MASSEY: No, you know, none that I'm going to get to now, but just -- there definitely are some.

PAT MASSEY: Yeah, I would sit down with some of those people and just talk to them just because of that. That is unbelievable. I don't know any stats or anything like that, but I know the coaches right now, Coach Carr has got to be up there. Coach Carr is what Michigan is all about, and I think there shouldn't be any question about it.

DAVID HARRIS: He's a great coach. It's the little things, the fundamentals. He's a great motivator, and our D line has really taken to him.

DAVID HARRIS: No doubt he's the fastest quarterback we play against this year. He's a great scrambler, he's capable of making any play, strong arm, he's a great leader. He's their man.

DAVID HARRIS: They have a real explosive offense. They have tremendous D. Again, Holmes, he's underrated. I think not a lot of people pay attention to him, but he's a pretty good running back. He's capable of taking it any time he gets the ball, so you've got to play defense.

DAVID HARRIS: Again, they're trying to iron out the team's offense. They find their groove, and it's pretty tough stuff.

DAVID HARRIS: A couple weeks ago, just everybody is more focused and more into defense. We're just playing lots of ball, and by doing the assignments and not giving up -- (Inaudible).

DAVID HARRIS: Because the seniors have been to the game before. All the younger players look up to the seniors. We just try and teach them and tell them what the game is all about, try to do a good job leading.

DAVID HARRIS: We knew that we weren't playing up to Michigan level, so we just knew that wasn't acceptable. We had to come out and play a lot harder, a lot better.

DAVID HARRIS: It's a challenge. It's a game that measures your team, like Ohio State and Michigan. It's what you work for.

DAVID HARRIS: Not really, Michigan-Ohio State. The weeks I'm out here, what you're doing this week, you prepare for playing against an opponent.

DAVID HARRIS: He's a great coach, like a father figure. We joke around with him sometimes, but most times he's pretty serious.

DAVID HARRIS: Yeah, there's little things like that. He rips our hearts out when he says do a better job this week.

DAVID HARRIS: No matter if you're playing or not playing, it's Michigan-Ohio State. You've watched the games since you were little, growing up, all the great players, the great teams. The rivalry itself is the biggest in college football.

DAVID HARRIS: We know what we have to do, what our defense calls for us to do. We'll go out and try to do our best.

DAVID HARRIS: I think it proves a lot over the season. He's playing hard, running plays at the right time, Chris Graham, and Sean Crable has been tremendous for us the last couple weeks.

DAVID HARRIS: A little bit. He can throw the ball pretty good. He has good receivers like Kevin.

DAVID HARRIS: We've made improvements the last couple weeks in every area of our team, so hopefully we'll keep improving and come home with a victory.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Both huge games, huge rivalries, but this is definitely one that you grow up your entire life, heard about your entire life playing. It's a special game. Hopefully the seniors will have a victory against Ohio State.

BRIAN THOMPSON: It's a pretty amazing feeling. My freshman year I didn't travel a lot with the team, and then my sophomore year was when we beat Ohio State and we went to the Rose Bowl, and I'll tell you what, that game was as unbelievable as can be. At the end of that game -- it was just special, a special feeling and one that you'll never forget.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I wouldn't say it's ruining their season. We'd like to have it happen. But it's going to be a great game. It's a great football team and great defense, great offense. They've got some play-makers. It's going to be special.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I'd say yeah. We came out 3-3. It was not the way we wanted to start. We had some disappointing losses. It's great to be part of a team who whenever their back is against the wall comes back and has fought like this one has. It's really made this a special team.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I don't know if it was certain players. It was just an attitude of "What's going on; this is nuts." We've turned it around, and we're looking to keep going in that direction.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I couldn't tell you.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Crucial part of our offensive line. At the beginning of the year we knew it was going to be a big loss, but we had guys step in and we knew what we needed. Having Biggs is definitely a plus. He's a great player, a strong player.

BRIAN THOMPSON: You have to be aware of them. They've got great players that have been starting there for three, four years. A.J. Hawk is an excellent player, Carpenter, there's some great linebackers, and some that -- we have three years with some of them, and it's going to be a crucial part of the game, taking them out.

BRIAN THOMPSON: He's had a great all-around defense, great DBs, great linebackers, great front line, and it's going to be a test.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Coach Carr is always -- absolutely, it's his job to go out there and push us every single day. He's serious every single time, especially this week. His message is "It's time to go."

BRIAN THOMPSON: Obviously, yeah, he jokes about things, has fun with things, but it's time to go.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I don't want to make that a slogan so I don't want to say that, but yeah, it's time to go.

BRIAN THOMPSON: No, absolutely not. Every week it's the same thing. We've got to push ourselves. He's not going to change between one week to another. Every week is just as important as the other.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Mike is such a smart player. He's focused on the game, he just knows -- it's almost like he knows what's going to happen before it does happen, and that's a huge part. But he's done a great job in helping the other guys out, letting them know what's going on and stuff like that. I think they've done a great job stepping up. I felt like last game and the games before, they've really stepped up.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I don't want to talk about that too much, I just want to worry about Ohio State.

BRIAN THOMPSON: It was amazing. The fans are amazing. That's the thing, with a rivalry like this, you have nothing to worry about with the fans, is specially the Michigan fans. They're going to come out and support us. He's a huge advantage when you have fans that are loud. In a 3rd down situation it's huge. It was great, an unbelievable feeling.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Yeah, there's a difference. I mean, between all of us. It's a rivalry for us, it's a rivalry for the fans, it's a rivalry for everybody. I know it's going to be maximum packed this week, maybe a couple thousand more people this week than there was last week. It's going to be crazy.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Everybody is a critic. It's going to be good, supporting, you shaking your hand, and they're going to be all over you. Coach Carr knows better than anybody else that that's what's going to happen. That's when your leaders or your coach come through.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Absolutely it upsets us, but it's something you have to expect. It happens with the quarterback, it happens with everybody. We know that, he knows that, but it's a question with the great passing year he's had and come out and have a struggling first part of the season, to be questioned, yeah, it's frustrating.

BRIAN THOMPSON: You know, I feel like Chad is going to play his game every week. Yeah, he did have a great game last week, and that is going to be -- that just adds to confidence, and I feel like he's been confident all year. Yeah, it's great for them, a great game. He's going to come out with his game ready no matter what.

BRIAN THOMPSON: You know, I think every week we're battling. We've done a great job these last couple weeks. Whoever is in there, that's what we expect. Whoever is in there does a great job.

BRIAN THOMPSON: Yeah, I feel any time a player is from a home state that we're playing, it's going to be a little bit probably more of a rivalry for them. When you're playing Ohio State, it doesn't matter where you're from. You know what's there, you know what it's going to be like. It's a rivalry for everybody.

BRIAN THOMPSON: I haven't heard much, but if he is saying that, more power to him. He's just starting to add a little bit of fuel to the fire. That's fine with me.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I don't know, I really don't know. My family is from Michigan (laughter).

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Not really. I mean, I was an Ohio State fan, but as I went along, I kind of leaned towards Michigan. I mean, we get recruited and everything and things change as we go along.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: No, I thought there should have been.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: No, I mean, I'm just going to go out there and play football. I wouldn't say it's just another game because it's not another game. It's an intense rivalry, but we just want to go out there and play defense.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: You take everything on time, but Ohio State will be no different. You feel they're good. Ohio State is a great rivalry, so you don't want to lose any games.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Some people.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: You keep an eye on the opponent and you focus on the one game for the week.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Not really. You focus on every opponent. For that week you might put a little bit more focus in on that team.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Not really. I know they're a couple plays away from being national title contenders.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I'm going to fight every game. This is a rivalry, so there's going to be a little bit more fire, a little bit more excited, a little bit more emotional.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: The seniors, we just came together and told the team, we've just got to go out there and play football the best way we know how.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: They've got some great receivers. They've been making plays all season. He works well in conjunction with him. He is a great running quarterback and a great throwing quarterback, so we've got to go out there and try to stop them.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: No, not really. I'll just say that I have people that went to my high school in Toledo -- (Inaudible).

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Last year was last year. This year we just go out there and play faster. We keep an eye on the quarterback and try to get to the ball as quick as we can.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I feel good.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Yeah, you always want to come back because you're a competitor. Mike helped me out a lot and I came back as quick as I could.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: It's just like, my freshman year, although I didn't play, the seniors and the guys that helped me out, just made me want to keep going, carry on the tradition. Because he's a great player, going to be a great player when all is said and done. We've just got to help him no matter what.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Well, I can't answer that question because I don't want to -- (Inaudible) -- professional season.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: They didn't say nothing to me.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I don't know, that was up to Michigan State and Penn State. I didn't want to play that game.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I don't know about being hot or not, but I just think if we go out there and execute and play the best we can.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I always wanted to play in a great rivalry.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: Although it changes coaches and changes players, it's still blue and gold versus red and gray.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: You really have to make an adjustment because he helped you out and tries to teach you as much as he can.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I mean, he was a little upset but he was still energetic about the season.

WILLIAM BARRINGER: I wouldn't say he was different, but I think he was more detail-oriented. I would say he took it upon himself to take all the blame, when really, the players, we didn't go out there and execute.

TIM MASSAQUOI: 1-2, maybe. Different teams, different times. We do one game at home and -- at the team's anniversary we did bring them down. We beat them a few years ago -- (Inaudible).

TIM MASSAQUOI: I would say freshman year is right up there, going in there and them greeting us the way they did with open arms and all that, I would say that's when it really set in.

TIM MASSAQUOI: That was what it was. I don't know what it was about. I mean, that's just how it is. (Inaudible). We've just got to concentrate on the game and not everything else that's going on. We've just got to get it done.

TIM MASSAQUOI: Definitely that's the way they are. The strength of the defense, you have to know where they are. You've got to fight because those guys, they come off with -- (Inaudible) -- as long as you can. That's what they'll do to you.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I feel like Chad, he experienced a lot of great things last year as a college football player, character and how you respond to stuff and the person that you are. I think seeing the way he responded, played well, this is going to help him in the long run.

TIM MASSAQUOI: Yeah, there is definitely an urgency to improve and try to turn it around. The outside people didn't give us much hope. They really cast our season away. We just want to continue to keep on playing. We just want to come out every Saturday and continue to play, and things worked out.

TIM MASSAQUOI: Yeah, you experience three losses that early in the season, it's not something you're used to as a player. It's just the character our team showed in turning it around and winning those close games, it was a fight. I think the team can be proud of that, that even though we were down we never gave up.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I would say there was preparation. We prepared that week really well. We just wanted to win, that's all it came down to, the attitude of everybody. Let's just set this aside and play the games until the end of the clock.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I just remember the Rose Bowl with Ohio State one year, everybody had roses on the field, that was a great moment in your life. Going back to that moment, I try to think of what helped us win that game, and hopefully you try to go out there this week and try to instill some of that in our team.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I mean, I love this place. I love playing here. I couldn't think of anything better in my life. It's just how it is, and I'm just going to play this game as hard as I can for this team and try to win.

TIM MASSAQUOI: It would thrill me very much to win. We can't control what happens. But we can be proud of ourselves to how we responded to adversity early in the season. I think that's the main thing that I look forward to, that my team looks forward to, just winning this game and just playing with character and just never giving up.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I mean, both these games are rivalries. Naturally people respect each other. Not saying we don't have quality players, but it's just a rivalry because of the tradition. You're just not going to feel real good about the guys on the other side of the ball. You just want to give them a little extra push or something. You just have to keep your composure and not let things escalate and let things hurt your team. This is our biggest rivalry, and it's just -- it's something you really can't explain. I've tried to put it in words many times, but I really can't. This is a game you're on a mission to play.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I mean, the way I feel, we're not underdogs. There's no underdogs when you come to college football. Anybody can beat anybody on any day. It's just like people outside, they look at this and that and they say this team is going to win because of that. If you go in thinking you're an underdog, it's not the confidence that you should have on your team.

TIM MASSAQUOI: At the beginning of the week he lectured on the rivalry to let you know that this is a huge game, but at the same time he prepares every game the same way. He prepares with the same emotion, same intensity, same attention to detail, and that's the way he wants us to see it. He takes every game the same way, it's a must-win game, and that's how we've got to take this game.

TIM MASSAQUOI: Yeah, this is a week where tight ends protecting might be a little bit more important. They come alive, they send their linebackers a lot because they're play-makers so they want to do some things. This season I haven't been catching many balls. It's helped me in a way just to become a complete player, being able to block a little bit more, to fine-tune parts of my game. But at the same time catch balls and make plays, that's what we have to do to win this game.

TIM MASSAQUOI: It was more just us coming out and playing and executing better. We had the right game plan, we had the right attitude practicing and everything, but we just didn't execute on Saturday. We tried to do a lot more.

TIM MASSAQUOI: He's 300 pounds, and he has attitude. The first play he got in there, he knocked somebody down, and you feel that intensity and that fire that I think carried along the rest of the team.

TIM MASSAQUOI: I think we just can't give them the ball. We can't turn the ball over. If we start turning the ball over, we put ourselves in a bad position. We can't turn the ball over and we have to execute and make plays. We have to play a solid game. We can't kill ourselves, we can't put ourselves in bad field position. We just have to play a solid game.

TIM MASSAQUOI: Probably torn off. You have a leg or an arm somewhere or a doctor tells him he can't play. No, I think the severity of the injuries, the trainers let you know if you can play with it or not. They wouldn't put you out there and put you in a bad position to hurt yourself. If they tell you you can play with an injury, then you can play. But if you can't, then you're out. The trainers do a good job of that.

TIM MASSAQUOI: It's huge. He's a great player, our star running back. For a game like this you need your best weapons. You need everything that you have in your arsenal to try to go win this game.

TIM MASSAQUOI: At the same time Jerome Jackson, Kevin Grady, they did a tremendous job. They played well. I think personally they made a name for themselves. They're backup guys but they can still play ball. I credit them the way they handled themselves, the way they prepared, the way they played. Mike Hart is -- (Inaudible).

TIM MASSAQUOI: Big Ten is just a great conference right now. The competition is there. The Big Ten can play with anybody in the country, and it's just a competition that lets you know a team can still win the championship. It doesn't take away from the conference, it just shows how much the conference is getting better each year.

TIM MASSAQUOI: We do a lot of funny stuff. We line up in practice and sing a song. That's his favorite song at practice and he walks around singing the song. I'll get in trouble for telling you guys that. He just lets you know -- he seems serious, but behind closed doors he's a great guy. I remember my freshman year they beat us, and I think that's where he got it from.

BILL MARTIN: Thanks, and good afternoon. I'm sure many of you are interested as to what we may be doing this week with respect to crowd control, civility, et cetera, et cetera. Let me just begin by saying you probably all know that at the Big Ten level, we have instituted a new sportsmanship policy this year, team to team, individual student athlete to individual student athlete, and it's gone extremely well. One of our objectives is to extend that to our fans throughout the stadium. As you know, this game brings out a lot of emotions and passions from everyone, and we want to channel those to letting the action take place on the field and not in the stands and not around Michigan's stadium. It's a real challenge. So Bill Bess, our director of public safety, would like to chat with you a little bit and answer any questions you have with respect to this issue.

BILL BESS: It's probably one of the most important things is to remind everybody that the sportsmanship that we expect on the field is expected in the stands and around the stadium, as well. We're going to treat our Ohio State guests as guests, both in the stadium and outside the stadium and around the city of Ann Arbor. Fans and alums and faculty and staff will set the example for the Big Ten on how our guests are going to be treated. We will have strong security presence around the campus and around the stadium. That needs to be very, very clear. We will enforce the prohibited items, as we always have. So bring your wallets and your small purses and nothing else. Don't bring the list of prohibited items that is going to delay things at the gate and slow the process down when it comes to getting into the stadium. We do enforce rules strictly, and we don't expect anything to be thrown onto the field. Those who violate stadium policies will be ejected, and it is a $50 civil violation if anything is thrown onto the field. We expect to fully enforce those rules. Get that message out for us, and we would appreciate it.

BILL MARTIN: We don't expect any wrinkles. We expect the same civility from Ohio State fans as we expect from our own.

BILL BESS: We're handing out like little schedule cards, one side on two lines, Michigan and Ohio State, welcoming our competitors. On the back it's got a lot of interesting facts. For instance, do you know what the record is over the last 50 games? Every one of you should know that. 24-24-2 the last 50 games. So we put in facts like that on the back of this card and we're handing it out. Again, it's a matter of showing respect for our guests and so forth.

BILL MARTIN: This morning I got an email from a young lady who said she and her husband had just bought a couple of tickets to the game on ebay in the area of $400 to $600 each and they turned out to be forgeries, and they were one of 65 people on ebay that had this problem. Of course, they're asking us what are we going to do about it. The situation is let the buyer beware. We have no control over the secondary markets whatsoever. Bill can address what we do with counterfeit tickets.

BILL BESS: We do enforce that when we can identify them. We're going to go after them vigorously. However, the persons who have legitimate tickets are going to sit in the seats. Let the buyer beware.

BILL MARTIN: Earlier this year our ticket manager Marty Bogner identified three people scalping tickets on the Internet. We have identified exactly who they were and that they were truly in the ticket business, and we took their tickets away from them for the first time. Technology has evolved so we can do this more readily and easily, and we are going to do it because we want the tickets to go to folks who are true Michigan fans, not trying to make a buck.

BILL BESS: We want to remind everyone about the 5-by-7 items getting into the stands. We don't want large purses and large packages coming into the stands and we are going to enforce it.

GRANT MASON: It has gone by real fast. This is my third year here. But the time has flown. I can remember being in Coach Carr's offices like it was earlier in the summer or something. Time really goes by, but I really enjoyed my opportunity here and I'm glad that I came back.

GRANT MASON: Just make sure that you stay square and try to knock them back. He's a real big guy, but he's a quarterback. If a defensive player has got an opportunity to go against a quarterback and you don't do well, your teammates will get at you.

GRANT MASON: (Laughing) yeah, hopefully if I leverage him right and I have good level, it will end up being a good thing for me, not for him.

GRANT MASON: Just asking what your coach to do. It's big when you play guys like Holmes to be real fundamentally sound in everything you do because you know if you get out of position they'll make you pay for it. Just go out and don't overthink it because when you overthink it you tend to try to overcompensate and you give off another thing. You just go out and do what you were coached to do all year, and hopefully that's good enough.

GRANT MASON: I couldn't say. They look real fast on film. I'm hoping they're not that fast in real life.

GRANT MASON: A game like this, I think everybody. I mean, you grow up looking at Michigan and Ohio State rivalry, it's the biggest one in college football in my opinion. I think that the emotions will be there. It's really just making sure everybody stays focused on what their job is and make sure that they do that and don't get overemotional. You need that edge, but at the same time you need to be able to control it, and I think that the biggest thing will be control because everybody will be real emotional and real pumped up to play.

GRANT MASON: It would mean a lot to me, an awful lot. Last year we didn't play as well as we should have and ended up taking a loss. For me, this is my last game as a senior and at home here at Michigan Stadium, and I've talked to a lot of guys, Sam Sword, he's one of our coaches now, his last game as a senior he lost, and he always tells us that you don't want to have that feeling about your last game against Ohio State. He won all the games previous to that, but he lost the last one. I don't want my last one to be a loss.

GRANT MASON: I'm pleased, more so with how -- my season has went well, but I'm pleased more so about how the secondary in general has played. I think that the way we play, we go out and I think that we've done -- having something that I'm proud of. I like to say that I'm part of each and every one of the guys and represent our coach, everyone out there. This whole team has been nothing but a joy, and I can say that I really like this team and I like everybody on the team and I like the way everybody goes out and plays.

GRANT MASON: Athletically, definitely, these guys are real good. It'll be a big chance for everybody when we can't get caught up in how the receivers are. Also their quarterback is very good. If we go out and do what we're coached to do, I think we'll have success.

GRANT MASON: It's big because we want to put ourselves in position to actually have a chance, not so much to ruin their season. They're having a good year and they should because they're a great football team. But I think that this game means a lot to us and it would mean a lot to our season, and being a senior, I think it would mean the world to me to beat Ohio State in this game, give ourselves an opportunity to maybe even win the Big Ten.

GRANT MASON: I hoped -- I mean, at that time we were two games behind the lead in the Big Ten. But I understood that we had a lot of teams ahead of us that we had to play that were also ahead of us. So personally I'm always optimistic thinking that if we go out and play the way that we're capable of and everything falls our way, who knows what will happen. We were 3-3 and I was thinking that we were winning, but I would hope that we have a chance.

GRANT MASON: No, not necessarily for me. I'm a Michigan kid, and I don't -- when Michigan State isn't playing us -- I personally have a lot of friends that play there, and I always wish them the best. I hope they win.

GRANT MASON: We'll see what happens. I think as of late they've been struggling, but they have an offense that can score, and they're playing at home, the crowd is behind them, and anything can happen. Penn State is tremendously talented and one of the best teams in this country. It all depends on what happens on that day.

GRANT MASON: It's a big difference. In each one's area they're big rivalries, but I think on a national scale, the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry beats all other rivalries. The attention to both schools and the programs -- not to take anything away from University of Cal or Stanford, but I think that Ohio State and Michigan football-wise have greater tradition.

GRANT MASON: I can't say that for sure. I think that we're a real good team. I think that our record -- I wish that we hadn't lost three games, I can say that. But we have lost three games. There's some other teams out there with losses that are good, and it all comes down to how you play on that day. There's teams that have one loss and no losses that can be beat if they don't play their best on that day. I think we have a good team, and I can't say who the other teams are, but I think we're better than most teams are three losses.

GRANT MASON: Honestly, in a way it would hurt if we did. I think we've done a great job and we've been improving throughout the season. We were up and down early but we've been getting better and better I think that all the work we've put in and stuff throughout the year, considering how we played last year sense Ohio State, I think it would be a huge disappointment to me if we don't come out and play our best. I think if we play our best we'll have a good opportunity to win.