UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 21, 2005

Lloyd Carr

COACH CARR: Well, I thought for 55 minutes, we fought our hearts out. I think the mark of this team, when they get down nine to nothing in a game like that, and they were tenacious, they -- our defense made two great plays, Gabe Watson caused a fumble, and we got the ball back and went in for a touchdown to make it 9 to 7. And then our defense made a big stop at the end of the first half to hold them to a field goal. At the half, I told them I felt I was positive we were going to win that football game because I just felt like we were doing a great job in the kicking game. We had not -- we had been very good with the football. And going into the game, I felt the keys to the game would be to win the turnover battle, to win the kicking game. And at the half, I felt good about the way we were playing, although, you know, our inability to run the football was really problematic. And I think, looking back on the game, that's certainly an area that was a big factor in the game. But then, of course, we came out in the second half and I think we played extremely well in the third quarter. We took advantage of a couple of opportunities, although we failed to -- when LaMarr Woodley made a great individual play in the third quarter to knock the ball loose, and looking at the film, it's a shame that, you know, when you are behind the line of scrimmage and the quarterback is on the ground, you know, you would have liked to have seen us pick that ball up and score a touchdown, because Ohio State made a great stop there we had to settle for a field goal. But certainly at the end, when we took a two score lead with five minutes to go, I think, you know, we felt the way we had played defense the first 55 minutes that we were going to win the game. We let them score on that first drive too soon. We missed a tackle on Santonio Holmes on the touchdown play, so they didn't have to take enough time off the clock. And then when he got the football back, we had a play that we had designed for Tim Massaquoi, and, of course, he was injured, and we dropped the pass that would have given us a sure first down and taken more time off the clock, that was -- we didn't help our defense there. And, of course, the final drive, we just didn't make a play, and I think the play from the 30 yard line, where the receiver ran out of bounds, I think we got a terrible break there because I think that ball should have come back. But we were just not able until last five minutes to make a play and you have got to give credit to Ohio State. They did what they had to do.

COACH CARR: Yeah, absolutely. The ball comes back and, yeah, they lose the down.

COACH CARR: The rule states the receiver must be blocked out of bounds. Grant Mason was in man-to-man coverage. He turned back to the ball. He did not block him out. I mean that's clear.

COACH CARR: No, because the defender has a right to a position on the field.

COACH CARR: It's not a penalty. It's -- well, it's just, yeah. Right. That's not to say they're not going to hit a field goal or hit the next pass. I am not saying that's why we lost the game. I am just saying that was a big play, and that's all I am saying.

COACH CARR: Well, yeah. You know, I think there is a -- I don't know, honestly, if that play is reviewable or not. And I do know this, if it is reviewable, even the official, who may have been uncertain, he can't ask for a replay. He couldn't ask for a review. I think, you know, those are some of the issues that are very difficult, you know, in this replay system. I think the replay system has been tremendous for college football, but there are some review questions that are going to have to be ironed out. And I think, you know, it's like anything else, there is no perfect system, but I think it has been very good.

COACH CARR: No, the only thing, Leo Henige, who has had so many surgeries is going to have another one because the break in his leg is going to necessitate surgery. Jake Long will have surgery tomorrow. And all of those other guys are going to -- it's going to take some time, when -- when they'll be back, I can't tell you.

COACH CARR: Well, I think a big question is whether Adam Kraus can come back. So we have got a lot of things to look at.

COACH CARR: You know, I have never believed in those. I mean I don't -- you know, I -- all I can tell you is what I saw in practice. I thought he made a lot of improvement in the last two weeks. And you know, he showed some of the old Mike Hart during the week, but he was -- I don't think he was -- he certainly was capable of playing, but he was not close to being Mike Hart, that's my opinion.

COACH CARR: Well, I think that's one of the real great things about the game. You get a chance to make some decisions that, you know, can weigh in on the game and can give your team a chance to win. And I think you are always thinking, you know, it's easy -- you can make a lot of mistakes if you are greedy, and yet, I think you have to -- I always try to go through in my mind before, in the week of the game, those situations, and a lot of times I will tell our team what they are. But I thought through a lot of those kind of decisions. I will say this. I made that decision at the 38 yard line. I was deliberating and I don't know which way I was going. I had about a second to make up my mind. But Chad Henne, and the amazing thing, this kid is a sophomore. It would be one thing if he was a senior, if you get a senior quarterback. But Chad Henne convinced me and I knew because, if we don't make it there, we have really put our defense -- and we got a 6 point lead at the time. But Chad Henne gave me confidence. And so, you know, it was a beautiful moment for me because he really influenced me there. And I am glad he did. The other call, you know, this Huston -- I think that's the way they pronounce his name -- has got a great leg. He had the wind. And I really felt, you know, that Garrett Rivas, that's a play we work on every week, and I felt very confident that Garrett would get it down close to the 10, and that bought us 20 yards, which is two first st downs, and I just felt we had to do that for our defense, and that's why I did it and I would do it again.

COACH CARR: Listen, in the call that -- we blitzed several times. Now, the defense on the play where Gonzalez stepped out of bounds, we had a blitz called there, and it looks like -- and David Harris -- the quarterback set the pass. We had good coverage we had man-to-man coverage and now we started to scramble up inside. And David Harris stepped up. And the two rushers from the right, when they saw -- and that's one of the things that you have to work on with a guy like Smith. When they saw Smith go inside, they started to come out of their rush to help on -- because a lot of times he runs the ball inside the contain. And of course, he made just an absolutely incredible play because he some way managed to evade David's tackle, and then he scrambled out. We still had contain, but we didn't have people in his face, and that's because of if you look at the entire play. But I think we mixed our coverages. We had one blitz in there that we should have had a sack on that one of our players missed fit the blitz. He didn't get to the right gap, and that was -- that would have been a big play. I think, you know, all those plays in that particular time of the game are big plays. But there was no prevent defense.

COACH CARR: Well, I think, you know, we always -- we talk about what we need to have what you need to be able to do to have a great offense. And you know, you've got to be able to score quickly, you have got to be able to run the football when you need to run it to use the clock, and protect your defense. And defensively, you have got to be able to stop a team at the end of games, and we have not been able to do that this season, that's a big disappointment. And you know, that's really been a disappointment because we have had some times. And so being the kind of defense we're trying to become, we just did not get that done. And yet, as I mentioned after the game, there is some plays in there, when you look at it. The thing that I can say unequivocally is that these guys played hard. They never quit. They fought their way back when a lot of teams wouldn't have. So I am proud of the guys on this football team. But we are deeply disappointed in the results because, even with all the things that we faced, we had chances and we weren't able to do them.

COACH CARR: Well, I think when you're dealing with spread teams, teams that use three and four wide receivers, you have to take some risk and we did. For example, at the end of the half, I think it was a third down play, we blitzed them and hit Smith off the edge with a free blitzer. And he got the ball off, but he had to throw quickly, and we -- the ball was incomplete. They had to settle for a field goal. That's a big play. You don't know how that big play is because, if they scored a touchdown there, then we go into the half really in a precarious situation. And yet, all -- when you are dealing with guys like, Ginn and Holmes, and they line them up in a lot of different situations, they create some problems for you, just like we do. We don't get a lot of teams blitzing and playing man-to-man coverage without any secondary help, because offenses have ability to move people around with motions to get into bunches. When you get into a bunch and you get somebody picked off, it's a big play. So I think we played a significant amount of man coverage considering who we were playing because the quarterback in that game, you better take care of him first, and I think we did a very good job on him. But I mean what he did in the last half, I have got to give him credit. I mean he is pretty good.

COACH CARR: Well, I like what we do offensively. I think we will always be able to recruit great quarterbacks here, and great tailbacks and wide receivers. I think, you know, I want guys that -- you know, I don't -- I don't have any problem with the spread offense because I think it's had a lot of positive things. But I think, you know, to use a quarterback as a tailback is not something that I want to recruit to.

COACH CARR: We will be recruiting, and we will have to find out who we're going to play and where, and, of course, that will depend on what our schedule is.

COACH CARR: Well, we're going to take this week off and then we will see what shakes up next week, but we will get back and do some conditioning. But we won't practice for the next two weeks, no.

COACH CARR: No. No. I hear what you hear. No, I don't hear what you hear because I don't talk to as many people as you do. So I really -- I have no idea. You might ask somebody else. Bill might know. I have no idea.

COACH CARR: Well, it's a good question, and I think the answer is very complex. I think, you know, we have run the football at times during this season extremely well, and, at times, we haven't. And I don't think you can look at it -- I was -- I had a meeting this morning and that very question is what I am trying to come to grips with because we were in this game. I knew this was a great defense, make no mistake about that. But we still felt like we could run the football for over 100 yards and had we been able to do that, I think the difference would have been significant. But I think you cannot look at that game without taking into consideration, for example, that Jake Long played with an injury that he is going to have surgically repaired tomorrow. And Adam Kraus didn't play, you know, and Tim Massaquoi went out. I don't know exactly what stage, but -- and Mike Hart went out and Jerome Jackson did not play. And yet, you know, you still want to be able to run the football more effectively. But I think, when you get in a game, I thought Terry Malone did an excellent job based on how the game developed. I mean we didn't expect Mike Hart to go out. And when he does, we're a different team. And so you have to do with -- you have to adapt to the game, and I think he did that. But the answer to that question is pretty complex because they -- the other part of it is its an outstanding defense and a veteran defense. I mean a big, strong defense line with great -- Hawk is a great player. I mean Hawk made some plays in that game that only great players will make.

COACH CARR: Well, we -- you know, I don't know. I can guarantee you this spring, and, you know, that becomes an area that we must improve in and we will. We will.

COACH CARR: Well, I told them last night that a bowl game is about several things. No. 1, it's you get an inordinate amount of time to prepare for the next season, to work with young players, and, you know, that is very important in their development. It's really like another spring practice. If they practice with the attitude that it is important, and that's one the jobs that you have as a coach, to impress upon them that every day -- they don't want to come with the idea that I am getting practice over. I mean, I am in the Fall of next year, and I am preparing for a game. If you can get people to practice with that mentality, then you can improve and you can get better. And you know, secondly, you are trying to develop a way to win, a plan that will enable you to win when you play the game. And the other part of it is to enjoy the experience of being together for the last time as a team and enjoy the bowl site and have a good time. Those are things that you try to do every year.

COACH CARR: Oh, I think we made significant progress. I think, if you look at the statistics in the Big 10, I think you know we did an excellent job. If there is one disappointment I have, and it was something we did very well in this game, I mean we didn't give a very explosive offensive football team any big plays. I mean the biggest play they had was the play we just discussed. But with that exception in that game, you know, we did so many great things. If we could have made a play there at the end, we're talking about this defense playing their best game, but, of course, you can't do that. So -- but I think we made -- I think we're a much more physical team. I think our linebackers, particularly I think David Harris, will go into next season as one of those guys that going a chance to really have an outstanding career here. And we get a lot of linebackers. I think Prescott Burgess had a very good year. And so I think there is a lot of guys that made big steps. And, you know, we're not a great defense, but I think we have the nucleus of having the kind of defense we'd like to have next Fall.

COACH CARR: Well, I think you can make a mistake when you -- when you gauge a team strictly by their record. This team, I mean they could have folded. That team could have gone in the tank. When you have to -- when you lose a game like the Wisconsin game on the last play of the game and you come back and you got to go to Michigan State to play a team that's undefeated and ranked and an explosive team, and you go up there, I mean because it always comes back to preparation, and it's hard to prepare for anything if you are thinking about something else. And here, when you lose, there is plenty of distractions, and that's part of the pressure that you have to be able to deal with here. And a lot of times, in any locker room, I mean I don't care if it's junior high, high school, college, pro's, when things go badly, there is always a tendency to point the finger, "Well, it wasn't my fault. You know, if Johnny over there done a better job," and this team didn't do that. And they came back to work the next day on Sunday. So I am extremely proud that the seniors, they were an unselfish group. They just kept fighting. And I know that's -- you know, some people may not buy into that, but this team had a chemistry and they had good leadership. And so here their playing in the final game of the season with a chance still to win the Big 10 Championship, after all those disappointments, to even get into a BCS Bowl. And with five minutes to go in the game, it's all there. So it's hard for me to be disappointed in a group of people who showed great grit and determination, toughness, passion, resilience, that to me -- you know, that's what this game will test. And in those areas, this team met the challenge.

COACH CARR: Well, I think you'd have to ask them. All I know is that they had it. Because without it, they wouldn't have won some of those games. I mean when you think about the Penn State game, you are facing, with 52 seconds to go, they're kicking off and they've just taken the lead and you have got one time out left. So, you know, I think, you know, I have always said this, I think the kind of people you have in those circumstances, they either quit or they draw back or they continue to believe and fight and this team did that. I mean going to practice, normally, for a coach and a player after losing, I mean it doesn't get much more miserable because you are thinking about what happened last week, and you know all the things that are out there, and there is a lot of things trying to tear you apart in those circumstances, and it takes some -- you know, it takes some mental toughness to say okay, we're not where we want to be, but let's go win again, let's go get ready this week.

COACH CARR: Well, I think it's -- I mean every season presents its own challenges. And even when things are going well, when you have 120 people in the program, coaches, players, you are going to have some problems. You are going to have some issues and some of those are not fun. I mean for a player or a coach. You got to deal with injuries every year. And so I think this was as tough a challenge as I can remember for a team, and that's why I like them so much because, in spite of all those difficult times during the season, there was never a day that I went there, that I got up in the morning that I wasn't looking forward to seeing them. And because every time I went in that meeting room to start the day, they -- they were ready to go, and they weren't feeling sorry for themselves. So I give them all the credit.

COACH CARR: Well, I am not immune to it, no. Not on the inner sanctum of my own mind, a very small area.

COACH CARR: Well, I mean I don't -- it doesn't do any good to talk about them. But I think anybody who knows this season knows that a play here, a play there, but that's always true. And you can lull yourself into not being realistic. You also have to -- to me, it's all about the realistic evaluation of what we need to do to get better. I mean it doesn't matter what day you are talking about, you are trying to get better. Now, at the end of the season, you certainly have ample opportunity, although it's no more than the people you are competing against, to look at what you are doing, to see if there is some things that you can do to get better and to go be what you want to be.

COACH CARR: Well, I thought Chad Henne was outstanding. I think he made great decisions. I think the play -- you know, he made a lot of good throws where guys could catch the football and get up the field. Breaston caught some balls, got up the field, and he had two or three balls dropped. He threw it -- he made a great throw on the play where Jason Avant was intercepted, that was a great throw. He made a great play late in the game. And I thought this is -- this is when I felt like we were -- we were going to be hard to beat is when he made the long throw down to Mario Manningham. He stood in the pocket, he had good protection, but he got -- he's got to go up there against two-deep coverage, threw the ball away from the defender. Mario made a good catch. But I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was something like, "We're going." I mean -- and I thought to myself, "Yeah, we should." You know. But it was a moment I am not going to forget because, after I made that decision, I am thinking that might be the dumbest decision you ever made.

COACH CARR: Well, I think one of the things that we wanted to do was to -- the screens are really part of our running game and we had a good screen there early, and we had a number of screens that we wanted to attack them with and that's, you know, one the things that he does so well. I don't -- I don't know that -- I mean if your question is are we going to run the football a lot more, I am not saying that because that's a good defense. I think certainly Mike Hart, you know, would have made a difference. Now how much, I am not saying. I am not -- you know.

COACH CARR: I would think he would be back for Spring ball. It's his other foot, and it's a different type of injury. But it's on top of the foot, so I think it will be fine. I just think it's too bad for Jake, because this guy, you know, he wants to play. He loves to play.

COACH CARR: I can't -- no, I can't because I don't know. I think he -- you know.

COACH CARR: Mark Bihl has earned my respect. He is really quite a kid. I mean he is a -- you know, he is a great person and he's gotten -- in this past year, he has improved significantly and he has had a great attitude because he -- you know, he was patient. And when he got an opportunity to help his team, he really went in that Northwestern game, did a good job. He is -- I am very proud of him.

COACH CARR: No, I meant that as a coach. I think that's fair of any team. I think that's the game is. You are always assessed on what your record is.

COACH CARR: See, if his injuries were in, you know, other parts of his body. You know, I have had people say to me, well, if Mike Hart were bigger, he weren't be hurt, that's not true in this case. It's an ankle. And so I don't think Mike Hart needs to change at all. When you can do what he did a year ago, the one thing you know, he is big enough, he is durable enough. Now he is going to mature, and I am not going to say he is not going to get bigger, but I don't -- to me, there is no issue with his stature, you know. I don't see that.

COACH CARR: Well, I think he has done an exceptional job in a very, what I consider, complicated position. I mean being a receiver today, because of all the coverages, and so you not only have to learn so many places where you are going to line up, your splits, your formations, the motions, the shifts. And now, when you come off the line of scrimmage, you have got to figure out is this zone or is this man-to-man. Now that's sounds pretty simple, but you have got about that long to do it. And if you make the wrong mistake, the play is dead. So I think he's done a -- he has made a lot of progress. I think like any player, you know, the whole issue for me is this, does the guy have an attitude today, "I have got to get better." And a lot of times, when a guy gets a lot of acclaim and has a very good year as a freshman, and people write and pat him on the back, he starts believing it all, all the hype. And the guy that has the attitude, "Hey, I've got to get better, today, I've got to get stronger, I have got to get -- I have got to better conditioned. I have got to learn more," you know, those are the guys, when they have that attitude, now you are dealing with a guy that has a chance to reach his potential. And really, as a coach, that's why, you know, you can't spend a lot of time telling a guy how good he is. You have got to tell him how good he could be. What is this a two-hour deal or what?

COACH CARR: Manningham?

COACH CARR: He played a lot.

COACH CARR: Well, I think -- I think, No. 1, you know, every week you go in there, what kind of week did this guy have in practice? I mean is he really -- you know, as a young player, the physical toll is you get to the middle of the season you are fatigued. And once you are fatigued then, you know, the normal deal is you make some mistakes, you do some things. Well, if it's -- and sometimes, as a coach, you know, the greatest discipline there is, is the bench. So you say, "Okay, if you are not going to do what I am asking you to do, you are not going to play as much." Now, Mario -- - yeah, Eric took him out in that game because he made a mistake, but that had nothing to do with the games following that. And I don't agree with you anyway. I never have.

COACH CARR: Well, I asked him that last night. I said, "Ruben, where would you rather play?" And he didn't hesitate. He said, "Guard." So I think he deserves that now after all he has been through.

COACH CARR: My throat is sore. Other than that, I'd love to spend the whole day with you. We could have dinner. One one of these days, we will. Is that it? Thanks.