It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 Saturday in the 'Shoe, Michigan vs. Ohio State for the right to play in the national championship game Jan. 8. On Monday, Lloyd Carr talked about the task ahead and his team's health, including the latest on Prescott Burgess and Antonio Bass …
Here's Carr:
On a personal note regarding the Indiana game: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris Graham and his family. Last Saturday, prior to the game, his grandmother passed away. She was in the car on the way from Indianapolis down to see the game, and she passed away.
"His father grabbed me at halftime, and he didn't want Chris to know until after game. Certainly all of our thoughts and prayers go out to the Graham family."
On injured wide receiver Antonio Bass: "Antonio Bass had a second surgery eight or 10 days ago. It was a lengthy procedure. It will be a lengthy rehabilitation. I don't know what his status will be for next season, but it will be a while."
On the Indiana game: "I liked the way we played on Saturday. I liked the way we competed. I liked the fact that we came out of the game without any injuries.
"Now it's about putting a plan together and getting prepared, going down and executing and playing like we're capable of playing."
Wolverine PhotoSteve BreastonOn what the Ohio State week is like for him: "It's fun. It's fun because I love this game – the game of football. When you have an opportunity to play in this particular game as many years as I have, you appreciate the competition. You appreciate the preparation that goes into it – the study, the long hours. You appreciate the practices, where you know guys are paying attention and they're focused. They're doing everything they can to get ready to play their best game.
"It's a great week. It always has been, and I think it always will be for those who coach and play in this game."
On whether this particular Michigan-Ohio State game is bigger than any others: "I've always said, the most important one, the most special one in this rivalry is the next one. Yeah, it's special."
On LaMarr Woodley's play: "I think maybe he's surpassed what I expected. I expected him to be a great football player, but he has been an incredible leader. He is a guy that plays with great passion. He is an unselfish guy. He's excited for his teammates and he loves to win.
"In the area of leadership, I knew he would be a great player and certainly had the qualities of a leader, but he's been absolutely sensational."
On talking about rivalry games when Woodley was being recruited: "We talked about playing in that [Ohio State] game, playing against Notre Dame every year, playing against Michigan State. That's something we talk a lot about in terms of recruiting.
"Certainly, LaMarr was probably about as highly recruited as any player in the country that year. We were trying to convince him to come here because of all the reasons like his family and his friends, having an opportunity to continue to build his reputation in front of people and play in front of people who had watched him play in high school."
On the key to slowing down Troy Smith: "It comes down to executing the game plan. Every guy in that game is going to play as hard as they can. It comes down to playing together and executing assignments, and understanding it's not a game of perfect.
"There are going to be some mistakes out there, and you just have to keep playing. You have to keep playing from the time the ball's snapped to the time the whistle blows, until that clock reads zero."
On the comparison between Troy Smith and Vince Young: "I really don't get into comparing them. They're both great quarterbacks."
On preparing for Ohio State prior to this week: "There was a point in our schedule where we felt we had an opportunity to get ahead and to work on some things, and we did that.
"The truth is, you're working against all your opponents in January. You're competing against them when you get into spring practice. You're working against them in the summer. As coaches, you're studying them. I think it's an ongoing process. I think that's probably been true since time began."
On his players commenting that part of their effort has been to alleviate some of the heat he took last season: "We have great people in this program. One of the things that Michigan players have always done is love their teammates. They're loyal guys. I think they care deeply about the people in the program.
"I think that speaks to them, more than to me."
On the losing coach from the U-M-OSU taking a lot of heat: "Any time you lose, you're going to take criticism – and a lot of times when you win. That's the way it is."
On remembering any No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-ups: "Texas-Arkansas, one year – that's a long time ago. I think I remember that game, Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal. Notre Dame-Michigan State, I remember that one."
On being excited about being part of another one: "Absolutely. When you look, we've played this Michigan-Ohio State game now for 102 years. To have this be the first time in over a century that both teams are ranked [No. 1 vs. No. 2], you know, to never have has this happen before … and it may be a long time before it happens again.
"It's a dream, to not only coach in this rivalry but to be able to play in a game like this. It's certainly very, very special."
On injury updates regarding Prescott Burgess and Kevin Grady: "Prescott Burgess will play, and Kevin Grady is better than he was last week, and he practiced last week, so we'll have to see."
On what he respects about OSU coach Jim Tressell: "You look at the way his teams perform. They play very hard -- they play very well together. They're well disciplined. They do a great job with their schemes, attacking from the standpoint of playing to their strengths and attacking weaknesses."
On the 1969 Michigan-Ohio State game:"I had just gotten out of college. I had coached and taught in the city of Detroit. In 1969, I was in Flint, Michigan, working on my Master's degree as part of the Mott Foundation. I remember that game, because of what Coach [Woody] Hayes had done down there in Columbus, when he went for two because he couldn't go for three.
"I remember some of the articles that were written in the springtime about the kind of practices Coach [Bo] Schembechler was having here at Michigan. Of course, they got into the season and I can remember Missouri beating them soundly, I think here in Ann Arbor.
"But as the season went on, that team got better and better. Of course, anybody that follows this game, they remember the week of the game -- Bo coaching against Woody for the first time.
"And that game – I've seen a few clips of that game since then. Television has come a long way since 1969. It was a special, special game. I remember Barry Pierson and the punt returns he had in that game."
On whether Smith is the best quarterback Michigan has faced this year: "I don't like to compare quarterbacks. He has a great arm. He can throw the football. He's a guy who has great mobility. What I always value in a quarterback – where I start my assessment of a quarterback – is his toughness. He's extremely tough. If you watch him over the course of his career, he's proven he can take punishment, get up and compete. I think he's an outstanding quarterback – there's no question about that."
On how the teams match up in terms of personnel: "I'm not going to compare the two. There are talented guys. What I've seen in this game a lot of times is that there are a lot of guys on special teams or maybe playing certain roles where they don't get the notoriety that some other guys get.
"Very often, it is those guys who do things that maybe aren't noticed, in the kicking game. It truly is a team game. Every guy that steps on that field is going to have a role to play. That role can often be the deciding factor. That's why it's such a great game, because there are 22 guys out there on every play, and every one of them can impact a game."
On handling the pressure of The Game: "A guy doesn't come here to Michigan unless he wants the pressure. We talk about that all the time. The expectations are such that you've got to want it. You've got to understand that it's part of playing here. You're going to deal with a lot of different issues.
"The great news is, during the course of that experience, it toughens you. It helps you to leave with a confidence that there is nothing out there in the world that you're going to face that you can't deal with.
"It's competitive here academically as well. That's the kind of guys we're looking for.
"That's not to say … one of the things you read all the time is that some guys choked. The truth is, there are going to be mistakes out there Saturday. There are going to be some missed tackles. There are going to be guys who miss some blocks. There are going to be guys who miss a pass, who turn the football over.
"But the deal is, if you've been in this season on either side of the ball, at either school, you know what pressure is. You wouldn't have gotten here if you didn't.
"Now, to be able to play like you want to this week comes back to paying attention this week in your meetings, studying your opponent as well as you can, so that you feel confident going in, knowing what he's going to do. Know what his strengths and weaknesses are, know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then you'll be able to play your best. That's really what you strive to do every week."
On Schembechler making an appearance before the media: "I hope he didn't say anything that will screw this game up."
On the bag-sniffing dog incident two years ago: "You have to move on. There are certainly some things in the course of a season, in the course of a rivalry, that happen. But you move on. You learn from them. You move on – that's the deal."
On Chad Henne: "I think Chad Henne's a great quarterback. I guess I evaluate it a lot differently. For me, it's not about stats. It's about how he manages the game, how he executes at his position.
"What Chad Henne did here as a freshman, in my judgment, is as impressive as anything anybody's done here since I've been here. I think this year, he's having a great year. The toughness, he's intelligent, he's competitive, he's got a great arm, he studies the game, he's an unselfish guy.
"I like everything about him. I liked everything about him when we recruited him. I like everything he's done here. I like him a lot."
On Leon Hall's senior year: "Leon is a special kid. There are a lot of special guys on this team, but his performance has been exceptional.
"Saturday they threw the ball deep to [James] Hardy. Hardy is 6-7. They tried to throw the ball up high and tried to make a play he's made a lot of times this year. Leon went up, competed and knocked the ball away. The first play of the game they went deep on him. He was in perfect position, and if the receiver hadn't made a great play he would have intercepted the ball.
"He's a guy that everybody respects because he doesn't say much at all. But he's one of those guys that when you watch in practice, the way he conducts himself, and if you know the challenges he's had in his life, you understand what a quality guy he is.
On fifth-year senior tackle Rueben Riley: "There are always questions about everybody. He's dealt with those like you have to be able to do. He's developed a mental toughness he did not have when he got here. He's always been a big guy, he's a good athlete, and he's such a
nice guy. I've used a little different tact with Rueben. As a matter of fact, last spring he got so mad at me he wanted to murder me. I'm glad he didn't, because I'm here to watch him play and it's fun, because he competes hard.
"I think he's grown up, matured, and developed a tenacity about the way he plays the game that he had to learn."
On not promoting his players for individual awards: "I don't know that that is true. I think that's a perception. As a coach, I don't see every single player in the country, so it would be unfair in my position, and I think it would be right of people to question me if I say this guy should win this award. What I can do is give a guy from my position, publicly, an endorsement. I don't think it's that we don't promote guys. Now, I think we've had a lot of guys win awards.
"I would say that's more a philosophy of sports information. It's been a culture here, and I have seen no reason to change that. I've always believed this: if you're successful as a team, there will be enough rewards for everybody. I believe that."
Associated PressCan U-M's receivers figure into the offense Saturday?On whether he's given any thought to a potential rematch with OSU in the title game: "No. Not at this time. I've got enough to worry about with this game. Whatever comes after is part of the system, and it will be what it will be."
On junior running back Mike Hart: "He possesses a great competitiveness. He's got a burning passion to compete. When he got here, when I looked at him, I'm thinking it's going to take him a year or two to get big and strong enough to take a pounding. There's another story. When you look at what this kid did as a true freshman, it's astounding. As many times as he carried the ball … his ability to be tackled and be hit and not fumble the football.
"The difference in Mike Hart today is he is much stronger, and obviously he has a great ability to find a crease, a small crease. He's tough. He always seems to bleed the defense for an extra yard or two because of whatever he has inside of him."
On using "Cinderella Man" to motivate the team, and what he likes about it: "I didn't see that film for a while. Hoosiers has always been my favorite movie as far as sports-themed movies go. When I watched it, there were so many things in that movie that spoke to 'team.' It's really a story about a guy who is trying to provide for his family. That's what it's really about. It's really a team-oriented film, even though you don't consider boxing a team-oriented sport.
"The casting is incredible. The guy in the corner. The lady who played Jimmy Braddock's wife was wonderful. The guy that played Max Baer. The competition … there's just scene after scene where there is a lesson for anybody that watches that movie, in my judgment."
On whether it's a bonus that several of his kids have played in Columbus before: "Any time you've been somewhere, it's a benefit, good, bad or indifferent. They know … other than playing an outstanding football team, the great challenge is playing in a stadium that is so loud. Having been there, they know that. They've seen the colors, heard the band, seen those jerseys. Those things aren't new to them.
"We've got a lot of young players. They've been to Notre Dame and Penn State. But they're going to have to take it in there. For those who have been there, it's an advantage."
On whether he likes playing Ohio State at its best: "It's what Ben Hogan said. You always want to win because you were better. At this stage of the season, there are a lot of guys who aren't at their best, probably on both teams. That's why from a coaching standpoint you admire those people who are playing because they simply love the game, they love their teammates, and they know in some cases this won't come again."
On whether they'd be 11-0 if they'd finished 9-3 last year: "I can't answer that. There's no question that when you have the type of season we've had, that you're either going to back down and continue that trend, if that's what you want to call it, or you're going to get up and fight. I don' think there's any question that it motivated all of us, and that's what it should have done.
On being the underdog: "I'm not a gambler, so I don't look at the point spreads. They don't mean that much to me."
On whether it's hard to have a relationship with a rival coach (Jim Tressel) like Bo Schemebechler and Woody Hayes had: "I think Bo and Woody, that's a different deal, because when you coach with somebody, like Bo did for Woody … that has happened in college football history a number of times.
"We have responsibilities to our universities, and part of that is we have coaches' meetings every spring, sometimes twice a year. So I think we've always had an extremely professional relationship. But I do think the rivalry is so intense, not only true with [Ohio State] but also with some of the other teams you play.
"This is an intensely competitive environment. Sometimes you have closer friendships than others. I don't think you're going to see the Ohio State and Michigan coaches going to parties together."
On LaMarr Woodley moving from linebacker to defensive end: "When LaMarr was a true freshman, it was pretty obvious. He's 260 now. We have a freshman [defensive tackle], Brandon Graham, who we recruited as a linebacker, and when he came in this fall he was 270 pounds.
"It was obvious at some point that LaMarr was going to be too big to be a linebacker, although athletically I think he's capable of being that. He wanted to play as a freshman. He didn't want to redshirt. I told him if he wanted to play he had to be in shape, come down this summer and work out with the guys, get a feel for what the tempo of the workouts is like.
"As we got into training camp and he got involved in all the pass drops a linebacker had to deal with, we told him look, your best chance to play - because it's an easier position because all you're doing is rushing – is to move to defensive end. He never hesitated. I think he understood."
"LaMarr likes to do what he's supposed to do, so he moved in there and did an excellent job for a young guy that just arrived on campus. It worked out pretty well for him."
On what he tells guys before they address the media prior to a big game: "I tell them to enjoy it. The guys that come up here … enjoy it, because it will be a bigger crowd than normal, you'll have people here from all over the country, and they want to know what kind of guy you are. Relax, enjoy yourself and be yourself.
"You're doing things constantly in the course of the year where you're trying to say, 'this is what happened somewhere else' … giving them reports off the Internet of mistakes that were made. You're trying to show them by example."
"I was telling them the other day about an interview I saw with Tom Brady after a tough loss to Indianapolis. I watched him after that game; he was on for 15 minutes. I told them how Brady handled that interview, because there are going to be tough questions at times, times things aren't going well for you. That's an opportunity to learn from somebody else so when you get in that position, you know how to handle it.
"We've all made mistakes with the media. If you've been with them any length of time, you're going to say some things you regret. The main thing is to be able to try to be yourself, but most of all to enjoy this week, this day, so you've got great memories of not just the game, but all the excitement that's been generated by what two teams have done. It's special."
On whether he's heard from Brady or other alums about the game: "I know he played late yesterday. I think he had a tough loss there. We get a lot of guys calling and writing and all that stuff. That's part of the fun, too."
On whether he can ever look at this game from an outsider's perspective, how big it is: "I can't. I wish I could. I wish I could stand back and say, 'my God, look at what you're part of!' But there's a game coming, and every minute I spend here is one less minute I'm thinking about the game. And every minute I'm thinking about something not related to the game is not good."
