Indiana University Athletics
Indiana-Michigan Quotes
11/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 11, 2006
Recap |
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner Quotes
Opening Statement:
"Congratulations to Michigan. They're a very, very good football team that played well, played hard. I just told the team that we'll look back at this game and see that there were a handful of plays on both sides of the ball and the special teams that were really the keys to the game. For the most part, they made those plays. It was either failure to execute, we struggled blocking their front seven. They've been telling us how good they are, but until you get on the field between the lines with them, that was the case. We're going down to score right before the half, then we get the ball back to start the second half, so we really could have seized some momentum there, and not getting those points is tough. Then to give up that punt return, they made the plays and we didn't. Then it's down to one game. On Aug. 6, we set a goal to play 13. And going into game 12, our goal is still alive. It's one of the great rivalry games all by itself. Well, now there's, for us anyway, an added element, an added emphasis. I think for our seniors, I'm disappointed for them. It was their last game here. It wasn't from lack of effort. They were the better team today, but we kept playing hard until the last play. We need to execute better in all phases. The offense never got on track consistently. We had some great opportunities, but like I said, the interception before the half was big. The defense - you had a punt return in there, and that makes it look worse for the defense than it probably was. They had a big touchdown pass in the first half, so those are the plays that make a difference in the game. We throw up an interception, they throw up a jump ball, throw and catch for a touchdown. Congratulations to Coach Carr and Michigan. I guess that's what everybody's been wanting. Well, they get the big showdown next week."
On what happened with the interception:
"It was one of those, it just came out of his hands a little high. It was an overthrow, and their guy was in the right place. He made the play. I know he wishes he had that throw back, but he made a lot of plays. He was on the run tonight, or this afternoon, for sure. Quite a bit."
On Indiana's tackling:
"I thought as the game wore on, we tackled better. I challenged them early on. At halftime, that was the challenge to the defense. `Keep them in front of you, no big plays, and we've got to tackle better.' We had a lot of guys on the ball at times, and Mike Hart's a great back. There's technique in tackling, but for the most part, this late in the season, there's not a lot you can do. We'll still do tackling drills this week, like we do every week. I get a sense that the arm tackles that their backs ran through, for the most part occurred in the first half. I thought that we tackled better and continued to play hard, for sure."
On whether this loss is easier to move past, given what is on the line next week at Purdue:
"You have to. You don't have a choice. I don't like the `turn the page' and `forget about it and move on' and `my bad' - I don't like that. Learn from your mistakes. Build on the positives. Eliminate the negatives. We're going to do what we always do. We're going to watch this game tape tomorrow. I think there will be probably extra determination and some natural enthusiasm for this coming week. It's the seniors' last game, if we don't reach our goal. The Purdue game is a season unto itself. I've been told by a lot of people since I've been here, `You'd better beat Purdue, you got it?' I got it. To our alumni, it's a very special game, and I'm sure it is to their alumni. In that sense, that a very meaningful game in late November, we'd better not look in the rearview and worry too much about what happened here today. We'd better learn from our mistakes and move on."
On what he learned about his team from playing the top two teams in the country
"I think that they are both very, very good teams. I've said before, I've voted Ohio State No. 1 from the beginning. And don't ask what I'm going to do now, because I've voted Michigan two. But I'll have to figure something out between now and 11:30 in the morning, when I have to vote. But yeah, I think you do, I think when you play the best, if you didn't learn something, then you weren't paying attention. Again, not only the physical skills, the size, the speed, but the effort with which they play. They really, really play and play hard. A lot of pride, a lot of confidence in how they play. We'll point those things out. You didn't want to make too big a deal of it before the game, but I knew that they would come in here playing hard. There's so much on the line for us next week, and it's the game everybody's been wanting, though. They'll get it. And they knew that, too. So this was a huge game for both of us, they just played better than we did. I'm not saying they wanted it more than we did, because this was big. For our seniors, their last game, some of them have been here five years. Their last game in Memorial Stadium. But there's a lot of things you learn from playing the best."
Indiana Player Quotes
Wide Receiver James Hardy
On the season:
"The goal at the beginning of the year was to play 13. Now we're at game 12, we've got five wins. If we get a win against Purdue, our goal will be accomplished.
On preparing for Purdue:
"You've got to forget about it. We'll hang our heads for the rest of the day, but starting tomorrow morning we've got to start getting ready because we've got the opportunity to reach our goal."
Defensive back Troy Grosfield
On preparing for next week:
"The Purdue week starts right now. We're going to be more ready for them than we've ever been for a team. Since I've been here in my five years, every game has been an absolute dog fight. It doesn't matter if one team is having a down year. You throw everything out the window."
On the Ohio State/Michigan game:
"That game is just huge. Both are pretty smash mouth, great defenses. They are two teams with pretty good defenses. It's going to be a heck of a game next weekend. It's going to be interesting to see what happens."
Offensive lineman Justin Frye
On Michigan:
"From an up front standpoint, they're both fast, both physical (Michigan and Ohio State). Today Michigan moved around a lot. They didn't do anything we didn't expect them to. At the same time, they have a lot of guys who can roll in, roll out."
On the Purdue game:
"Six days, 17 hours and a few minutes. You'd like to be 11-0 right now, playing for the BCS Championship game. We're 5-6 and play for a spot just to play somewhere warm in December. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to play 13. That's still alive. It is the last game of the season - it's the Bucket Game with our in-state rival. Lots of guys have lots of stuff to prove. We've got a lot of seniors on the team. There is no more next week. Let's get it done right now."
On Purdue:
"You can say as much as you want, but it's got to be shown. Tuesday's practice has to be intense. Tomorrow, watching film... you always have to bring guys with you. It has to be known to the young guys that this is the season right here. Next Saturday at noon makes or breaks whether you start winter training in December or whether you go somewhere warm for a bowl game."
Quarterback Kellen Lewis
On Michigan's defense:
"They are big, strong and fast. I guess you mix those three and it causes a little bit of havoc. I'd definitely say they were faster (than I expected). I know usually they don't do too hot against scrambling quarterbacks, but they seemed to be a pretty good job of containing today. Watching film, I knew they were really big and strong."
On the interception:
"I was trying to place it high because Hardy is a pretty tall receiver. Especially down in the red zone - I was trying to give him the only shot. It sailed on me, fluttered a little bit and carried over his head. The corner was in the right spot at the right time. It was taking points off the board where we couldn't get a field goal and couldn't get a touchdown. In relativity with the snowball affect, it's a pretty big play because you're in the red zone and didn't get any points on the board and the defense is back on the field."
Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr Quotes
On the game:
"Last week some of the mistakes we made in the Ball State game proved to be very helpful to us because they really focused us. We came into this game with great intensity and the first two drives were really well done. I thought defensively we played outstanding because I was concerned about [Indiana's] kicking game, particularly their punting and returns. We let one punt get out a little bit, but I thought our coverage on the kicking game was good. We got better today and that's what you want to be able to do in November."
On being unbeaten heading into Ohio State:
"It's going to be another great Ohio State-Michigan game. A few things are a little bit different and I don't think there is any question that it can't be any more special than Ohio State and Michigan. This one has everything that a fan could want and for the teams involved. The player and coaches have everything that they want. It's great for the Big Ten conference and it's great for every college football fan. It will be an exciting week."
On the play of senior wide receiver Steve Breaston:
"He had an outstanding game. I told him beforehand that I thought this would be his best game of the year. He made a big play in the passing game and had a big return. A pretty good day of work when you only touch the ball three or four times. He's had a great year and he has done a lot of great things."
On having sophomore wide receiver Mario Manningham back on the field:
"It really is great for him because he's been off for three or four weeks. Getting him back in there last week and today, I told him it was about time he caught a ball. I think he will be full speed as we go into this next week."
