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Opening Statement
We have a big challenge on our hands. Excited about the opportunity. Excited for our players to have the experience of playing in this game. We've only been there one time (2015). And it's a tremendous environment. Great experience for everybody. So really happy for our guys to have that opportunity.
Couple of words about Friday. Obviously, proud of our guys, the way they played, the way they continued to fight. And they don't know how to give up. It was great to get the win. Pleased about that. Overall they've been determined all season long. It's one of the characteristics that stands out.
They work hard. They compete hard. And also they've shown great character and they really do care about each other. They like each other, trust each other and care about each other.
So those things are really certainly traits you hope for a football team. And it's an extension of their families, their parents, reflective of the kind of support they get at home. And that's something we all appreciate.
This is really is a tight-knit group of parents as well. And it probably started a little bit maybe during the pandemic just sharing information, because certainly we had a bunch of unknowns going on 20 months ago.
And they seemed like they rallied since that time. So as a coach, I'm appreciative of the support that they've lent, the fact that they trust us and let us work with their children. Really important.
I think anybody that knows anything about sports, it's not just football, I'm sure, but if you're a college football player, it's going to be hard. You're going to experience disappointment, setbacks, all those kinds of things. It's part of going to college. Certainly if you're competing in this sport, it can be disappointing.
I've always felt like it's really beneficial, if a player has someone they can reach out to and get words of encouragement and support, because hardship comes your way, it's just part of the deal. It's kind of been my experience. Just appreciate the way that parents have supported our players and support us.
So our guys were off Saturday and came back in Sunday and got back to work. It's going to be a normal game week for us.
Just a couple words about the honors that were announced. Certainly glad to see Caleb recognized as a Big Ten special teams player of the week. Certainly worthy. He's had a great season. Not surprised or disappointed, but maybe a little disappointed he wasn't in as a finalist. But bottom line you'll probably see two of the best place kickers in college football in this game on Saturday.
Michigan has an outstanding kicker. We feel the same way about Caleb. Happy for him to be recognized. Coincidentally, the other two players that you probably noticed play for our opponent. So it's kind of a reflection of the kind of team they have.
We have two players of the year in the Big Ten with Riley Moss and Charlie Jones. More to be mentioned tomorrow. But happy for those two guys, that's a special honor for both players, well deserved. Really hard earned and for all the guys that got Big Ten recognition, happy for them as well. And ditto for the same guys to get recognized tomorrow.
So we'll see where that all goes. Then just for the Michigan game, looking ahead, the same four captains: Tyler Linderbaum, Matt Hankins, Jack Koerner, and Jack Campbell. Those four guys will go out for the toss.
And Matt Hankins, unfortunately, will not be ready and probably is going to miss the bowl game, too. He's not going to be able to go. He'll be with us, obviously, but not able to participate. So it's disappointing, especially for Matt.
I feel badly for him. He's done a great job, had a great career. This would have been a great feel for him to be in this game, certainly.
Looking at Michigan. My first experience in this game was in 1981. They were awfully good then. And they had a lot of good teams in the '80s. Since I've been back, they've had a lot of good teams, too. This team certainly looks like they're right at the top of that list from what we can tell.
They're extremely talented in all phases. They have good depth. Very talented and well-coached. And to me this is typical of good teams. But Michigan has a real identity, offensively, defensively, special teams. You can tell their players fully believe in what they're doing. They do it well and they do it with a lot of energy and play at a high level.
So it's a real credit to their football team. They've had a great season. Got off to a good start. Had the one bump in the road and came right back and finished out the season in impressive fashion.
I can't imagine them playing a lot better than they did this past Saturday against a team that's extremely talented and a very good football team. They played a tremendous football game.
It's going to be a tough challenge for us. We're excited about it. It's an opportunity, certainly, but we've got a lot of work to do in the meantime to get ready. I'm proud of our football team.
They've earned the right to play in this game, to compete in the championship game. It took them all 12 games to get there. We talk to our players all the time. That's why they keep a clock on it, 60 minutes a game, 12 games a year, see where it's all at. We have a lot of work to do between now and Saturday night.
Q. Your decision-making process about quarterback, what ultimately led you to the decision you made?
COACH FERENTZ: It was a gut feeling Saturday. We just went with it. And we'll continue to do that moving forward. But we'll start the game with Spencer. I thought he did a good job. He's done a lot of good things for over two years right now, and we haven't forgotten about that at all.
Q. Will Terry Roberts be available?
COACH FERENTZ: I think so. He's been able to practice. We're not out of the woods yet but we're getting close. It's been a long tough path. Bone bruise, basically. And it's kind of hard. And there is, at least my experience, no way to accurately predict how long a guy is going to be out. But he seemed pretty functional yesterday and today. And seems like his spirits are up. So that's good.
Q. If he's available could he jump there at corner ahead of Terry?
COACH FERENTZ: That's something we'll talk about. But Jermari has done a good job. He went from being a young kid who has never played and now he has a couple games under his belt. From my vantage point, only really made one critical error. That one a couple weeks ago. Those are good learning experiences. He's done a good job. So keep our fingers crossed, but hopefully we'll have three guys at least that have some experience. And Terry will help us on special teams too, get him back there will be a real bonus. But has to finish the week out. But looks good.
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