Michigan DB Rod Moore

I mean, I've seen it on the screen, but it's on everything to do more, to get better. But like I said, that one, the Michigan standards, that's over. Oh, no. No, I don't think there's room so far. We just went out there and played us off. It was simple as that. It kind of surprised me that I kept going out there on defense. I really wasn't penetrating to the score until maybe five minutes left in the game. I'm like seven to nine. I'm just west of Michigan, seven to nine. But I mean, there's not really no reason. I think we just didn't have the right mindset, the mentality that we were supposed to have to go in that game that my ex-teammate was supposed to. I mean, all of our Tuesday practice up is on Bloody Tuesday. So it probably was a little bit more physical, a little bit more taxing on the body. But I think it was better. I think it was better for us to keep coming up. Could you go more into what entails a Bloody Tuesday? What makes it so intense today? What do you offer? I mean, we're on full pads, and you can see I got my pants on, too. But we're on full pads, and we do a lot of nine-on-nine. We just like talking, going into defense. It's not full tackling, but everything's good, physical good, physical striking, and just making sure we're being more physical. What gives you confidence after a soft performance against Western at this speed? Just the attitude and the vibe that they're doing. Everything comes from the players. We came in here on Sunday and had a meeting, and then on Monday, yesterday, we went over the film. Everybody understood what the problem was. And, I mean, we know what we've got to do this week because it's a big game. So that gives me confidence. I just don't be leading and be short of all the captain's reasons for going there and playing. We're more physical. We've got better mentalities, and I think everybody follows that. Did Sunday give you exactly what you needed? No. We just had a little parallel meeting. We just wanted to talk about what was going on on Saturday. Saturday night, it was going good. It was a week. That was the whole team. Who called that meeting? Our captain. And do you feel like you got what you wanted from that meeting? You got everybody on the same page? Yeah, I mean, we have a lot of parallel meetings, but I think that that was more for me the main one that we needed What's your reaction to Western trying to get the outcome of the game overturned to a win in their favor? I didn't even know that they were about to do that, but we are. We kind of moved on already, so we never decided to do that. How does going from Western Michigan last week to Oklahoma this week, how does that change the dynamic for you guys mentally or emotionally or physically? I don't think it really changes the dynamic, really. I mean, it truly is still a game of football. It's a bigger, better opponent. And just maybe mentally, having more of a mental edge to understand if you come out how we came out soft against Western Michigan, it's going to be way more embarrassing than that was. I've just seen Bryce handle a lot of criticism since the game. I don't think he's really taking his own idea of it. I mean, they're the same attitude they're still working to, but being a great captain, a great leader he is every day, so we don't care about the league. Is there a factor at play, too, that they're cutting it? Oklahoma has to step up from UTEP to Michigan. Is that part of your thinking as well, that Oklahoma, hey, they've got to step up, too. We're Michigan. I mean, like I said, we're Michigan. We're not going to lay down soft in school, even though we may have played bad last week in the first game. The first game, we did not play well. You said that if it happens again next week, it would be more embarrassing. Is that a word that you would use to describe the first week? Embarrassing? I mean, everybody says I'm kind of embarrassing. Like I said, we didn't play how we were supposed to. I was embarrassed at the way that I kind of went out there and played. During that team meeting on Sunday, was there any message from Bryce that you can recall? How have you seen Dom Nichols' progression over the last couple of years? I've seen him grow mentally, physically. I see that he's changed his body completely. He's turned around, like the way that he attacks. He's in here working every day. I'm in here probably for everybody because I don't have class. So when I see Dom in here, you know, working out, walking around with a weighted vest on, I'm like, yo, what are you doing? But, you know, just him mentally, physically. Like, he's just taking the game to the next level. You know, he's like, that's the game for him. I've seen on Saturday, like, the work he's put in here, working every day, especially over the summer. And then, obviously, the way he plays. He had like two sacks. He was all over the field, creating havoc. And that's what we loved in the back then. How would you describe his temperament or his personality? I don't know. He's all over the place. He'd be happy one day, but if he's mad, he's going to feel like he's mad. I'd say, like, you could describe him as a dog's pit. Rod, you were Coach Rod last year for the Oklahoma game. What are your recollections of what it'll take to stop John McTier in that offense? Tackling. I think that's the main thing. You know, obviously, like you just said, John McTier is probably one of their, you know, their better players. But they have a really good offense overall. Like you said, the line, the guys that are wide in the back end. You've got to play a great defense game. They have a really good defense, like I said before. I think it just equals that for the better defense on Saturday and Wednesday. Rod, what gives you confidence in this team to go over down and be the team you thought they should have been in the opening shift? I mean, just the mindset and mentality that we have. Kind of before Western, I think we still had that. But when you get between the lines and the way you kind of, you know, it kind of made you feel different. But I still think we had that mentality. So, we have our goals that we set. We have everything that we had to do. It's the same thing. So, we didn't lose. So, like, there's really nothing left to obtain. First game in J-Hill's defense, how was it? Everyone getting lined up and on the same page? And did it click? It was smooth. I love how he caught it. Love the defense. Allows us all to make plays freely. You know, move around freely, especially in the back end, like you saw how we played back there. And, I mean, it'll be a great game this year. This week, too, on a conference game, it's kind of been a hump these last two years for your team. And you haven't been on the field for those two. You are going to be this time. What are you hoping that you can add, what you can bring to get over that hump? Well, I've played in a lot of big games. So, I kind of understand what it takes to win the big game. And I know what it takes to lose the big game. So, I mean, I think just my experience and just being out there with the guys, understanding, like, we may not get everything that we've seen on film, but you've got to play hard with a lot of effort. Nothing can be effort. So, I think just to add my value, the way that I play, the way that I think, and still everything to the young guys. With Western having the ball for almost 40 minutes on Saturday, how much of a grind did it feel like, especially for a season opener? Me, personally, I didn't feel like it was a grind because I've been sick for two years. So, I was like, let me keep playing. But now that you look back on it, it definitely was a grind. I mean, we were talking about it on Sunday. They had the ball for 40 minutes on Wednesday. And I made it to play counting about 69. I was like, we usually don't play that many snaps until we play maybe, like, a game like this weekend. So, I mean, defense is built for that. We don't do a lot of grinding. I mean, we do do a lot of grinding, but, you know, I mean, each and every week, it doesn't matter how much we play. It's like, you know, get the ball back. Thoughts about seeing Cole wearing a different uniform? It hurt my heart, but I can't wait to see Cole. He's probably going to bond out, but I can't wait to see him. You've had a lot of snaps since 23. How are you feeling? Good. I feel really good. My lower body wasn't even hurting. I just like my upper body. I just got all the contact, and then I woke up Sunday morning. I'm like, my day is full blown. I forgot how it felt, but I feel good. Thanks, everybody.