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News bullets and other items:

• Hoke will tell us if someone is out for the year. That’s about all you can expect as far as injury updates go.
• Graham Glasgow is taking snaps at center and right guard.
• Hoke thought the team prepared well last week.
• He emphasized red zone defense and finishing drives as the two areas that most need to improve.
• Matt Wile and Kenny Allen will compete for kicking duties.

Opening statement:

“Thanks for coming. You know, as far as where we’re at as a team, we went back to work yesterday and the attitude and how our guys have stayed together, the leadership throughout the team has been awfully positive. I like the work ethic and I still like the work ethic from a physical and mental standpoint. You always evaluate where you're at and what you need to do and what could you have done differently and we've done that. We've talked about it from coaching staff-wise, from player-wise. Preparation was awesome throughout the week. It was as good as I've been around. Preparation in Michigan City at the hotel was awesome. Feel very good about our football team in a lot of ways. We've got to prepare. We got to execute a little better but as far as where this team's at I'm excited. We understand that our goals are still out there and now we've got to turn to Miami and be back at home with our students and the Michigan fans and go back to work."

How does the defensive approach have to change when you lose some key people like out of the secondary? I think you talked about when you can press man and when you had to back off of that.
“Well, I do think you've got to know your personnel. Number one, you want to make sure you put your personnel in positions so that they can be successful. In the second half we played more zone and from a defensive standpoint there were some things that we need to be tighter on. Some technique issues that we've got to clean up. Sometimes that happens when guys gets in certain environments where your fundamentals and techniques are everything. I thought we lost that and some of that is the environment that you're in. You either speed up – and I think we did that a little bit because of that or you just lose your fundamentals and techniques. So to answer your question yeah, you look at it and you change it a little bit."

Talk about having Jake Butt back and what his ceiling is. You look at his tools and where his ceiling is; where might he go?
"Well, you know, Jake was kind of a gametime decision in some ways and didn't play a lot of snaps but we'll see how he progresses. I think we’re going to be very cognizant of where he is from a physical standpoint and what's too much. We do the same thing in practice, what's too much and what's not. The technology today with some of the GPS things we’re into teaches a lot and you learn a lot. Health and wellness issues are part of that and talking about Jake is making sure we are doing the right things with him."

Talk about his…
"Well, we think he’s a very good football player. He ended up last year very well. I think he's learned a lot and he's one of those guys who is on the leadership council that isn't afraid to, even though he's a young guy, speak his mind and give his true reactions and feelings."

Talk about some of the positives and the improvement in the run defense.
"Well, the front seven I thought he did a pretty good job from that standpoint. Guys that we rotated throughout in the middle of the defense, I think they were aggressive. I thought they were gaps sound. I think Willie [Henry] may have had the most production of all of them but he and Ryan [Glasgow] as a group in there, I thought they did a nice job. That was a physical offensive line and so we got to take from what they did last week into this week and improve upon that."

Devin Funchess- we saw him leave the game and come back in. How’s he doing?

"He's fine. I'm not going to talk about any injuries but he's fine."

Did he workout and everything yesterday?
"He was in the building yesterday, yeah."

[After THE JUMP: pointed words about a lack of faith in the Big Ten, Hoke’s message for Michigan fans, and more player-specific non-injury-related questions]

You mentioned Willie Henry. Seems like he’s come a long way. Talk about his development and what is it that he’s doing particularly well?
"You know, I think it's a maturation process with Willie. He played some a year ago. In fact, he didn't play at all in this game a year ago and so he kind of had to earn his way back on and by the end of the year he was playing more but it's more his maturity. I think it is with all of the young guys. They really don't understand how to prepare totally. You talk about the tape and you talk about your work ethic. You know, you have a guy like Tom Brady when he came and spoke to the team and talked about what he does. Elvis Grbac has done the same thing. Richard Sherman – there’s a video that he talks about how he prepares every week and fundamentals and techniques being sound. We show that, talk to guys about it trying to help younger guys maybe mature a little faster in their execution and preparation but I think Willie's done that. And Willie might be the strongest guy on the football team overall but he still needs to separate himself more from where we are at."

With Jabrill and Ray [Taylor] both having injuries in the game what’s the situation this week? At what point do you need to know if they’re able to go to determine if they can play?
"I think it's a day-by-day thing."
There's not a deadline?
"No. No. It's a day by day thing. Obviously if they don't do much then we'll see what's best for the team, number one. If it's best for the team it'll be the best for them."

You mentioned younger players a little bit. In terms of rebounding from a loss like this, how important is it to tell them not to hang their heads too low? How do you get them motivated and not sulking for too long?
"Well, number one, I think they're pretty resilient. I think all 18- to 23-year-olds are pretty resilient. I think the other thing is from the leadership that we have within, the older guys. It's been addressed. We've got to learn from it and make sure that things that we can handle as coaches that we're handling those and then worry about the preparation again and the execution."

With Jabrill, he’s such an intense guy, he’s excitable and everything else. Has he been frustrated with this? Has it been difficult for him to sit? I mean, he dressed and it looked like he wanted to play. Has it been hard?

"Well, I think he's a competitor. I think we've got 105 competitors on our team so I don't think there's any doubt that he wants to play. I think it's part of what his DNA is and what he likes to do."

With the run defense and the pass defense, I think you guys got a bigger push on the run defense at least from the way it seemed. Was there something that was working better for the ground game as opposed to getting pressure on Golson?
"Number one, if you go through the tape and I know some of you do that and play coach, but some of the three-step drop game you're not going to do much with anyway. The ball is going to get out. The best way to do that is not to rush and to put your hands up, to be honest with you. And then he got out of some situations. From a run defense standpoint, I think in some ways we expected us to play that way versus the run. The biggest thing for us defensively: we have not created any opportunities for our offense. We haven't created field position. We haven't created any turnovers and that's as much as anything. So what's that mean? We’re not hitting the quarterback enough? Yeah, some of it's that. We’re not forcing bad throws. Not playing tight enough on those bad throws."

We’ve talked a little bit about Raymon and Jabrill, but just from a depth standpoint in the Appalachian State game that seemed to be a big strength, how many guys you could play. How does that effect what you guys want to do back there when there are presumably starters who aren’t going to be able to play?
"Yeah, the depth issues I think you always have. That's part of it. I think from a standpoint of where we’re at and where we want to be there's some guys like Jourdan Lewis and Stribling, Terry Richardson. We talk about the expectations are for the position and always have been and how they prepare is going to be really important."

You talked last week about the Notre Dame game being kind of a measuring-stick game. You talked about psyche and work ethic. Where do you think this team is on the football field? How good is this team right now?
"If you judge it from that game we did some things very well and did some things not very well. We had eight tackles for a loss defensively. That's the most we've had since UConn. 54 yards rushing, held them to that. Ran the ball efficiently at times and in spurts. What I think we didn't do: didn't play well enough in the red zone defensively and we didn't finish drives and when you have opportunities to put points on the board we've got to be able to do that. You have a nine play drive and you don't finish – that gets a little disheartening. The good thing was they stayed together and they kept going forward."

A lot of Michigan fans are disheartened, to use your word, with the loss. Is that your message to them right now?
"Our goal is still there. Our goal, and I've stated it 1,000 times, is to win the Big Ten championship so that's out there. Now, do we have to get better and work hard? Yeah, we do."

Offensive line- you’re happy with Glasgow at right [guard]?
"I thought when you take the film and look at it if you know what the play call is or the check to the play call and you go through it, or who's in charge of what protection-wise and all that, I thought they hung in there. Now, did they play perfect? No. They don't play perfect. At the same time, there were some guys playing against pretty good guys that I thought was encouraging."

When the game was out of hand late in the game you kept a lot of your starters in. Is there any thought about injury at that point or concern? How do you balance that?
"I think that's a delicate balance to some degree. I don't know if you really are someone who competes, is the game ever over? I know I played Ball State and we scored 21 points in a minute and six seconds one year."

In your mind where’s that line?
"I don't know if I can answer that because that's not how I look at things from a competitive standpoint. You've got a point there. There isn't any doubt that you don't want to be too prideful and too bullheaded and all that kind of stuff but we were still in the football game."

Referencing running backs, in week one we saw Derrick [Green] and DeVeon [Smith] run quite hard, a lot of drive behind them. It would appear that they were running quite hard against Notre Dame but the production wasn’t there. What was the root cause…
"The root cause was Notre Dame, right? It's a different team, so that was a little different. I think both of them play-wise played, I want to say, and I'm not saying carries but play-wise I think one was 25 plays and one was 26 plays. Something like that. You know, you've got to give Notre Dame some credit. I mean, if not I think you're being foolish."

What happened with why you weren’t able to create for them against Notre Dame? Other than Notre Dame being a good team or a better team than Appalachian State is there something you can cite? The offensive line?
"No. I mean, they're playing against better guys."

When you went back and looked at the film with Devin Gardner, what are you seeing there? You talked a little bit about it after the game but habit-wise, some of the turnovers, what are you seeing?
"Well, you're seeing he understands and realizes that when he’s going to run the ball we've got to have better ball security. He understands that as he pre-snap reads something there’s also a progression from there that he's got to do a better job with. He also made about five throws in there that were pretty special."

After the second turnover he came out and it looked like you went over and spoke with him. What’s your message to Devin in the middle of the game when some of those things are going wrong?
"Well, it certainly is that we believe in him. It certainly is go through your progressions. I think that's one thing that's great about having Nuss down on the field."

You say every year that the goal is the win the Big Ten Championship. Given the struggles for the conference over the first few weeks does that give you some sort of comfort that all of these teams are improving or have to?
"Well, you're probably one of those on the bandwagon that our conference isn't very good and I would tell you that that's opinions that I don't really think much of it because I think we've got a great conference. I think you see the teams in our conference and the competitive nature that they have. Now, do we need to win games like the game that we just played in? No question. We've got to worry about Miami of Ohio. More importantly, we've got to worry about Michigan because that's where it all starts."

You kind of already said what your message is to the team. As far as the fans that watch from the outside and see some of the similar issues that they saw last season, what would you say to them and how concerning is it as a coaching staff?
"if they’re truly fans they'll believe in these kids and what they've done and the hard work that they've put in. If they’re not, they won't."

One more question about the offensive line. Is Kalis, I’m not asking specific injury, [but] is he healthy?
"He dressed. He went through warm-ups and all that."
But you feel more comfortable with Graham at right guard why?
"Well, I think compete and challenge. So by the end of the week could it be different? It could.”

And is Glasgow still competing at center?

“We’re getting him reps there, yeah. We’ve got a good rotation, a good mix of what we’re doing.”

On [Matt] Wile: last week you said it wasn’t a competition. Is it now?

“Yeah, that’s a good question when you say it that way. I think Matt, I’ve got a lot of faith in Matt. We’ve got to get him straightened away. To be honest, the right hash a little bit was a little bit of a problem for him. He got it straightened out. I think the second one, if you watch it he slipped with his plant foot which caused it [to go] low and everything else. Like anybody they’re going to compete and challenge and Kenny [Allen] we’re going to give some kicks to and we’ll see who we feel most comfortable with, who can help Michigan win, and that’s who will kick for us.”

We saw all the guys who were dressed and I know you don’t want to discuss injuries, but is Desmond’s a long-term injury?

“You’re asking me something that I won’t answer.”

Well, it seems like it’s a different situation than the other guys.

“If there was a guy who was out for the year I’d tell you. Let’s put it that way.”