[Upchurch]

News bullets and other items:

• Harbaugh made it abundantly clear that there’s no QB controversy. He said Rudock’s the best QB on the team, and “not by a small margin.”
• Kyle Kalis graded out as the best offensive lineman on Saturday.
• Harbaugh was very impressed with Channing Stribling, saying no one in the secondary has shown more improvement.
• Chesson was the offensive and special teams player of the game, and Lewis was the defensive player of the game.
• Kerridge could possibly play Saturday. He’s “working through something.”

“Whaddaya got? I’m ready to go! I’m excited about my team!”

Can you talk about what you’ve seen out of BYU? What impresses you most about their offense?

“Well, good receivers. Big receivers. Good quarterback. Big, physical team on both sides of the ball. Very athletic. They play extremely hard.

“I think this will be a great test for our team. Very excited about the competition this week and what’s in store. It’ll be a great gauge for where our team is at right now.”

Now that you’ve had a chance to look at the film, what did Ty Isaac do that got the running game going versus maybe somebody else, and how- I kind of asked you about this a little big Saturday- but how big is it that you can have different guys that you can throw in there if one guy is not playing well and one guy is playing well?

“Well, I wouldn’t look at it as throwing guys in there. I mean…we’ve got football players that are hungry, that want to be in there, that are improving and making contributions to the team, and there’s something about not just throwing a guy in but strategically putting a player in to be successful. That’s the way I would phrase it.

“Ty did a nice job. We talked about it. I think he’s an improving player and still has some work to do. You know, he’s going to miss one and then made the big one. That was great to see.

“The offensive line is improving. Offensive line is getting better. Probably the guy who made the biggest jump is Kyle Kalis. Graded out for the ballgame 90% [or] a little above 90% along with Graham Glasgow, who’s been consistently very good and been our best offensive lineman. Kalis is ascending fast, so it’s great to see that. The other one is Ben Braden is playing better. Still has work to do, but he’s improving as well. Thought Mason Cole and Magnuson both improved. They’re playing more physical and they’re finishing. They’re really making an effort to finish right now. So, all five of those guys. What’s helping our running game right now is them and the contribution by the backs, but also the receivers.

“The receivers are making a real effort right now to block downfield. They’re blocking in the box, they are coming to get safeties, and they are blocking sometimes 30-40 yards downfield. Jehu Chesson was our player of the game offensively and on special teams, and a big reason was he contributed to the passing game, contributed to the running game, contributed putting points on the board, and his blocking was making a real effort at it. Along with all our receivers…Amara [Darboh].

“There’s a lot of things contributing to us improving in the running game.”

[After THE JUMP: Dennis Quaid comes up and if that doesn’t get you to read the whole thing I guess we just don’t have a similar sense of humor]

You’ve had Jabrill Peppers moved around a bit in that secondary. What from the first three games have you learned about him, and how has he grown through these first three games? 

“It’s time on task for Jabrill. He’s a very explosive football player, a talented football player. And learning the game, learning the angles, the pursuit angles, understanding spatial relationships and then letting his talent show even more because…he’s got good instincts, but just time on task, especially for a safety. That’s very important.

“And he’s played a little bit at corner and nickel as well, so he’s playing a lot of football. He had the most snaps for our team again this week. Both the Utah game and Las Vegas game he first in amount of football that he’s playing. It’s really good for him. It’s good for his- you get better at football by playing football. I’ve always thought that.”

You mentioned Ben Braden. Where does he need to improve and where has he improved? I know he was listed at 331 last year and is listed at 322 now, so wondering if you’ve seen conditioning leaps and bounds?

“Yeah, I mean, better. Better. I wouldn’t call it leaps and bounds, but he is progressing and playing more physical and has room to get better, but of the five linemen I think he was…he was…he was the fifth, and now he’s striving to be the fourth or the third and he’s narrowing the gap on that. You know, because he is playing with better pad level. He’s playing more physical. He’s trying to finish blocks.

“He is a real try-hard guy. [I] don’t question that. Don’t question his toughness at all. I mean, he practices…there’s a difference between- he’s not always 100% healthy but you have to take him out. We’ve had to do it a few times. But he’s coming. He’s coming. He’s improving. That’s what he’s doing.

“He’s sustaining. He’s playing with better pad level. He’s working to get more athletic in space on his pulls and blocking guys in space, but yeah, he’s getting better. He’s closing the gap.”

Jim, when you watched the tape and you looked at Jake Rudock’s play, where are the areas he can improve his game?

“Uh…”

/shrugs

“Just, there’s areas.”

What are they?

“Uh, I don’t know. Just, the question, to me- just the way you started the question off after the game, it’s like questions to divise and divide and compare. We’re all working. We’re all working to get better, so…”

/SID points to another reporter, but Harbaugh isn’t done

“I sense sometimes the questions to compare and be divisive, so I’m quick to turn those off.”

Maybe you’ll turn this one off too, but I was going to ask about Jake. There is a perception-  I won’t name names- that he’s struggling a little in the offense. Why is that the wrong perception? To you he does look like the starter; is that fair?

“We’re all working at it together. He’s thrown to 13 different receivers. That’s good. We’ve spread the ball out. The timing in the passing game, the detail, the precision that’s required; it takes time on task.

“To be clear, Jake Rudock’s the best quarterback. Not by a small margin. He’s our best quarterback. And when it comes to precision of the passing game and timing, that’s something that we’re all working together at, and it’s the responsibility of everyone. I feel it’s divisive when you just pull out one name to just keep hammering; there, there, so hope that’s clear. He’s our best quarterback.”

Going to the defensive side of the ball, James Ross had four or five of his nine tackles on Saturday. What have you seen out of him?

“He had a couple flatback hits in this game. He played very physically. Two in particular were big hits.

“If you looked at our defense, the areas where they’re improving: more physical, bigger hits, bigger presence on the defensive side when they arrive at the ball and make contact. We’re better in the secondary getting our hands on the ball.

“Jourdan Lewis was the player of the game defensively. Had four pass breakups. Defended the deep ball well. Clark got an interception. Stribling got an interception. And we talked about that was a point of emphasis we wanted to get better at [and] we’re improving there. We’re going to have to be good this week. BYU is really good throwing the football. Big receivers that will challenge you downfield.

“And we’re being more physical. James Ross is one of those guys contributing to big hits. We’ve got to tackle better. We’re playing with more physicality, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re tackling, seeing what we hit, wrap it up, and not allowing yards after contact.”

Last year there were 27 pass breakups; this year there are 10. Last year there were two interceptions; this year you’ve got three. What else have you seen improvement on from the secondary?

“Uh, what I just mentioned: getting our hands on the ball, breaking up passes, intercepting passes, and defending the deep ball. I think we’re doing a better job at that.”

You mentioned BYU’s quarterback. He’s had a pretty eventful start to his career. What have you noticed from watching him?

“He’s a playmaker. Went in there with no shyness whatsoever. Already being in big situations and prevailed; sometimes it takes years before something like that happens, but he’s already been through it so he’s already been battle tested and won in those situations. Impressive.

“And a great group of receivers to throw to. Big guys that go up and get the ball. That’ll be an area of emphasis for us this week, defending the ball downfield.”

The only other time Michigan’s played BYU you were the starter. Do you have any memories of that game?

“Yeah, I remember it was the Holiday Bowl. I missed it. Broke my arm in the fifth game, I think, and wasn’t playing, so I remember it. We lost. I remember that.”

MGoQuestion: What’s the biggest key to successfully running Power, and what do you tell the pulling guard and running back to look for?

“The biggest key is to stop penetration…by the defense. What you teach the running back to look for is to make the puller invisible. Not follow the puller. Not look at the puller sometimes.

“It’s wherever the hole is, so if he can make the puller invisible and see the hole, wherever it is; A gap to backside A gap to the B gap or even bounce to the C gap. You know, his eyes and the timing and to allow no penetration is the key. Or some keys; there’s others.”

Jim, you mentioned Jourdan Lewis earlier. What’s it about him that’s separating him? He’s making plays; what’s his greatest strength?

“I think he’s got really good instincts. He’s got initial quickness. He’s got long speed. He’s got the ability to play the ball, and you know, got a little dart; things you look for in a corner, and he’s willing. He’s a willing tackler. And he can improve in that area in terms of technique, etc., but he’s coming. He’s coming and improving. Excited about him.”

Opposite him, what have you liked this year out of Channing Stribling. In a game like Saturday with the interception, pass breakup- how much can that do for his confidence?

“Well, I hope it does a lot. You don’t know until you do something right. Went two ballgames where he was practically tentative if the ball was in the air, and very late to break on balls and not confident to go after a ball in the air and he has…he has improved I don’t know how many percent, but a lot in just three games.

“I think Michael Zordich and Greg Jackson have done a really good job coaching all our players in the secondary, and none have shown more improvement than Channing Stribling. [He’s a] tall, rangy, long-armed corner that could be great. Could be really good, and you hope now that somebody- once they’ve done it now they can expect themselves to do it. That should help his confidence, so excited about big things from him and Jeremy Clark as well. Continue….and Jabrill and his improvement. Who else? There’s others. Secondary’s coming together.”

Do you have an update on Joe Kerridge?

“Uh, nnn- he’s going to be working through [something].”

Do you think he’s going to play this week or is it hard to tell?

“Don’t know yet.”

It’s a possibility?

“Possible.”

The other thing, you mentioned Jake hit 13 different receivers. Is that something where you guys have encouraged him to spread the ball to that many guys, or is that his way of operating?

“No, that’s something we’ve encouraged. We’re playing multiple players right now in an attempt to find out who our best players are; three tight ends have caught balls and been thrown to, two or three fullbacks, seven receivers. That’s how it adds up to that number. It’s been the design of the offense to have balance between the running game and the passing game, to spread the football, to have a good pass/run ratio and get players involved and see what they can do and how they can contribute.”

You’ve had a lot of success early on with bubble screens in the offense. How has that aided in your running game, and how much has that been able to stretch defenses horizontally?

“It’s been effective, and it’s…it’s been good.

“How has it? I mean, we’ve completed them. We’ve completed them, we’ve gotten yards, moved the chains, picked up chunks of yardage. That’s how.”

Has there been a-

“But obviously good, to be the master of the obvious. It’s been a good part. I don’t know what else to say about it.”

But, I mean, has there-

“What do you want me to say about it?”

/leans in on podium

Has that been helping to-

“It’s helping. Yeah, it’s definitely helping.”

You mentioned BYU’s big receivers. What’s the most important thing Jourdan, who’s 5’10”, can do to sort of negate the height difference there in coverage?

“It’s technique, it’s position, it’s fundamentals, it’s leverage, it’s eyes.”

So you’re saying- I know it’s sort of a cliché, the offensive identity thing, but too soon to say because you’re trying so many pieces of the puzzle?

“Yeah, I don’t have a word for the identity of the offense yet.”

Is that how you went into the season thinking it would be until you can figure out who you’ve got and where they fit?

“Yeah.”

My second question’s kind of off topic, but Rob Lytle’s going to be honored Saturday and I would imagine you saw him quite a bit growing up. What were your impressions of him as a player, and if you got to know him later those impressions also?

“Just always a great guy. I mean, everybody liked him. He was always nice to us kids, coaches’ kids that were around the building. Somebody that nobody ever has a bad word to say about, at least that I’ve ever heard.

“It was also fun to watch him play with the Broncos, because we knew him and he played at Michigan. That was always my impression. Just a hard runner. I mean, if I think about backs going through the line of scrimmage and lowering their pads; you know, the way he would run low off the ground, helmet like an arrow going through snow. That’s what I visualize a running back looking like, with that number and those elbow pads he used to wear. Yeah, he was a real running back.”

And his helmet was so banged up.

“Huh?”

His helmet was so banged up.

“Yeah, it was great, you know. I love that movie Everybody’s All-American. He was…I can’t remember who played that? Who played…the great actor…”

He was married to Meg Ryan, I think.

“Yeah, he was married to Meg Ryan. Dennis Quaid. Yeah, Dennis Quaid. And then when he was playing pro ball Rob Lytle was the back that they used footage of Dennis Quaid being. I always thought that was really neat.”

A lot of coaches discount polls and especially early polls, but with Ohio State and Michigan State #1-#2 in the AP, maybe your thoughts- early thoughts- on the strength of the Big Ten?

“It’s well documented right there. It’s a strong conference. Yeah, deservedly so. Both those teams have played well and won big games. Three weeks in; one and two. I think they’re right where they should be.”