After three straight losses, Matt Campbell focused on staying the course in his press conference, while acknowledging that some players are not living up to their potential right now.
On what the team has to prove
He said adversity always arrives in college football. The question is whether staff and players are tough enough to work through it. He said the result of one game does not decide this. The character of the program decides it. He said that mindset has not changed. He pointed out that this has been his message since January.
Moreover, when asked, Campbell expanded that the program is not wavering from its standards. He said the gap is finishing games. Two second-half drives inside the 20 produced no touchdowns, which he called the difference in the game. The defense failed on third-and-15 and two third-and-10 plays. He said the same pattern appeared against Wisconsin and USC in the third and fourth quarters. He praised the response: players did not give up and went back to work. He saw the team support each other in the locker room, including Brett Eskildsen. He called Michigan a test on the road against one of the nation’s top defenses.
On accountability
Campbell said he has not seen the locker room slip from its standards. He said he would look deeper into the roster only if players lack personal accountability. He said coaches must take accountability too. He called the Marcus Neal change last week a scheme choice. The staff wanted more coverage on the field against a strong skill group.
On game management
Campbell admits two of the three late-substitution timeouts were coaching errors. He says the Big Ten acknowledged a mistake on the first one. Moving D’Anton Lynn to the sideline allows him to see the field better, and get his message across sooner. Although this sounds similar to last season, the reason is different in that this year is speed of communication and last year it was ease of communication.
On the running game, again
The line is still finding its identity, and Campbell says the gaps are inches. He also explains the Carson Hansen and James Peoples rotation. He acknowledged they still need Quinton Martin and Cam Wallace, but the bulk of the carries are going to the former two.
On recruiting
Although Campbell acknowledged winning is the most important thing, he pointed out that it’s not the only thing when it comes to recruiting, and that the visit for the Whiteout when as well as he could have expected. Some recruits stayed through Sunday, even!
Full transcript
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