Much of what Michigan football has talked about in the lead-up to Week 2 has been the struggles of Week 1 and the controversy that emanated from that. But as for Oklahoma, which is coming off a dominant win vs. UTEP, it's all about the Wolverines.
Despite what the media and fans might be saying about the maize and blue, the Sooners believe that Michigan is better than it showed in Week 1. At the various media availabilities over the course of the week, OU players, head coach Brent Venables, and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle had a lot of praise for their impending opponent.
Add in former Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan, who will be returning to The Big House for the first time since the loss to Ohio State, and there were a lot of interesting
quotes coming out of Norman.
Here are some of the best quotes that Oklahoma staff and players said about the Wolverines this week.
Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle
They do look like a really good defense cuz they are a really good defense. You start with just the players that they have, the personnel they have.
Got a few returning starters from last year's team, and brought in some pieces via the transfer portal that I think really helped them, and elevated them in a lot of different ways. But they're physical, they're big, they play with really, really high motors. And I think that's kind of a staple of Coach Hill and his defenses whenever you just look historically at them. They fly around, they force you into a lot of one-on-one matchups at so many different positions on the field, and you gotta be ready for it. You gotta have the urgency to win your matchups, but yeah, they do a great job.
Coach Hill does a great job, shoot, they're real. It's gonna be a really good challenge, really good test for us, so we're gonna have to come out and be ready to roll.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer
Yeah, it's awesome. I'm excited. If you would have told me when I was five, I would have played in The Big House -- it's time to roll.
They're good. I mean, they played a good game. I mean, they did. They didn't get a touchdown scored on them. So, I know there's a lot of noise, but the facts are the facts. They didn't get a touchdown scored on them. They got a lot of talent. A couple guys coming back. But they got a good front.
Former Michigan and current Oklahoma LB Cole Sullivan
On Bryce Underwood
Yeah, he's a good dude, he's super confident. I wouldn't say he teeters -- I don't think he crosses the line of being too cocky. He's very confident, he's a good leader for that team, I believe. He's very mature, even though for how young he is, he's very mature. So he handles himself very well.
On the Michigan offense
Yeah, I think their scheme is very difficult. They have star power everywhere. The wide receiver Marsh is back, the star wide receiver JJ Buchanan. And obviously, the backfield is loaded, so. And the line is very, very, they work very well together as well. So it's gonna be a really tough challenge for us.
On knowing the Michigan players
No, I think it's kind of understood; we're buddies off the field. But I think we all know once we're in between the lines, we're just gonna play the game how we normally do.
On the Hail Mary and if he was emotional about it
I wouldn't say so, I'm not really emotionally attached. I know I feel for the players personally, but it's just kind of business watching; it's just another opponent.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables
On Michigan football overall
Really excited about having an opportunity to go to Ann Arbor and compete with Michigan this weekend. Something I know our fans and Sooner Nation, just our locker room, everybody's really looking forward to the matchup.
Going to be a great, great challenge. Largest stadium in college football, a place that they've been incredibly successful there at home. Very experienced football team, 62 lettermen coming back. One of the best rosters in all of college football. They've won 32 of their last 35 home games and lost to the No. 1 team twice and No. 3 team another time. One of the most historic programs in college football history, much like Oklahoma.
And Coach Whittingham, the staff that he's assembled is a championship-pedigree staff. Jay Hill, their defensive coordinator, fantastic resume, really, really excellent coach. And Jason Beck, I mean, what he's done in a very short amount of time and the places that he's done it is really pretty remarkable. The success that he's had, the balance that he's had, the quarterback development. Got tremendous respect for their entire staff and certainly him.
And Bryce, as I said last night on my coach's show, one of the most talented players at any position in all of college football.All of his best days are still in front of him. Won nine games as a starting quarterback, as a true freshman, a tremendous feat in itself. And we've got a great, great challenge, like I said, in all three phases. He's got to have a great week of practice.
Our guys are excited about the game. And as I told them, (you) have an opportunity to play well and to win. You've got to have a great week of preparation, great detail. It's going to be a physical matchup. Their running backs are incredibly strong and agile and have great, great balance to them. And a really veteran offensive line as well. And defensive line, their team's built on the line of scrimmage. Both their lines of scrimmage are fantastic.
So our guys will be excited about that.
On having visited Kyle Whittingham at Utah
Yeah, I mean, I love watching those guys play for all those years at Utah. The physicality, the assuredness, the passion, the energy. You could see they have a great culture of just this level of consistency that is rare. And so I reached out to Coach Scalley and Coach Whittingham, see if we could come out for a day and a half. And so I took our defensive staff out there and got a chance to watch them work out winter conditioning, watch film. We had an agenda that we got through. And then he was gracious enough to allow me to spend some time with him as a head coach and ask him lots of questions. So he was great, and a good trip for us.
Playing at Michigan
Well, I think as a competitor, as a coach, you enjoy going on the road and having an opportunity to help control the environment. Going to these hostile places, you talk about adversity and poise under pressure every single day, whether it's home or away. And the chaos of game day is very real.
You like the new challenge of what it can do for your team on the season. We're going to have to be a team that plays well on the road. And not a better opportunity to go in the biggest stadium in college football that just three years ago won a national championship.
So see where you're at as a football team, and find out what you're made of. See if some of the things that you learned last year going on the road, being battle tested, can carry over. Believe that some of it will. But this is a new team, and that's a new challenge. And so it's exciting. Something that we've been, again, since it was announced that we'd be going to Michigan, is something that gets everybody, the emotions, going in the right way for the last couple of years.
On Michigan's Week 1 struggles
We've put Michigan in a great light, like they deserve, for a long time here for the last several months. This isn't the first week that we've been preparing and talking about Michigan and Georgia and Texas and many other teams that are on our schedule. And so our players hold Michigan in high regard with tremendous respect, like they deserve.
And it says a lot about a team to find a way to win when maybe everything didn't go your way. And let's not forget that's a MAC champion, a very experienced 10-win football team that's got tremendous pride that put a lot into the game as well. And come down to the last play of the game. So to not play your best when it comes to turnover margin, maybe rushing, time of possession, the things that from a stat sheet didn't go in your favor, and still overcome and have a chance to win. Says a lot about what they have in the locker room.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: What Oklahoma coaches, players are saying about Michigan football
