ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Teams are generally supposed to have player-led meetings after Week 1, but such was the case for Michigan football on Sunday. Initiated by Trey Pierce to the rest of the team captains, the whole team gathered at Schembechler Hall and spoke frankly about what happened against Western Michigan -- a near loss in a game that was supposed to be a blowout.
Sixth-year safety and fellow team captain Rod Moore detailed a little of what was discussed in the meeting and the team came to one particular conclusion: the Wolverines played soft against the Broncos.
"But it was more so we got to stop being soft, really. Like, that was a soft game." Moore said. "That was not our standard. And we just had to come back this week and work and put
on, just do more. I mean, I don't know if you guys seen it on the screen, but it's on every screen. It's just do more to get better. Because like I said, that wasn't a Michigan standard whatsoever."
Given all of the offseason talk about what the maize and blue were supposed to be this year -- hard-nosed, stronger, tougher -- to hear a self-admission that the team played soft in Week 1 is rather surprising.
Were the players looking ahead already to Oklahoma? Did the efficiency of the first drive cause the players to take the foot off the gas, believing that they already had the game in hand? Moore says that he can't really put his finger on it, they just, as he says, have to do more.
"No, I don't think there's really a so-called reason," Moore said. "I think we just went out there and played soft. Like, it was simple as that. It kind of surprised me that we kept going out there on defense. And I really wasn't paying attention to the score until maybe five minutes left in the game. And I'm like, it's 7-9. I'm like, it's Western Michigan and it's 7-9.
"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 and execute like we were supposed to."
Even with how poorly the team played, Moore believes the Wolverines will have a much stronger outing against Oklahoma. Everything he's seen since the Western Michigan game -- from the player-led meeting to the 'bloody Tuesday' practice, he's sure that Michigan will rebound from the abysmal outing on Saturday.
"Just the attitude and the vibe in the building from the coaches and the players," Moore said. "We came in here on Sunday and had a meeting. And then on Monday, yesterday, we went over to film.Everybody understood what the problem was. And I mean, we know what we got to do this week because it's a big game. I mean, that gives me confidence.I just know me leading and me and Jordan and all the captains leading is going to go in there and play with a more physical, a better mentality. And I think everybody's going to follow with that."
We'll get a better idea of who these Wolverines are on Saturday, when Michigan football hosts Oklahoma for a 12:14 p.m. EDT kickoff at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Rod Moore reveals Michigan held team meeting after 'soft' opener
