Sherrone Moore quick-hitters: 'Hostile environment' at Ohio State, Michigan's preparation, Wolverines playing their best football

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media Monday afternoon ahead of his team’s game against Ohio State. Here are bullet points with the most notable things he said.

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Sherrone Moore quick-hitters

• Former Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi was recently fired as the head coach of Charlotte. He returned to Ann Arbor to spend time with the program over the weekend, and there’s a possibility that he’ll return to the program.

• The Ohio State defense is “as good as any defense in the country.” The Wolverines will have to “execute at a high level to go win.”

• Moore said that Michigan will work on crowd noise throughout the week, knowing that it’ll be a charged up environment Saturday at Ohio State. He later said that it’ll be as “hostile an environment that it’s ever been.” He said Michigan will “embrace the noise, embrace the crowd.”

• Moore said it’s important for Michigan to “cut your teeth” with bringing in high school players and then “supplement” with the transfer portal. He said the Wolverines have “a plan for both.”

• Asked if there’s an “emotional tax” from the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, Moore deflected and said it’s “fun” and “everything you want it to be. “When you grow up as a kid, whether you want to be a coach or a player, this is what you want to do — you want to be in these types of games.” He added that playing Ohio State is something that “you think about all year.”

• Moore: “The biggest piece of this game is the rushing battle. I think you’ve seen that every year, the team that wins the rushing battle wins the game. I know they’ll be focused on the same thing, so that’ll be an emphasis for us to do.”

• Michigan was a big underdog to Ohio State in 2022, as well (though not as big of one), before beating the Buckeyes 45-23, but Moore said “none of that matters in this game.” He said the records and Vegas point spreads don’t matter, it’s “all about the game.”

• Moore noted that Michigan’s defensive line played “really well” last game against Northwestern, posting 8 tackles for loss including 6 sacks. He thought the Wolverines played with “great technique, fundamentals, eyes and discipline.” He said the Wolverines will have to do that again this week but “at an even higher level.”

• Here was what Moore said about the statuses of two injures Michigan starters, junior tight end Colston Loveland and junior cornerback Will Johnson: “We’ll see. I think Colston is trending in a good direction. We’ll get a better feel in the next couple days, and same thing with Will.” There was an ESPN report before the Northwestern matchup that Johnson was out for the Ohio State game, and Moore said he can’t confirm or deny it — he can only go by “what the doctors say.”

• Moore said he was indoctrinated into the rivalry with Ohio State as soon as he became a Michigan assistant coach, from “everybody,” but specifically former head coach Jim Harbaugh. “You see it as soon as you walk in the building,” Moore added.

• Michigan junior wide receiver Tyler Morris had career highs in targets (9) and catches (7) against Northwestern. He said he played “really well” and “sound.”

• Moore said Michigan is “not gonna forget” about what’s happened this season, with the Wolverines losing five games, and that they’ll use that as “motivation” heading into Ohio State.

• Moore agrees that Michigan is playing its best football of the season right now but said the Wolverines can’t “rest on our laurels.”

• Michigan junior kicker Dominic Zvada is up for the Lou Groza Award, handed out to the best place kicker in the nation. Moore said he hasn’t paid attention to what other kickers are doing around the country, but he said it’s “not close” to what Zvada has done. He’s missed only 1 field goal all year and has made 6 kicks of 50-plus yards.

• Michigan junior cornerback Jyaire Hill didn’t play until the fourth quarter against Northwestern and appeared in a different jersey number (No. 35) than he had all season. Moore said after the game he was working through something “internally” but on Monday didn’t rule out Hill starting — “we’ll see.” He mentioned that graduate Aamir Hall, who started in his place, “stepped up.”

• Moore hasn’t talked to Harbaugh in “a couple days.” He said he tries not to bother him on game day (the Chargers play the Ravens Monday night) but that he might send him a text before his game wishing him luck.

• Moore said Michigan’s players have belief they will win. He added that “all bets are off” in this rivalry and that the Wolverines have had “great preparation to this point.” He said he believes the Wolverines can win but that “it’s our job to go prepare to do it.”

• On Michigan’s recent defensive success: “Great team defense. Great communication. Playing with great fundamentals — eyes, effort, angles, really all the pillars that we talk about — and you can see it on film constantly, the last two quarters at Indiana and this past game. Just thought they’ve done a great job, played together and had a lot of fun doing it.”

• On the vibe in the building this week compared to others, Moore said “you can feel it. You can feel the energy. It’s not something you can really describe. It’s just different.”

• Moore lauded how much senior quarterback Davis Warren has improved and his confidence. He said that “other guys are playing well around him, too.”

• Moore said Ohio State’s receiving corps is “as good as you’ll see” and “as good or better” than Oregon and Texas’ units.