Sherrone Moore message to Michigan coaching staff during bye week: 'Put together the best plans you’ve ever put together'

Michigan Wolverines football has three weeks and only two games left in its regular season. The Maize and Blue have had their fair share of struggles, sitting at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten, but still get to take on Northwestern and Ohio State to round out the year. They’re one win away from bowl eligibility, and they have a bye week to rest up and prepare for the final two clashes.

Speaking on the ‘Inside Michigan Football’ radio show, first-year head coach Sherrone Moore discussed his goals for the bye week. The Wolverines talked about developing younger players and getting back to basics during their bye in October, but this time Moore is prioritizing pouring everything the Wolverines can into winning the last two games.

“The biggest thing is, yeah, you’re trying to get better, but you really have to focus on the stuff you need to do to help yourself win,” the Michigan coach explained. “We got Northwestern next week, and then we’ve got that team down south the week after.

“I told the staff today, our only job right now is to go win these two games and not think about anything else. We gotta go get better this week, so go put together the best plans you’ve ever put together for Northwestern and have our thought process on Ohio State.”

From a player perspective, Moore said he wants his group to “continue the juice, the energy.” He said he’s had conversations with the Michigan players who are projected high NFL Draft picks, and that there’s “zero thought process” of those athletes looking ahead to what’s next. They’re locked in on the here and now.

Some Michigan staff members will hit the road to recruit this week, as well. Moore said the coaches are also using the extra time to break down more film of late-rising prospects.

“It just gives you another chance to go out and see people, continue the relationships,” Moore said of being idle this week. “And the thing that’s undervalued now is senior film. So watching senior film is a huge piece, because we’ve created a database of people who have gotten really, really good in their senior years that are actually better than guys that are rated above them, quote-unquote.

“So those are the guys we’ll start to dig into even more. We’ve had relationships with them and be able to go see.”

Michigan is coming off winning the national championship under head coach Jim Harbaugh, so posting a 5-5 record to this point was unexpected. In that respect, it’s been a challenge for Moore to endure the season.

“Super difficult, because I’m a competitor and I don’t like losing, at all — never have, never will,” Moore said of the campaign. “For me, it’s been fun because I have the players and I have the staff and I get to walk in here and be a part of this great university.

“But it hasn’t been fun because you don’t want to let anybody down. You don’t want to let the players down, you don’t want to let the fans, the university, the alumni, your family [down]. So I think about that tirelessly. Sometimes, I lose sleep over it. But that’s part of it. That’s part of the job.

“My job now is to make sure we continue in the right direction — and we will.”

Sherrone Moore on Michigan quarterbacks

Michigan senior quarterback Davis Warren put together two solid performances in a win over Michigan State Oct. 26 and loss to Oregon Nov. 2, but he struggled last weekend against Indiana. Warren was pressured on 61.8 percent of his dropbacks — a major factor — and completed only 16 of his 32 passes for 137 yards and no touchdownws.

Junior Alex Orji played a role, mostly in the red zone, but fumbled around midfield and picked up only 1 first down on 3 rushes.

“I think Davis still gives us the best chance to win, and Alex still has a role,” Moore said. “He came in there in the second half, ran the quarterback power and got a first down, a real good run. Obviously, he had the fumble. The goal line play, he’s gotta be better on his read, because he goes outside with [fifth-year senior left tackle] Myles Hinton, he probably scores, and we’re in a different conversation today. So all those things are huge, and they’ve gotta play at a better level.

“I thought Davis was good. Too much pressure in his face, and gotta clean those things up.”

Michigan’s offense has been the weak link all season, including versus Indiana, registering only 206 total yards. However, Moore has seen some progress as of late, particularly in the passing game.

“Definitely see the receivers starting to make more plays, which is good,” he noted. “Obviously, [junior tight end] Colston [Loveland] is Colston. The guys up front have fought, but we just gotta be better in the run game, to sustain that.

“And Davis — what you see is a guy that just isn’t scared, and he goes out there and competes, he gives everything he can every game, and that’s all you can ask for.”