Overheard outside Michigan’s locker room: Never flinching and still work to do

ANN ARBOR – Running back Blake Corum returned to Michigan for his senior year for “unfinished business,” saying at Big Ten media day’s this summer that it is “win or bust” for the Wolverines in 2023.

All Michigan has done through 12 games is win, and none of them were more satisfying to Corum than Saturday’s 30-24 win over No. 2 Ohio State to reach its third straight Big Ten championship. It will face Iowa next Saturday in Indianapolis with a chance to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff with a victory.

“There’s gonna be more to come, but as of right now, this is, to me, my greatest win because when you say something, you have to stand on it,” Corum said postgame. “When I put it out there before the season that we’re gonna do all these things, I knew I was gonna have to back it up. My team came together and we all backed it up. But just like Kobe Bryant said, the job’s not finished. We have a lot of work to do. We can enjoy today, but we have to lock into Iowa right away and get ready for Indy.”

After losing eight straight games in the rivalry, Michigan has now one the past three, including the latest one without head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines. Here are notable quotes from acting head coach Sherrone Moore and players following Saturday’s victory:

“Never really pressure. Our players, the way they prepare and the way they attack things, it doesn’t make you feel pressure. You feel extremely prepared, you feel very confident in what you’re going to do. Only way I might not sleep good is my daughter might have her foot in my face. That’s about it.

“I don’t lose sleep over these guys, they work too hard and attack everything every day. We know this game. When this game comes around, you want that. That’s why you come here, you come here for the pressure and this game. It makes us want to run through a wall and go attack it. Nothing added there this week.”

- Moore on if he felt added pressure preparing for this game given the high stakes. Saturday was the fourth game this season where he served as interim head coach.

“Definitely not. I mean, like I told the receivers this whole week: You got guys back there — and this is the thing I thought, too — that want to put on Louis V., the $1,000 outfit. You want to act hard, but when you’re out there, they’re not hard.

“I don’t think I’m the toughest guy in the world. But I’m out there, I’m getting physical. I don’t think they wanted it like how I wanted it.”

- Receiver Roman Wilson on if he felt like Ohio State was a more physical team compared to last year. In September following a road win over Notre Dame, OSU head coach Ryan Day called out former coach Lou Holtz for questioning his team’s toughness.

“It was a dream come true, making a game-winning play on one of the biggest games probably in college football history. I really can’t put into words how I’m feeling. I was on the field just looking like, ‘I just called game. Like, I did that.’ So I can’t really explain it to you.”

- Michigan safety Rod Moore on his game-clinching interception in the final minute in Wolverines territory. Moore is an Ohio native and wasn’t recruited by the Buckeyes.

“I didn’t think we proved any of those guys wrong. That wasn’t our intention. We proved ourselves right. We knew who we are as a team. We know the work that we put in, and we just wanted to go out there and display it for the world to see. Obviously, extremely happy with the way we did it.”

- Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who finished 16 of 20 passing for 148 yards and a touchdown, on if he felt the team proved anything Saturday given the outside critics.

“It wasn’t even just Coach Harbaugh. Every coach that got up gave me the best speech I’ve ever heard in my life just back-to-back-to-back. Then they played liked the most banger (hype) video I’ve ever seen. If we would have done that this morning, like that would have been perfect to get ready for the game because they did a great job.”

- Receiver Roman Wilson on Harbaugh’s final message to the team Friday night and other coaches addressing the team.

“We always talk about never flinching and our guys don’t flinch regardless of the situation. Such a great response by our guys. What would you expect from a trained group like ours?”

- Sherrone Moore on the team’s response after OSU tied the game at 17 midway through the third quarter.