Andy & Ari On3 - Will Michigan be PREDATOR or PREY in the National Title Game? | Sherrone Moore joins

Episode Date: January 8, 2024

The National Title Game is finally here: Michigan vs Washington. We have a LOADED show for tonight's preview of the National Championship(0:00-9:57) Intro - Jim Harbaugh.. Wolves or Wolverines?(9:58-25:22) JD Pickell Joins to Give one last preview of the big game(25:23-31:01) Michigan OC Sherrone Moore Joins(31:02-39:18) Washington OL Roger Rosengarten Joins(39:19-45:35) Michigan Veteran OL LaDarius Henderson Joins(45:36-51:07) Washington DL Faatui Tuitele Joins(51:08-52:10) Conclusion - One More Sleep!Want to watch the show instead? Head on over to YouTube! https://youtube.com/live/ujHvndvvZso

Welcome to Andy Staples on three greetings from Houston's site of the national championship game between your Michigan Wolverines and your Washington Huskies. This is going to be a really fun game. We're going to take you deep, deep inside. Heard from Jim Harbaugh and Kalen DeBoer, the two coaches in this matchup on Sunday, talked to the players this weekend. This could be one of the more fun national championship games we've seen. Very difficult to predict. Very difficult to know who's going to react

to a kind of offense that their defense really hasn't seen all season? It is going to be a blast. I'm going to send the four-team playoff out in style and bring in the 12-team playoff for next season. And boy, there's going to be a lot of hope for everybody next season. But right now, the hope rests on the shoulders of the Wolverines and the Huskies. And we've got to talk about these coaches.

We've got to talk about Kalen DeBoer and Jim Harbaugh. Kalen DeBoer, about as normal a human being as you're going to get for a major college football coach. But he has the Huskies playing so well. He's lost two games in two seasons with them, and they're actually back-to-back. We're going to talk to a Michigan player who was actually a member of the last team to beat Washington. Kalen DeBoer has done an incredible job, and you look at his history, he's done that everywhere. He was at Sioux Falls in the NAIA as a young coach, won national titles there.

He goes to Fresno State in his next stint as a head coach after being a very respected assistant, makes the Bulldogs better, gets to Washington, immediately improves. Took a 4-8 team and they went 11-2 last year. And it set the table for this. Jim Harbaugh, meanwhile, legendary quarterback at Michigan, very good NFL player, got into coaching. We knew he was going to be good. We saw him at the University of San Diego, non-scholarship FCS winning. He goes to Stanford. He turns the Cardinal, who had no success whatsoever in recent memory, and turns them into a consistent winner. Goes to the NFL. Three NFC Championship games in four years. One Super Bowl appearance.

Comes to rescue his alma mater. Took a while. Took a while. Couldn't beat Ohio State. The Wolverines were better, but they couldn't get over the hump. And then in 2021, they beat Ohio State. They win the Big Ten, but they lose in the playoff. Same thing last year.

Now, they beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl. They are here. This is a pretty incredible matchup. This is a little bit different than anybody would have expected at the beginning of the season, but it was a very exciting road to get here. And these two, well, they couldn't be more different as coaches. And we will start with an answer that Jim Harbaugh gave to a very fun question because apparently they've been watching some documentaries on the Michigan team at Jim Harbaugh's behest. And, well, it's a little predatory. Let's hear Jim Harbaugh's answer to this question about what he's showing the team. Then I'll tell you what he should have said.

I'm kind of furthering on routine before game day. A lot of your players yesterday had mentioned that you guys watch films on game day when there are games at night, or perhaps that'll take place today. And much of the tone was about predatory animals. I guess there are some documentaries as of late that you've been showing them. Can you kind of lend a little insight into who chooses the movie, if there's an underlying message to that and how your team receives it and how you want them to receive it? Yeah, just a chance just to be with your team is the main thing. You know, I like that, just that gathering, you know. It was like the perfect fighting unit to me is a pack of wolves, you know, a wolf pack.

And you see them gathered together, you know, before the fight. You see them together together before the fight. You see them together going to the fight. You see them together in the fight. You see them celebrating after the fight. And the active word there is together. So that's the picture I have. We're together. So that's the picture I have. We're together. And that's the night before the game.

So we're together. Take our next question. Oh, as far as who picks the movies and what are they? Yeah, because, I mean, a lot of it's fight, you know. That resonates with me because it's a football fight. You know, these games you play, it's a football fight. And the night before, if it's a night game like tomorrow night, it would be a little longer, know movie movie type of uh length um 12 o'clock kickoff it'd be be really short uh you know three o'clock

game may go an hour you know and that's where some of the the documentaries you know on predators we found one this year on predators tigers che, cheetahs, lions, great stuff. Really seemed to resonate with the guys. I love them. Who doesn't, right? I mean, some of those great type of things. But, yeah, when it gets to, you know, how the world wants to turn you into, you know, something, but we kind of allow ourselves to devolve, you know,

into a pack of wolves. That's what we want to channel. Probably nature's greatest fighting unit. I get it. Wolves, very scary, hunt a pack. You kind of sound like Alan from The Hangover though So There is a more obvious answer to that

Coach Harbaugh Here it is I'm kind of furthering on routine Before game day A lot of your players yesterday had mentioned That you guys watch films on game day When there are games at night, or perhaps that'll take place today. And much of the tone was about predatory animals. I guess there are

some documentaries as of late that you've been showing them. Can you kind of lend a little insight into who chooses the movie, if there's an underlying message to that, and how your team receives it and how you want them to receive it. When we watch movies, we try to find the most vicious predators in the animal world. And, well, I can't think of one more vicious than the wolverine. Yeah, it's a member of the weasel family, sure. But very opportunistic eater. Eggs, squirrels, beavers. And vicious. A Wolverine is relentless.

I feel like that's what I want our team to be. And then, of course, we have the Marvel Universe Wolverine. He's a bit of a loner, not really a team player, but when he needs to, he gets together with the X-Men. Of course, adamantium claws that could cut through flesh, bone, metal. Now, he wouldn't have the adamantium skeleton if not for his mutant ability to heal, and I feel skeleton if not for his mutant ability to heal.

And I feel like our team has a mutant ability to heal. And of course, without the guidance of Dr. Charles Xavier, he probably wouldn't be a very good teammate. But like the X-Men, we've got a pretty good leader too. Later in the show, we're going to hear from Michigan offensive coordinator Sharone Moore, who very soon could be Michigan head coach, Sharone Moore. We're also going to hear from a couple really good offensive linemen in this game, Roger Rosengarten from Washington, Ladarius Henderson from Michigan, who used to play at Arizona State, so he is a little bit more familiar with the Huskies than anybody else on this roster.

We are also going to talk to Washington defensive tackle Fatui Tuatela. And he's one of the six-year guys on this team. It's so interesting how you have the mesh of older guys who came in and were recruited by or even played for Chris Peterson. Because that COVID year, there are guys on this team who played for Chris Peterson. Then they went through the Jimmy Lake years, and now you've got the Kalen DeBoer guys along with them. So you have the guys who Peterson recruited and coached for a little bit.

You have the guys that Lake brought in, which he wasn't bad at bringing in talent. He just wasn't that great at coaching them on the field. And then you have the guys that Kalen DeBoer has worked with, and it is a great mesh of styles of talent. But Fatui is going to explain what these older guys have been through, what they've seen. And I think that's a key piece of this story, a key piece of the journey for Washington. So a a lot to talk about, but first, my On3 tag team partner, J.D. Piquel, joins me to break this game down one last time. We'll also talk a little about Jim Harbaugh's future.

J.D., we've said almost all there is to say about this game, but as we sit here 24 hours away from kickoff, what sticks out to you as the most important thing that Michigan needs to do and the most important thing that Washington needs to do to win this game? I think to me it's a tale of two quarters, being the first and the fourth. I think that first quarter is massive for Washington. The path for Washington to victory to me feels more narrow than Michigan. And the path to victory for them starts in that first quarter, putting pressure on Michigan to match them with scores.

Because, I mean, Washington, we know it. They're a Ferrari offensively. They will score north of 40 if they're allowed to kind of get some rhythm going. So if they can establish that early, massive. Now that fourth quarter for Michigan, we were talking before we got on air here, if they're able to go into that fourth quarter with a one-score lead, be it three or seven, and they get the ball back, they get to go bully mode, which is how they want to live.

We're not worried about playing all four quarters in the long game. We're worried about finishing this game out 15 or so minutes. I think that's massive. I think that's huge for both sides. I think Washington has to jump on them because the bully mode can start earlier if they don't. And bully mode might actually be a quick way to score for Michigan. I think you assume that just because a team dominates on the ground that they're going to have these 15-play, 8-minute drives.

That may not be the case if Michigan's offense starts humming. They can score in 3-4 minutes. It will not be the aerial show that Washington's offense is but they can rip off some chunks when when they get the ground game going too and that's that's the part that I just am not sure about with Washington's defensive line is can they hold up against Michigan's offensive line I'm not as worried about Washington's offensive line against Michigan's D line yeah I mean we we've said it here many times. The way they're able to manage the game is very much so, I think,

why they're in this game. They're extremely versatile, and those big boys up front, there's sort of this thought there that, okay, they won the Joe Moore Award because they're really good offensively, and Michael Penix Jr. gets rid of the ball quickly, and some of that might be baked in there, but that's a really good offensive front in Washington. They don't let people get to Penix yes there's an advantage because you do have to dedicate more

resources to coverage but there are teams that have sold out trying to hit pennix and they don't yeah and the other thing is when this team has needed to get yards on the ground they have now we don't know about dylan johnson he said at media day he's not gonna be 100 and when they when a guy admits that then we're talking a pretty low number here yeah on camera no less right i mean not like a hey i'm not feeling great it's like no hey listen i'm not 100 but we're gonna see where it goes on on the game but yeah i mean going back to your point about having to try and get after michael pennix jr you watch the oregon and the after Michael Penix Jr., you watched the Oregon and the Texas game, and whenever you saw someone on the broadcast feed run into the picture

from the second or third level, my first thought was, somebody's open. Yeah, exactly. Somebody's open in that field. Exactly. Left. Yeah. About to be an air show.

Yeah. So that's going to be a fun chess match. And I think if you're Michigan, the way you handle it is simulated pressure. And what that is, for those who don't know, is you make the quarterback think. You give him a picture that there's five or six guys coming. But there's only four guys coming, but you're not sure which four. And that's the tricky part. That's what you've got to use to scare him into thinking he's about to get hit.

So he goes to look for that guy who he knows is open if there's five or six guys coming, but he's not going to be open because there's only four guys coming. You know the guy who could be the most impactful player in that whole chess match is Mason Graham. We saw what he did in the Alabama game. That's not a guy where he has to be hitting the quarterback. If he's occupying another offensive lineman or if he's kind of mixing up the picks, somebody's coming through. Real agility from that dude, too. So I think that's going to be a guy to watch keep an eye on 55 all game long well and now here's where the washington offensive line having

played together so long really helps because if you're doing the simulated pressure that means you're doing twists and stunts up front you have to communicate as an offensive line you've got to be able to pass guys off you've got to say it's almost like playing basketball switching on a pick and and you've got to be able to do that and communicate effectively you saw alabama not communicating effectively against michigan i don't think that's gonna be a problem for washington like i don't recall any point this season where it looked like they got really confused by any defensive front and just let free runners come through so i think that's a part where Pennix is probably going to have a little bit of time to throw and it's going to be on Will Johnson

and Mikey Sanders still and the rest of that Michigan secondary to cover without question I'm really interested to see the approach Michigan takes in the back end because I think PFF has a number out there where Michigan's somewhere north of 70 of the snaps they're playing zone i don't know if i love michigan sitting in zone against the monster stars of that wide receiver core like i know like you spread them out that wide i mean that's a that's a long way to stretch your zone i keep comparing this game to potentially the georgia oklahoma rose bowl and georgia played a lot of zone early. And at halftime, Kirby Smart was like, we just can't do this anymore. He told his corners, guys, I realize these are really good receivers, but you're going to be on your own a lot.

So we've got to put more pressure on the quarterback, and that's what they did. So we'll see if that holds true. But in this case, you may not be trying to use that other guy to put pressure on the quarterback. You just may be covering with that other guy. Yeah, it's going to be massive. And Mikey Sanders still is going to have his work cut out for him. And, I mean, a guy that switched positions at Michigan, played receiver at one point,

goes over the even side of the football and has done it, feels like seamlessly, feels like he's going to be running across that 53.3 for the majority of those four quarters tomorrow night. Yeah, there's going to be a lot of work for him. And then the Michigan receivers, I think we didn't see much from them against Alabama. Alabama's defensive backs, obviously, very good, all headed to the NFL. Washington's not quite the same caliber. So do we see a Roman Wilson or maybe a Colson Loveland, the tight end? Maybe we see one of those guys break out for a bigger game. Without question.

And I think the thought, the plan A would obviously be, hey, we run the ball effectively. We make them overcommit. We hit that deep shot, strike up the band, help the Vickers play all night long. The other thought, though, I was watching back Washington-Oregon State today, and it was a muddy game. And DJU is probably different than JJ McCarthy, but they did a really good job against Washington attacking

them in the flats like it was bring pressure put the ball out to Silas Bolden whoever so I'm curious if Washington's forced to maybe rally make some tackles on them yeah I mean if Oregon State doesn't try to be Washington in the last series of that game Washington may not be here right now maybe we talk about a different team. So, yeah, I think that's a good point. And Washington has played in so many close games, though. I think that's another interesting piece of this. The Pac-12 was much deeper than the Big Ten this year.

Michigan had to play two tough games in Big Ten play, Penn State and Ohio State, and then obviously they had to beat Alabama. Washington has been challenged again and again. When Washington only beat Arizona by seven points, we were like, what's wrong with Washington? 100%. And then Arizona rips off this win streak, and you're like, whoa, that was a pretty good win on the road.

Yeah, and the Arizona game too. I mean, that was a game where it was like, oh, yeah, sorry, Arizona State, everything was what, 15-7? Yes. Michael Penix threw zero touchdowns. they had a defensive touchdown to ultimately win the football game i mean stanford game was was tight it's unbelievable and it's one of those things where like you check the comment section people say well you don't really know washington you picked against them all year it's like no i just keep picking them to eventually lose a close game

right that's why everyone's kind of had this opinion on washington um so there's the experience factor for michigan but then there's this like just steady heart rate that washington's had the entire course of the season like this pilots where stress doesn't bother them their heart rates go down when they're stressed it's it's a crazy thing but you're right they they have lived that life all season now we got to see michigan live that life michigan trailed in the fourth quarter for the first time all year against alabama they handled it yep they figured it out so we know they can we know they're capable if they're down going into the fourth quarter you're not bailing on them you're not saying well these guys don't know what they're doing we just saw them do it against a really good opponent so i that's what i just can't be more excited for a game because it we don't know what's

going to happen here this is not like georgia tcu last year where there was no path for tcu to win you knew exactly how it was going to go yep this is going to be an absolute barn burner all the way and we don't like whoever wins i don't think we can accurately describe tonight how that's going to happen there's like there's no tells when you look at this whole thing like there's so many different types of games that could play out whether it's maybe we see washington kind of control time of possession and we have a game that ends up being played in the 20s you and i talked about yesterday we could see a 48 45 kind of game and it's like the fact that either one of those could play out and i don't think anybody would be surprised just speaks to the versatility of both teams in my opinion yeah it's gonna be great now let's talk about these two coaches

press conference was a lot of fun uh we're actually at the table jim harbaugh was sitting at uh kaylin deborah was over there probably, probably sitting there going, this guy's different. But Kalen DeBoer is so amazing to me because he's pretty normal. And it's hard to be successful as a major college head coach as a normal person. As my friend Ari Wasserman always says, he's not sure Ryan Day's psychotic enough to succeed at Ohio State. Kalen DeBoer is about as normal as it gets, but feels like he has been battle-tested as a coach, whether it was the NAIA at Sioux Falls,

or coming up as an assistant, or being Fresno State's head coach. Like, he's made all the decisions he's had to make in-game. He's been through almost every situation you've seen and he seems to choose correctly almost all the time it's a very calloused Washington team which is funny because we keep talking about Michigan being the experienced team but it's like Michael Penix Jr. has been through the fire and flames of adversity Roma Dunes has played a lot of football Caelan DeBoer never skipped any steps to get to where he is so it's wild so many of washington's veterans have been through every imaginable thing you know you think about the there are group the super seniors the the covid year guys they played for chris peterson so they were in that culture which was one of the better cultures in college football that's crazy they then went four and eight under jimmy

lake so they've seen how bad it can get when it sucks. And so that was one thing, talking to the Washington players, I got a real sense of appreciation for what they've been able to do. And just this opportunity to come back from that four and eight and be a good program again. And I think they want to make sure that they stay a good program for a long time. And this group leaves its mark because there's a lot of guys who are fourth fifth six year guys on this team and you know i i don't know what the future holds for washington or michigan because in both cases they are very veteran heavy there is a chance of a step back next season even though both of them recruit well this might be the chance right here for both

of them yeah this is the window and we talked And we talked a lot about how Washington doesn't really ever get rattled and never get nervous. I mean, you listen to Kalen DeBoer post-game in that Pac-12 title game. They just beat Oregon for the second time. It was a three-point game. It was back and forth to a degree at the end there. And he looks like he just got off his eight to five. He looks like he just kind of punched the clock.

And it's just very, very steady. And you can see that's a reflection of who their head coach is they embody that persona meanwhile michigan their head coach a little bit different dude and we don't know if this is going to be his last game at michigan i think there's a there's a growing sense that that it is he's hired don yee to be his agent which you know last year he got some help from his brother's agent but they weren't it wasn't a go get me an nfl job kind of situation the year before he interviewed with the minnesota vikings they're going to be a bunch of nfl jobs open you know as we run this show you've got the

dolphins and the bills playing once they're done everybody starts firing people yeah so like it is going to be a pretty wild next week in the nfl so we'll see what jobs are open what might be a fit for harbaugh there's the ncaa stuff there's sharon moore who seems ready to take over yeah let's let's watch jim harbaugh from earlier on sunday when he got asked about his future? You know, I hate to end with a clunker answer to what's been a great press conference. But, yeah, it's just really everything that's right here in front of us, you know, coming down the straightaway like a thoroughbred. You know, you can see the finish line.

You know, got the blinders on. I mean, I'm just, each guy, I'm just going to the whip. You know, and, you know, the future, hope to have one. Hope there's a tomorrow. Hope there's a day after tomorrow. Hope there's a next week, a next month, a hope, a next year. Hope to have a future. J.D. Piquel, did Jim Harbaugh just predict the Armageddon?

It felt that way. Should I be getting canned goods together? It felt that way. We're talking about living in the moment. By the way he's answering those questions, it's like, all right, tomorrow's not promised, like legitimately not promised. By the way, the question was to both coaches about this being a Big Ten game next year. So Kayla DeBoer answered it like, hey, we're excited about going to the Big Ten.

And that's what Jim Harbaugh answered with. Yes, because you know he's like just trying to walk the finest line, not say the wrong thing and be a headline before they go play the most important game of his time there. I do feel like Jim Harbaugh is the one guy who could win the national title and then do the blue chips thing where he retires in the press conference. Yeah, golly, yeah. But I don't know. That's what makes this game so exciting also is the Jim Harbaugh wild card factor

because we don't know what's going to happen next. I think we've seen from Sharon Moore that it feels like he's ready to take over. If you're Jim Harbaugh, you feel like you're leaving the program in a good place if you decide to leave but also if you don't get an NFL job I feel like they take you back oh without a question I mean we I think even there's NCAA stuff yes I mean even last year there was this thought of okay we understand as long as Jim Harbaugh is the head coach at Michigan every offseason we'll have a holiday of NFL, Jim Harbaugh, headline comes out, interviews, not interviews. They called him.

It doesn't matter. There's going to be smoke there until he does take an NFL job. Well, I hope there's a tomorrow because if there is, we get to cover the national title game. It's going to be a blast if it's there. If it happens. Yep. That's J.D. Piquel.

And we'll see what happens with Jim Harbaugh after this game but if he does wind up in the NFL the guy who probably replaces him as Michigan's head coach is Sharon Moore we talked to Michigan's offensive coordinator about the journey here and what it was like being Michigan's head coach for four games this season

alright I am here with Sharon Moore and what it was like being Michigan's head coach for four games this season. All right, I am here with Sharon Moore, the offensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines. Sharon, what's this journey been like? You've seen this whole process of going from 2020 to making the playoff to getting over the Ohio State hump, and now you're here. Does it feel like this is real i mean yeah i mean really felt it as you landed uh not much so when we're in ann arbor knew what you're preparing for but when we landed here you saw the cfp uh emblems and uh i saw the buses wrapped uh now you know you're here. But this is what we work for.

Super excited for this opportunity. We're playing a phenomenal team with a phenomenal staff. We're just super excited for this opportunity. So for you, this has been such an odd season. You had four games where you were the acting head coach. I wanted to ask you about this. So you said after the Ohio State game, you went home and you read to your daughters. I believe it was Aladdin.

It was like Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast. Okay. Got my Disney princesses. We have a Belle instead of Jasmine. So what is that like when you go from going forward on fourth down in front of 110,000 people and however many million watching at home to dad? Yeah. What's that like?

Humbling. You get put in a perspective of the things that are in your life. You know, people only see, you know, those things on television and in the stadium of going forward and the coaching part and the TV, but they don't see the real life of me. When I go home, it's not – it has nothing to do with anything I call or the games that we win. I mean, I'm going to go back to the room,

and it's not going to be worried about the national championship game. It's going to be worried about, Dad, hey, let's play. Let's do this. So for us, it's humbling, but it's also grounding. It lets you know the things that are important. I would imagine – I always wonder about this because it feels like people are finally coming around on the idea of O-line coaches as coordinators, as head coaches.

And it feels like that's the kind of group that would ground you too like those guys don't they don't take a lot of bs like you can't car salesman those guys like it feels like it prepares you a little better for these these kind of jobs yeah i mean you know guys you know coaching the o-line is just something special obviously i played it yeah and uh those guys just. They've done a phenomenal job for me for the past three years. Super proud to be a part of coaching that group. And, you know, I look up to guys like Andy Reid, who's an O-line background, who's done it at the highest level.

So I'll just continue to, you know, just really try to coach our guys as hard as I could. And obviously I got a lot of great help from everybody else in the staff. Well, and you've had to move the pieces around because you've had injury. And, like, the Zach Zinner injury and how they played after that. I mean, how proud are you of Carson moving into guard and Trent A coming in at right tackle? I mean, super proud.

I couldn't be more proud of a group than ever, especially in that moment, you know, for us to score the next play. Oh, yeah. Super proud of those guys and what they did. But wasn't surprised because, you know, we talk about all year it's going to take more than five guys to go win this whole thing, and those guys showed it right there. When some of the guys have been talking about it,

and you see this every day, your defensive line, how much does that prepare them for what they're going to see when they play games? I mean, in our opinion, you know, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Chris Jenkins, Braden, Jalen Harrell, Josiah Stewart, Derek Moore, the combination of those guys, the Rayshon Vannies, the Cam Goods, they're a problem every day in practice. And we knew they were going to be a problem. And it's cool to watch other teams have to deal with it than us.

Oh, yeah. But just super excited for them and their success and what they've done. So with your line, how long does it take to create that mentality of we're going to take over games, we're going to, you know, because you know when you guys have really got somebody on the ropes, there's a mental break from the other team. How long does it take to instill that mentality in your team? I mean, I think the guys, it's part of who they are.

Some of those guys, they've lived that. That's how they are. I think, you know, for us, it's been something we've been building since I took over the O-line in 21. You know, the first thing I told them was like, hey, we've got to run the football team. If we don't, we're not going to have a chance. It can't be anybody else.

So those guys really taking to that and really taking it to a new level. Thank you, Sharon. Thank you. Appreciate it. That is Sharon Moore who sounds very ready to be a head coach, very ready to take over a major program. We will see if he winds up doing that this offseason. But the cavalcade of offensive linemen continues

because Washington's offensive line, a little bit underappreciated, except by the people who really count, and that's the people who decide on the Joe Moore Award. If you don't know what the Joe Moore Award is, it is the award for the best offensive line in college football. It is incredible because it's for a group,

it's not for one player, And it has a trophy that weighs 800 pounds and requires a forklift to move. It's a great award. Michigan won it twice in a row and Washington took it from the Wolverines this year. This offensive line, you saw it really take over in that Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. You've seen moments where it's been very dominant. But I think people still get the impression that it's West Coast football, it's soft. That is not the case with Washington. They will get after you up front, but they are about to face the biggest challenge they've faced all year in this Michigan defensive front.

Let's talk to Roger Rosengarten. Joey, about Roger Rosengarten of Washington. And, Roger, what has this experience been like for you? You know, you guys haven't lost in 17 months. How long has it been? Yeah, it's getting up there. I know that for sure. But we're looking to keep that streak going. So you win the Joe Moore Award.

We saw the video of they kind of hit it in your complex. What was that like seeing that trophy? I mean, first of all, the trophy is like – I knew it was big. I knew it was a big trophy, the biggest one in college football. But to see it to be the biggest one, like, in person is, like, insane. Like, I've never seen a trophy that big. It was crazy. It's 800 pounds.

Yeah. Yeah. So I talked to Ladarius Henderson, who played in the Pac-12 and played at Arizona State, and he transferred this year, and he's like, oh, Michigan's won two straight Joe Moore awards. I'm going to get me one of those. Yeah. And he's like, so he wants you guys to put that on the line this game, too.

I was like, I don't think you could lift either team could lift that trophy afterwards so i don't know you may have to just keep it yeah uh i mean i i don't blame him for not wanting the trophy i mean i think every offensive line in the country wants a trophy but uh yeah kudos to him for saying that but uh um we just we just let our film do the talking this year and uh gonna continue to do that what does that mean because it is kind of the ultimate team award it's not an end like it goes to the group yeah i mean like like you said it's it's a it's a group award and like for all of us to be like so invested in that i know like a week a week prior we were talking we're

like man if like any word on the Joe Moore? We were just wondering. Because I know we played a good season, but, I mean, your film does the talking for you. Oh, yeah. And I've been on a couple of those calls for the Joe Moore Award. They are watching the film. I really do think your fourth quarter against Oregon is what won it in the Pac-12 championship game. I think that won it for you because that was an example of a line just taking over a game. Agreed.

Agreed. I think after that game, we all, like, five sat down and had dinner after that. Once we got back to Seattle, we were like, man, that Oregon game was special, man. We all collectively played hard as a unit and wanted to just strain, strain to do whatever we could to get away. And you'd already played those guys. And it was interesting going into that game because they were favored again, and the narrative was the same again. Like, they haven't seen these kinds of athletes on defense, but you'd already played them.

Right. But do you guys enjoy that? Because you're getting it again this week. It's, oh, you haven't dealt with this level of athlete. It feels like every time you've been presented with that, you've had no problem with it. Yeah. I mean, ever since November, it's always been, hey, you guys are favored

or not favored to win again or you're the underdogs going in. So, I mean, it's that underdog mentality every single week. You're going against a better line, better competition. So, we're ready for it. I mean, we're confident in our preparation and we're ready to play. So, what's it like as an out-of-lineman playing with a guy like Mike who gets – I mean, he gets rid of the ball so quickly. Yeah, like you said, does a good job getting rid of the ball, but when he holds on, we do our best to strain and hold on blocks. We

just want to give as much time for him as possible because we have a great group of receiving inside ends around us and if we give him as much time as possible, it's great knowing that the highs are in my eyes uh can sling the sling the ball and it's going to be a I was gonna say so he won it according to you guys oh absolutely you can't you can't convince me otherwise so how many times do you find yourself as you're watching you know re-watching film going how did he make that throw a ton like obviously I watch my block and my technique and the rest of the guys technique and then That's when you kind of let play hit play on the on the thundercloud and let it see and just watch them work

And you see these crazy throws you're like wow this it's special Yeah, I say cuz it's not like that most quarterbacks cannot make those throws So when did you realize because you know he transfers in before last season? When did you realize okay?, you know, he transfers in before last season, when did you realize, okay, we got something truly special here? I think it was like spring ball, the first kind of football interaction of 2022. Spring ball 2022 was like kind of, I was like, holy cow, this guy can sling it. And then we get to that Kent State game of last year. I was like, man, this is something special.

So it's just kind of that snowball, like build, unbuild, build, build. And, man, next thing you know, we've got a Heisman on our hands. So in this transfer portal era where everybody's moving around, your offensive line is all homegrown. Your starting five are all homegrown. You guys have been together – most of you have been together four years, right? Yeah. How much does that help in terms of communication?

Because that's one thing you guys, we rarely see you guys get confused by stuff defenses do. Coach Huff does a great job schematically with things, but in terms of us five playing as a unit, I mean, we've been through this program through the thick and thin, through the ups and downs. When we were four and eight and staffless, we didn't have a staff. We've been through that.

And then for us to come back and to do what we've done, it's great to look back on. What has that been like, that journey? Because I know there's guys on this team who were recruited by Pete and played with Pete the first year. How much has changed over those years? A ton. I was recruited by Coach Peterson. And then before I got there, he left. Then Coach Lake. And then obviously Coach DeBoer. So I've kind of gone through three different staffs, three head coaches. But even though the first and second was not too much different, but, I mean, it was definitely something for the change.

But it didn't change my love for the dogs and what I love about this program. What did Coach DeBoer tell you guys when he got there? I remember the first day he came in, it was a winner. We were all waiting to see our new head coach, who our new head coach was. It was him and his whole family walking in our locker room, and I remember shaking his hand. He's like, we're gonna go make this place special, and I could tell as soon as that, before any of his staff was hired, I knew he meant that, and yeah. What would it mean if you guys could bring Washington a national title? I mean, everything. I mean, I've dreamed about a game like this ever since I was a little kid.

I love college football. And for us to go win it, I mean, it's been a long dream of mine. So who were your favorite players growing up in college football? Who did you love to watch? Johnny Mansell. I grew up watching him. He was electric. I was a big fan of, growing up, I used to watch the old replays of the Boise State

and Oklahoma games of the Statue of Liberty. So I was at that game. Oh, really? It was unbelievable. Yeah. Like, because people forget, Boise State was kicking Oklahoma's butt for three quarters, and then Oklahoma comes back.

Yeah, they had Adrian Peterson. I mean, that was such a great game to just look back on it and be like, wow. And plus our head coach, or our offensive line coach, Scott Huff, he was a coach. All right. And Coach Pete was there, too. But that's one of those things, like, I just remember going, did they just run the Statue of Liberty? Yeah, unreal. How many times have you run that in the backyard?

I've ran it a couple times in the backyard just playing backyard ball, but nothing. Can you imagine doing that on that stage? It's so cool. As a college football junkie, you're playing as the team that's won more games than any in college football. When you see those winged helmets, how cool is that going to be?

It's a historic game. The 91 team of UW, that national championship UW versus Michigan. Just a historic game and Like the 91 team of UW, that national championship, UW versus Michigan, just a historic game. And for us to kind of be replaying that part just in Houston, Texas, is special. All right, Roger, appreciate it. Good luck to you. Appreciate you, my man.

Of course, we've got to give equal time to the Michigan offensive line. I mean, Ladarius Henderson, who is a very unique perspective on this game because Darius Henderson spent his first four seasons at Arizona State and he's played Washington. In fact, he was on the Arizona State team that beat Washington in 2022. That was the last team to beat the Huskies. It was a crazy game. One that kind of came out of the blue. It was actually Washington's second consecutive loss. They lost to UCLA, and then they lost to Arizona State, and they didn't lose again and haven't lost again.

Does Ladarius know any secrets to beating these guys? He's not so sure about that, but he knows he's got a pretty good team with him. All right, we're back with Ladarius Henderson one more time running it back Ladarius you were on the last team that beat Washington I was yep Arizona like y'all that was a crazy game too so like how many times have your teammates come to you this week like all right what's the secret what do you do what are you gonna do oh my former teammates or my new teammates current teammates oh they hadn't done that at all. I mean, I feel like all my current teammates feel like we're on the next team to be Washington.

But, yeah, they hadn't done that at all. So you guys at Michigan, you know, you get here this year, want to step in, win the Joe Moore Award again. They win the Joe Moore Award. Yeah. How does that feel? It definitely stings. I mean, that's definitely part of the reason why you come to Michigan is you want to win that Joe Moore Award three times in a row, and you want to have that. And it's something I was definitely looking forward to so much.

And for them to win it, I mean, if they want, we could probably – if they want to add that into the arrangement the arrangement i mean i'm sure we're sure we do it now that is it that trophy requires a forklift so i'm sure you could probably get one lined up yeah i mean if they want to put that wager wager on it i'm sure we we'd be down i i think that'd be good it's it's funny because you like we talk about the rivalry or you know wanting to win it but like you guys don't play them on the field. Like, you play their D-line, they play your D-line, and you've got to figure that out. I mean, they definitely have offensive linemen that we respect.

I mean, even though we haven't met, I haven't met any of them in person. I've seen some of their game, and I really like it. They definitely have some really good players. But you have played against their D-linemen. Yeah. So what is that like? I mean, I would say in 2021, probably had one of my best collegiate games ever against Washington.

And, yeah, I played them last year as well. But that was the game I got injured, so I didn't get to finish the full game. But, I mean, we won both times. There you go. Yeah, you guys had the secret. But, I mean, we won both times. There you go. Yeah, you guys had the secret. But they're always pretty good on the edges. Like, what do you see from Braylon Trice and ZTF? I mean, they have an assortment of moves.

Some guys, they don't have that many things in their bag, as I call it. And it's kind of easier to have a plan of attack against them so you can force them to do certain things. But we play guys like this, so they have a lot of attack against them so you can force them to do certain things but we play guys like this so they have a lot of things a lot of tools in their toolbox so um it just takes a good good fundamentals and you know good eyes really so i was talking to josiah stewart about the last play of the rose bowl another guy who came in you know as a transfer this year you've seen him in practice the whole time oh yeah like when he dumps the right tackle on his butt how many times have you seen him do that to somebody at practice Josiah Stewart you can ask

him I hate and I'll I'll tell you Josiah Stewart was is a really good football player and a wreck a force to be reckoned with even in practice and I can tell you that firsthand from fall camp he's not that big but it looks like he just he just it's all in the shoulders well he's he's fast explosive right explosive yeah twitchy he bends really well and he's really strong so I mean he has all the things that you need to be an elite edge rusher so I mean given what you guys practice against all the time is there ever a d-line that you're like well i don't know about this well i will say there has not been a single d-line that i faced in game that was remotely close to what our d-line makes you feel in practice yeah and it's like not even remotely close just from

the guys we have up front from mason graham kg chris Jenkins, Josiah, Jalen Harrell, Braden, D Moore, like the guys we have up front, Ray Bendy, Cam Good, yeah, oh my gosh, like we can have, we can send out the first group, the second group, the third group, and it's gonna be, it's not gonna be easy, you know what I mean? You guys have a little bit of everything, that's what, yeah, it's interesting, because I remember watching as, and I realize you play offense, but you play these guys all the time in practice. So Chris Jenkins walking off there, running off the field before the last play and waving goodbye to the guys that were going to play on that last play. And most teams would not take a guy of Chris Jenkins caliber off the field, but you got Mason and KG in there.

Yeah, I mean, Mason and KG and Chris Jenkins we're talking about three guys that we have on this team that could be top 50 draft picks I mean like it's wild and I mean you can only start two interior guys at a time unless you're in a certain package but we got three guys that any team would want. Well, another guy you got to deal with a lot is Moore, Derek Moore. That last, again, that last play, I mean, him and Josiah were just incredible on that play. Yeah, I mean, and Derek Moore has an assortment of moves in his bag too, and he's just such a powerful guy.

We have so many powerful guys that have a mix of being powerful and being quick. And the thing that I think makes him so good that a lot of people don't look at is we have our four different edge rushers that rotate in. They all play so differently. Right. They're so effective at what they do. Yeah. Like, their game is different, but they're getting a great result out of it.

It's strange. It's almost like in baseball where somebody's bringing in a different pitcher, so you have to change up your technique, change up your approach. Exactly. Except it's play in, play out. Yeah, that's a lot of film to watch for opposing offensive lines. Well, the Joe Moore Award-winning Washington offensive line is going to have to deal with those guys.

Yeah, they are. So maybe we can – Washington will be here next. I will ask some of those guys if they will put the Joe Moore Award on the line along with the national title trophy. All right. You can tell Troy I said it. All right. Will do.

Appreciate it, Darius. No problem. Thank you. That was awesome. Now let's talk to one of those guys that the Michigan offensive line has to block. Fatui Tuatela has been through it all at Washington. He was recruited by Chris Peterson, played for Peterson for a year, then goes through the two Jimmy Lake years, four and eight that last season,

and then Kalen DeBoer comes. So he has seen consistency, depths, and now the highest of the highs. Let's talk to him as he prepares for the biggest game of his career. Here with Patui Tuitela, defensive tackle for the Washington Huskies, and one of the guys who's been around for a lot. Wow. You played for Chris Peterson in 2019. Yes.

What has this journey been like for you? I mean, it's been a great journey. I mean, you know, we went through a lot of trials and tribulations, obviously, especially coming into 2019. You know, we didn't expect our head coach, Coach Peterson, to just leave so fast. Yeah. I mean, he was a big part of why a lot of us came to UW. So, I mean, it was a little surprising for us.

I mean, not a little, but it was a big surprise for all of us, you know, when he talked to us that December. But, I mean, the journey's been great, man. I mean, made a lot of connections and made a lot of relationships with my teammates. I think it's interesting because you had so many guys who played in that culture. Right. And then you went through 4-8, and then Coach DeBoer comes in. So there's guys that had been in a really good environment, good culture before. Yeah.

Was that how it was so easy to get back? Yeah, I mean, there was just, you know, obviously a lot of guys after that 4-8 season, you know, left. And I feel like the guys who stayed are, you know, the backbone of this team. We've been through so much. We've been through a lot of adversity. And I feel like, you know, us just being able to go through all that trial and tribulation really humbled us and made us that much closer, actually. It made us such a tight-knit group between all of us.

And when you think about this team that you've now got nine straight games that you've decided by ten or fewer points that you've won, when you face that adversity, when you have games like Arizona State, like Washington State, does it feel like you just know what your teammates are going to do? Oh, yeah. we built that trust i think that trust is you know it's so important when it comes down to those games especially like the trust between the offense the defense the special teams yeah you know when when one may be you know struggling a little bit the other will help yeah it will step in and help so definitely that that that trust is what we have in each other and

obviously you see it with all these close games. What's it been like playing against this offensive line in practice all these years? It's been amazing, man. They make me better each and every day in practice. I mean, I love it. They give such great competition. They gave a lot of great looks to us throughout the season. And this O-line is just amazing, man, from left tackle to the right tackle, everybody, man. How much does that prepare you for a game like this

where Michigan's got a very good O-line? Yeah, I mean, it helped us prepare a lot. It's made us better, like I said, throughout the season going against our Joe Moore award-winning O-linemen. That's right. Shout-outs to the boys, the O-line. They made us better, and they prepared us for so many other great O-lines in the Pac-12 as well that we've seen.

So I feel like we're battle-tested. So as an interior guy, do you get excited when you play a team like this because they're going to run it straight at you? Or do you're like, holy crap, that's a lot of double teams? No, we definitely love the challenge. This is definitely an interior and a front seven game. And this is definitely a game that every D-lineman dreams of, a running team. So it's a chance for us to prove ourselves as a D-line to the nation on national stage.

And it's a chance for us to make a lot of plays. And, you know, it's going to be exciting. How do you feel about double teams, really? Be honest. Yeah, you know, it's definitely a love-hate relationship, man. Like, it's respect on one hand. It is. It's respect, you know what I mean?

600 pounds of dude. Yeah, 600 versus 300 pounds. You know, two 300-pound guys versus one hand. It is. It's respect. You know what I mean? 600 pounds of dude. Yeah, 600 versus 300 pounds. You know, two 300-pound guys versus one 300-pound guy. I mean, you know, you got to love the respect, though. It definitely molds you into a better football player and a D lineman, man. When you play that position at Washington, you think about the guys that account, Danny Shelton, Vita Vea, Greg Gaines. Like, how important is it to uphold that standard?

Oh, very important. I mean, we have a model called D-Low, D-Line Order. It was here way before I came here. Oh, yeah. Steve Intman. Steve Intman, exactly. So we're just trying to uphold that standard each time. Each time we step out on the field and each time we practice,

trying to uphold that standard in the way we practice, in the way we prepare and everything. From talking to you guys, it sounds like they've taught you a lot about the out of the field and each time we practice, trying to uphold that standard in the way we practice, in the way we prepare and everything. From talking to you guys, it sounds like they've taught you a lot about the history of the program and the guys who played in the 90s and in the 80s, you know what they did. What would it be like to bring a national title back to Washington? It would mean a lot. I mean, you just see the support that all of Washington has behind us.

Even when we were loading the buses before we came, there were so many fans, so many friends, families that were out there waiting for us outside the stadium before we got on the buses. And just like the support all over social media as well. We feel like we're representing more than just our football team, but we're representing the legends that came before us and the whole state of Washington. So somebody had come to you during that 4-8 season

and told you in a couple years you're going to be playing for the frigging national title. What would you have said? I think they were crazy. I think they're losing their mind. I'm like, no, there ain't no way, man. There ain't no way we know we're going to go from a 4-8 season to a national championship in two years.

Like, I think they were crazy. I'm not going to lie. But you're here. We are. It's real. It is real, and it feels amazing to be here with my brothers and be able to just experience this. It's not just the game, but the whole experience of being here.

It's amazing that I get to share this feeling with such a great team. Well, good luck. Thank you. Appreciate it, man. That was awesome. That's it. Thank you to all the Washington and Michigan players and coaches for their time and their thoughtful answers.

Guys, it's time to play a national championship game. It happens on Monday night, and you will hear from myself and J.D. Piquel. We will be on site in Houston. We got a show Monday morning to get you ready for it. The hard count doesn't normally come on Monday morning, but we're going to take that hard count time slot that J.D. uses on Tuesday and Thursday. We're going to have a little pregame show Monday morning, and then Monday night you will hear from us after the game.

We'll go live. You can react. You can chat with us. You can heckle us. Whatever you want. Cannot wait. It's going to be so much fun. This is a great matchup.

Expecting an incredible game. Talk to you on Monday.