The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1525654
24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2024 BY JOHN BORTON C ollege football 2024 looms dead ahead, and Michi- gan's new head coach and crew are prepped and ready for a smashing good time. The catchphrase "Smash!" became linked to the Wolverines via Moore, be- fore he ever ascended to the big office at Schembechler Hall. It's always been his mentality, through his playing and as- sistant coaching days. But the new boss took time during the Champions Circle Golf Classic in Ann Arbor this summer to detail when the precise verbiage be- gan, and the meaning of it. "I can tell you exactly where it started," Moore said. "It started in the Washing- ton game in 2021 [won by Michigan, 31-10] and we're playing at night. It's a Maize Out and we're rocking all blue and we're starting to run the ball. I'm seeing the guys with this mentality, this physicality. And I just kind of blacked out a little bit. I just started saying 'Smash!' and that kind of became the mantra of the room and kind of grew with the team. "It just means a violent mentality that you're not going to stop until the other team submits and taps out. That's what we want to be. Regardless of [whether] it's offense, defense, running the ball, throwing the ball, playing coverage, blitz- ing, whatever we're doing, we're playing all out and we're not going to stop." It's more than rousing talk. Just ask the Wolverines. Moore fashioned argu- ably the best, toughest, most physical offensive lines in the nation the past three seasons, ones that teamed up with a star quarterback, relentless running back and stonewalling defenses to pro- duce a scintillating 40-3 combined re- cord, with three decisive wins over Ohio State, three Big Ten titles, three College Football Playoff appearances and, of course, perfection in 2023 — 15-0 and a national championship. Jim Harbaugh gets great credit for that incredible run, and grateful players aren't quick to talk about big changes from last year's approach to now. There haven't been many, they say. But a few mention the fact that Michigan prac- tices have been even more physical than the pad-cracking prep the new coach of the Los Angeles Chargers oversaw. That's not good news for Michigan op- ponents, who conceded the Wolverines' ability to wear them down played a major role in making them elite last season. "I think they're the best football team I've seen in 11 years of being a head coach," Minnesota's P.J. Fleck said. "I've never seen a football team like that, that deep … they're one of the deepest teams, one of the best teams, the biggest teams, fastest teams, strongest teams and they do not make mistakes. They are truly like a boa constrictor, and they do not beat themselves." "We wear and tear on them," junior defensive tackle Mason Graham af- firmed. "And as the game goes on, we know they can't hang with us for four quarters. So, you know that at some point they're going to break." Breaking the opposition will be a chal- lenge this year, given one of the tough- est Michigan schedules in memory, along with the defection of extensive NFL-level talent. Coaches and players are quick to remind everyone, though, there's plenty left in the cupboard — and the tank. When Moore stood before the assem- blage in Indianapolis for the Big Ten foot- ball meetings, he definitely didn't come across as the new kid on the block, just TOUGH AND TOGETHER Wolverines Under Sherrone Moore Are Rugged And Ready For 2024 Campaign In his first year as head coach, Moore aims to instill his "Smash!" mindset into Michigan football's Team 145. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS