The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Sitting Down With Graduating Football Linebacker James Ross Michigan senior linebacker James Ross went out a champion with a 41-7 win over Florida in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Jan. 1. He talked about his time at U-M, the Wolverines' future and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: Coach Jim Harbaugh stressed the importance of getting to 10 wins this year. How important was that really? Ross: "Very important. Since I've been here I [hadn't] won a bowl game. Being able to go out with 10 wins is such a big thing … it sounds way better than nine, so it's one of the biggest things to worry about. "Coach Harbaugh did a great job making sure everybody knows it's a business trip. It's fun down there [in Orlando, Fla.], but the most important thing is to get the win." The Wolverine: A lot of people said Michigan would be ahead of schedule if it won 10 games this year. Do you see this as the starting point where going forward that will be the expectation? Ross: "Definitely. Things could have changed throughout the season where it could have gone differently and we'd already have had our 10th win [going into the bowl game]. "I definitely see a change, and I'm able to see the recruiting aspect because of my brother [Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's outside linebacker Joshua Ross, a Rivals.com four-star junior prospect rated No. 181 overall nationally]. He sees a change also. It's definitely on the up and up." The Wolverine: Coach Harbaugh hired Don Brown as the defensive coordinator from Boston College to replace D.J. Durkin. Tell us what you know about him. Ross: "I'm sure I'm going to be talking to him — especially for my brother [in the recruit- ing process], seeing what he's about. But I've done some research, and he's definitely quite a coach. I've seen players from where he came from say he's an intense guy and they love to play for him. "That's definitely a good key if you're a defensive coordinator — being a guy who you want to play for and do whatever you can to make him proud." The Wolverine: We'd heard the Citrus Bowl was pretty much going to be all work and no play. How did the players react to that? Ross: "We've been in bowl games where we had a decent amount of free time. Everybody has their way of going about it. Coach Harbaugh's way is about business, about getting a win. "How fun is a bowl trip if you don't win? Not that fun. That's the most important thing." The Wolverine: And how important was it to prove that you could hang with one of the SEC's best teams? Ross: "You hear it all the time that the SEC has the best conference, and you get a little bit fed up with that. We think our football's great also in the Big Ten. "It's definitely a representation of the Big Ten." — Chris Balas and John Borton ROSS