Biff Poggi announces departure from Michigan, evaluates Bryce Underwood’s play vs. Texas

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi spoke to the media following Michigan’s 41-27 loss to Texas. Poggi spoke about his future with the Michigan program and also evaluated the play of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood and Texas QB Arch Manning.

Here’s everything Poggi said with additional comments from Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder.

BIFF POGGI: Thanks for being here. This is my guy, Jimmy Rolder. He has just been an unbelievable player and human being. I am really proud of our team. I am really proud of how hard they played. I am really proud of how — of everything they have done over the last number of weeks.

And with that, we will take your questions.

Q. Jordan Marshall wasn’t able to go today. When did you know that was going to be the case and how big of a loss is that?

BIFF POGGI: We found out, I think – today is Wednesday, right? We found out Monday. I think he just felt he couldn’t go.

There are these things where you are medically cleared, but nobody knows your body like you do. He was medically cleared, but he just didn’t feel like he could go. He had been banged up for a while, and he is the kind of player that, his physicality is what makes him special. When he doesn’t feel right, especially in the upper body, that is hard.

Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Bryce yet? Where do you think his head is at and can you reflect on what he did well today and where you think he can improve for next season?

BIFF POGGI: Yeah, I have talked to him. He is a wonderful kid with a huge upside. He is a true freshman starting in an elite conference, and playing in a Bowl game against an SEC football team that was preseason ranked No. 1. I thought he had a great game. He just made a few bad decisions at the end.

He will learn. All these things are learning things for him. So much of playing quarterback is experiential. You have to experience it.

He is a competitor. He would probably like a couple of those throws back, and probably a little down right now. I think the best thing for him would be to get back to work as quickly as possible and for people to remember he is just a freshman.

Q. It could be potentially your last game under this previous regime. What’s your message to the team after today’s loss?

BIFF POGGI: What was my message to the team? Well, it is my last game at Michigan, and my message to the team after the game, what was my mental to the team after the game? Do you remember?

JIMMY ROLDER: Proud. Love everyone.

BIFF POGGI: Go ahead, tell them.

JIMMY ROLDER: Coach Biff has done so much for us, not even in just the football space, but just overall life advice. Everyone on the team looks up to him. Respects him so much.

It sucks we weren’t able to go out there and win for him, because that is what everyone wanted to do. He was just telling us he was proud of us, thankful for the opportunity, and yeah.

BIFF POGGI: And I love ’em.

JIMMY ROLDER: Yes. Yes.

BIFF POGGI: You were paying attention.

Q. As you look at this program moving forward, do you feel like this is going to be a rebuild under Coach Whittingham, or how close do you feel like this program is to getting back to where it wants to be?

BIFF POGGI: No. This is a program that won nine games this year and played a lot of really good teams in the Big Ten but we played two SEC teams that are pretty good, Oklahoma and Texas.

I thought the kids competed so hard today. They played so hard. This isn’t a rebuild at all. I think that would be short changing the kids and where they are. I think Coach Whittingham is going to do a fantastic job here. He is going to have a lot of really good players back. He is obviously going to bring players in.

Again, he is a guy that has won 180 games. He has been a head coach 20 years. He has won three conference championships, one in the WAC and two in the Big 12.

I think he is going to find it very, very full covered, a bunch of very willing kids that are just great kids.

People talk about Michigan and what it means to be a Michigan Man. I have a son that is a Michigan Man. I am not a Michigan Man. I didn’t go there, but these kids here are the definition of that, and I think he is going to love that.

Q. You were just talking about — earlier this week, you said the icing on the cake would have been a victory but you’re talking about how hard the guys played, I guess. You expected that but what do you think this team showed today to the outside, given the noise and fighting that hard, taking the lead in the fourth quarter and coming that close?

BIFF POGGI: I have been a head coach in over 300 football games at all levels. There is not a team I have ever been prouder of than this team. I mean, these guys are unbelievable, and they are great human beings. At Michigan, you have to be a great student. There are very high standards on how to conduct themselves. It is truly the full package.

I mean, I don’t know how anyone sits in that stadium and watches these guys and not just have respect. That is how I answer it.

JIMMY ROLDER: Yeah, throughout all the Bowl prep, coming to practice every day, it was a lot of fun. Everyone was out there competing, had a chip on their shoulder and wanted to play hard for Coach Biff. We came out here today. Obviously, it wasn’t the result that we wanted, but you saw that we fought for the whole game.

Again, it sucks we fell short but we gave it our all for Coach Biff over here.

BIFF POGGI: They did fight the whole game, not pretty much the whole game. You’re being modest. The whole football game.

Q. Your impression of Arch Manning and how hard it is to defend him?

BIFF POGGI: Oh, yeah. It’s a great question because this is — Steve Sarkisian said this is year three for Arch, and, again, remember, this is year one for Bryce.

Arch, he is an exceptional player. I mean, he made some throws today that I thought were, like, wow. Then of course, I had no idea he was — when you look at him on the field, he’s big and strong, but I had no idea he was as athletic as he is. He is a force to be reckoned with, but I think Jimmy would be able to answer that better than me.

JIMMY ROLDER: I mean, he hit it spot on. Dangerous. Can make every throw. Again, throw with his legs. Sneaky fast. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Coach Biff covered it.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos