Hoke Takes Responsibility For UM's Shortcomings

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

ANN ARBOR (CBS DETROIT) - After a second straight loss, one that ended Michigan's 19-game home winning streak and included seven more sacks of quarterback Devin Gardner, the Wolverines had plenty of places they could place blame.

Head coach Brady Hoke would have none of it. Six times in the first five minutes of his post-game press conference, Hoke pointed to himself as culpable.

"I've got to do a better job coaching this football team," Hoke said in response to the first question of the evening. "That goes on me."

No matter what the query, Hoke stayed consistent with the theme of his answers. He was more generous with some than others, but overwhelmingly he replied with just one or two sentences and took responsibility somewhere in the response.

What went wrong that allowed a defense to sack Gardner for seven times again this week?

"I've got to do a better job coaching."

How come the offense has generated -21 rushing yards Saturday and -48 the previous game?

"It's hard to explain, isn't it?" Hoke said. "I've got to do a better job coaching those guys."

How effective were any halftime adjustments the team made?

"There were some things that we did pretty well," Hoke said, "but there were a number of things that I've got to do a better job coaching the kids on."

To what do you attribute the team being unable to execute in crucial moments?

"I've got to do a better job coaching."

Why are the blocking issues not subsiding?

"I've got to do a better job coaching them, it looks like," Hoke said.

At 6-3 on the season and 2-3 in the Big Ten, the Wolverines have had a difficult year. Though they started the year 5-0, they won games against cupcakes Akron and Connecticut by alarmingly small margins. Michigan's first loss of the season, to Penn State, came only after four overtimes, and the extra periods and regulation were filled with missed opportunities. The Wolverines took their toughest shot last week, getting pummeled 29-6 by in-state rival Michigan State. Saturday's loss to Nebraska was the Wolverine's third loss in four games.

Certainly, everything comes back to the head coach. Hoke recognizes that. Surely, that is part of why he answered questions Saturday the way he did. The other part is probably because there are so many issues with the Wolverines right now that listing them after a game would take much, much too long.