Barry Alvarez Team Quotations

We were beaten by a good football team today. They're solid on both sides of the ball. My hat's off to Penn State, they're a really great football team.

Everybody has a role on the team, and some have a role as a scout team player. They have to emulate the offenses that we are going to face. Those players still have to go through the out-of-season work and they work hard.

(Hampton) isn't the most gifted athlete that we have, yet he takes so much pride in how he plays, he's on every special team and I just thought it would send a strong message to our special-team guys that we appreciate them and that's the type of effort and that's the type of play that we're looking for.

I think it is as simple, just a simple fact that they're pretty good and always have (been). I think if you take a look at every other team in the league, there has been some slipping. Some teams have slipped and had years when they've had down years, but I can't remember a year when Michigan has been down. Their down years are pretty good years.

I think it's very important to emphasize that my immediate focus is to coach the 2005 football team and coach them to its fullest potential, ... The thing that I share with the players ... that I would guarantee them that they will have a great effort and great preparation and tremendous focus from myself and our entire staff. They deserve that because they've worked so hard in preparation for this season, and we will not let them down.

Well, we were beaten by a very good football team today. They are very solid on both sides of the ball.

There can be a lot of distractions during a bowl game. The team that can stay focused can win. I think that's one reason you see a lot of upsets.

You have to correct mistakes and just show where we had breakdowns. A lot of it was communication. That's something that we'll have to correct and go back to fundamentals. You've got a totally different game plan this week and a different type of team that you're defending.

As I visit with some of the other coaches in leagues that have playoffs, I don't think that there's any excitement about the playoff. Sure, it's a big payoff for one game, but I think it diminishes some of the season. I think it's a let down for a team that has a great season and then puts their season on the line for a playoff game. And it all seems done for no other reason than a paycheck.

I like the fact that we can go to a bowl game and reward them (the scout team players) as well as the starters.