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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 13, 2006

Mark Bihl

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: You know, Michigan has done a lot for me, this university, both the football program and academically. You know, I'll play my last game at Ohio Stadium, go back home, represent this university in my home state, represent my team being from Ohio. It's a great experience. And to end at a place, a great city like Ohio State, it's something you'll never forget.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: You know, as a team, every Ohio State Michigan game is important. Probably next year, they are going to say the same thing. We try not to look to the past. Big Johnny always says: "Your best ring is your next ring."
It's kind of, to answer that question, just the idea that we always look forward to the next game. That's the game you want.

Q. Can you talk about Quinn?
MARK BIHL: Quinn is a great athlete. I know ice a pre-season All-American candidate. We squared after last year for a couple of plays. I know him a little bit before high school, or before college. He went to pick weather and we were supposed to play together in the north south game but we didn't.
You know, that's Ohio State, they always have great football players. We have great football players. We have a Terrance Taylor, they have a Quinn Pitcock. We'll see.

Q. You might know Chad better than anybody else. How has he evolved the last couple of years?
MARK BIHL: I believe it's just confidence through experience. He's a leader. He and Mike are both incredible leaders. Just the way the team has evolved around him. He's started for 30-some games now, and just how he's become comfortable in the pocket. He understands that we're going to have the right blocks for him, we're going to block the right people. We understand that he's going to get the ball to the receiver.

Q. When Coach Carr has shown you Cinderella Man throughout the season, what did you get out of that personally?
MARK BIHL: You can relate it a lot to our season last year. You don't really want to look forwards the pasta at all, you want to look forwards the future.
Everybody counted us out, we came in ranked 14th, and here we are for the Big 10 championship. That's where we wanted to be.

Q. The last two years, you've seen the look on the outgoing seniors' faces in the locker room after the game, can you describe what you saw and the impression they left on you, was that any motivation?
MARK BIHL: No, I don't necessarily look at the past. I just try to look towards this game. It's for the Big 10 Championship and it's for a shot to play in the National Championship. So this is a Big 10 Championship is what we strive for at the beginning of the season, and if a National Championship is there, an opportunity to play in the National Championship like this game, it's something that's important to us.

Q. Can you compare your defense to the Ohio State defense?
MARK BIHL: Yeah, both defenses have great players, great linebacking core. They have got Laurinaitis; we have Dave Harris. In terms of like schemes they do, not necessarily. They both run some of the same blitzes and some of the same stuff, but just personnel, just both prestigious traditions, universities, they are going to have great players.

Q. Is this the best defense you'll play this year?
MARK BIHL: Oh, definitely, you look at Ohio State does they always have great players. Just got to be ready for them.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: I guess offensively we just come out every game and we want to perform the best we can, and if the coaches call a run play, if everybody gets on their assignment, Mike is going to hit the hole, Jerome is going to hit the hole. Just confidence in ourselves and Rueben, myself, Adam, Crable and Alex, we have always evolved to our new scheme and it's definitely compliments to Coach DeBord and what he's done with us.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: I try not to. I try to just treat it like another game. It really isn't another game. It's Ohio State Michigan, it's the greatest rivalry in college football. It's what every young kid watching the third Saturday on November, fourth Saturday, playing Ohio State and Michigan, they want to play in this game. Just as a fifth year senior, you evolve, I was as hyper as you could get. Just something you have to get comfortable and just have to calm yourself. If you don't, that can really affect your play negatively.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: How so, what do you mean?

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: Definitely, that's where I want to end up.

Q. Can you give an example, you talk about Chad's leadership evolving, can you give an example?
MARK BIHL: Not a specific example necessarily. We might be third and 15 in a situation or third-and-long where we give up a penalty and on the sidelines or in the huddle before he gives the call, he'll tell us, hey, that's not us, let's be smart, we can't hurt ourselves like that. We're better than that. Just confidence as a leader. He leads through example and he leads through voice, also.

Q. What's it like with having a lot of family back in Ohio?
MARK BIHL: I don't know, I think my dad took the week off from work -- no, I don't know. (Laughter).
No, it's the Ohio State/Michigan game. That's pretty much all you can say about that.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: Certainly. You know, we always want to see them undefeated, and I'm sure they always want to see us undefeated. This is the greatest rivalries in college football, like I said. The reasons why is we know we are going to get their best shot, and they know they are going to get our best shot. It's going to be a great game on both sides of the ball and I'm sure everyone is going to be watching it.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK BIHL: Certainly, our ultimate goal for the season is to always win the Big 10 Championship. Maybe somewhere will be some teams that are not we playing, maybe two teams Ohio State is playing. If Ohio State beats them, we know we don't have to worry about them in the Big 10 race.

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