Full Transcript: JT Floyd on the young U-M D

Floyd talks about Taylor Lewan, about the Indiana receivers, about the young U-M defensive backfield, about not overlooking Saturday’s game, and more.

Question: We heard Taylor (Lewan) talking about playing mean and nasty, can you talk about what it is like to go against him in practice?

JT Floyd: “He is a high energy guy. I love the way he competes. He is a competitor on each every play. I definitely see that nasty streak that he has in him. He shows it a lot in practice just getting after guys. He pushes us as a defense and that’s what we do as a whole is push ourselves in practice.”

Question: Have you gotten a chance to see Indiana’s receivers much? They have some talent, that’s what they like to do.

JT Floyd: “Oh yeah. They are definitely a talented bunch. Another group of receivers that we’re going to have to…definitely another challenge that we got to step up to. I remember playing against them last year. I know those guys are extremely talented. It was definitely a challenge but something that we’re ready for.”

Question: Tell us a little bit about that wrinkle where you were rotating back in the defense.

JT Floyd: “Yeah our defense, we do so much with our defensive schematically. We do a lot of different things. We move people a lot of different places. A lot of guys from our team can play a lot of different positions so coaches do a good job of just putting us into position to try and make plays.”

Question: Can you do more things this year defensively than last year?

JT Floyd: “Yeah I think definitely. We mix it up a lot. We move guys around a lot. We try to be an aggressive defense. The defense, kind of try to disguise it as different looks and things of that nature, just to kind of compete with other teams.”

Question: You guys were 4-0 last year at this time, how does what you went through effect you now as you get another crack at this?

JT Floyd: “Oh yeah, we definitely remember what it was like being 4-0 last year. We just now this year, we can’t get our heads big. We got to continue to stay focused and stay with that hunger and that passion that we’ve had carrying over from spring ball, through summer workouts, through fall camp. We just got to continue to progress and keep that passion with us.”

Question: Is it good for the younger guys in the secondary already seen a road venue like Notre Dame going into this game?

JT Floyd: “Oh yeah definitely. Playing at Notre Dame, it was a great experience. I think it was good for those young guys just to get out there and see what it was like. Going into Indiana, I’m sure it will be a hostile atmosphere, something that we’ll have to take into account and we’ll just have to be ready to play.”

Question: No chance you guys are overlooking Indiana for Michigan State?

JT Floyd: “No chance. We look at each game like it is the most important game of the season, every game. Each step of the way, week-by-week preparation. We definitely know that those guys a Indiana can definitely play football. It is Big Ten season now so every game is important.”

Question: How did the defense improve from a week ago Saturday to this past Saturday?

JT Floyd: “I just think we were focused. We knew we had to come out there and just be aggressive as a defense. We just really honed in on our skills. Throughout the week, we focused on the fundamentals of football, tackling and we did various tackling drills. We still got to improve there. We got a lot of areas that we can improve but I just think definitely that it was a lot better energy going into the game and I just think that we are a lot more focused and ready to go.”