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TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
Behind Enemy Lines: Marcus Oliver
Last year, Indiana took the
Michigan football team down
to the wire in Bloomington. The
contest was decided by a second
overtime goal-line stand, and the
Wolverines escaped shaken, but
unscathed, 48-41.
This year, the two teams will
meet in Ann Arbor for No. 3
Michigan’s senior day. Indiana
linebacker Marcus Oliver, who
has recorded 74 tackles this year
for the Hoosiers (3-4 Big Ten,
5-5 overall), will be looking to
improve his leadership skills this
year after being upset with his
role against Michigan last season.
In July, The Michigan Daily
chatted with the team captain
at Big Ten Media Days about last
season’s crazy finish, his role as a
team leader and the food at Media
Days.
The
Michigan
Daily:
The
game
against
Michigan
last
season was pretty intense. What
do you remember from that game,
and what are you going to take
with you going forward into this
season?
Marcus Oliver: There were
a lot of times — I remember
watching film — a lot of times
where
instead
of
linebackers
bringing their feet and driving
through them, it allowed them to
be third-and-one or pick up the
first down on third down. There
were a lot of times when we gave
up extra yards when we shouldn’t
have.
That was probably my worst
leadership year I had. I was
frustrated, and I learned a lot
and was able to be a better leader
from then on during the season, so
there were a lot of things we were
able to take from that game.
TMD: So this year, playing
in the Big House, what are you
going to do from a leadership
perspective that’s different from
last season?
MO: Make sure everyone keeps
their confidence and plays each
play. Not every play is going to
go the way you want it to go. Not
every quarter or half is going
to go the way you want it to go.
(Our game against Rutgers last
season) was the perfect testament
to just playing every play and
keep playing and keep battling.
Anything can happen in a game.
Question: How much more
comfortable are you this year than
last year? Coming
in and getting back
and playing again,
how much more
confident
and
comfortable
are
you?
MO:
I’m
extremely
confident.
This
offseason, I was
able to work on
things that I had
to work on. I feel better than ever,
and I’m just ready to go. I’m ready
for camp to start.
Q: How good was last year’s
bowl just to kind of break through?
MO: I think the best thing
about last year’s bowl was just
getting a taste of it.
Anytime someone
gets a taste of
something
they
want
more
and
more and more,
and that’s when
you see guys start
to
work
harder
and start playing
better and start
preparing
better.
I think that’s the
best thing we got from it, and the
bowl was awesome, it was great to
be there. It was a cool experience.
TMD: Being named a team
captain, especially as a younger
guy, what did that mean to you?
MO: It’s a huge privilege and
honor. It doesn’t really happen
around here, or any team. It just
says what the team thinks about
me because the team is the one that
votes. To be able to picked with all
of those great guys still there and
leaving, it’s a huge honor.
TMD: How have you been
enjoying your media day?
MO: It’s been neat. I’ll tell you
what, I can’t eat nothing else. I’ve
been eating since I got here. The
food is really good and you meet
some really great people. This place
is huge, so I think I got all of my
walking in for the rest of the month.
Indiana’s linebacker and captain has 72 tackles this season for improved Hoosiers’ defense visiting Saturday
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Redshirt junior linebacker Michael Oliver (44) ranks second for Indiana with 74 tackles and is also a first-time captain for the Hoosiers, who can secure a bowl berth Saturday.
BY THE NUMBERS
Indiana Defense
70
Tackles for loss by Indiana’s
defense in 10 games this season,
led by linebacker Tegray Scales’
15 and fellow linebacker Marcus
Oliver’s 10.5
31.2
Third-down conversion rate by
Indiana’s opponent, making the
Hoosiers’ defense the 13th-best
in the nation at stopping those
opportunities
“That was
probably my
worst leadership
year I had.”
KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor