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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

