Michigan's Rod Moore Talks Challenge Of Facing Washington Offense

Michigan defensive back Rod Moore knows that Washington's passing attack presents a unique challenge, and he says the Wolverines are ready for that challenge.

There's no doubt that Michigan's secondary will be tested on Monday night when the Wolverines face Washington in the National Championship game. Led by a Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback and multiple wideouts who are future draft picks, the Michigan secondary will need to play mistake-free football in order to secure the win. 

Speaking with the media on Saturday, veteran defensive back Rod Moore discussed what it will take to keep the Washington offense in check. 

Photo: Christopher Breiler

Q. What's going to be the key to beating them on Monday night?

ROD MOORE: Just stopping their passing game. They got a real good quarterback and good receiving core and a great O-line. So I mean, think just the key is that the defense have to work together to be able to stop these guys. They are really good and just like we are. So I think it's going to be a great matchup.

Q. So I was talking to one of your teammates a bit ago, Keon, and he mentioned you as kind of like one of his like mentors. How have you seen him grow over the past couple years?

ROD MOORE: I mean, start off at the beginning of the season, I was out. Me and McCord were out, and so Keon and Q were the guys stepping up and taking on a role. I mean, Keon has been excelling ever since he touched the field. You saw his Pick-Six against Minnesota and he's just been making plays every time he steps on the field.

I just think just us pushing him each and every day, especially with like having four safeties in the room, it just makes everyone in the room greater. So I think that's what it is.

Q. It's been a healthy competition; right?

ROD MOORE: Yeah.

Q. Where do you think that drive comes from?

ROD MOORE: You talking about like just us competing with each other?

Q. Both you, all y'all and Keon?

ROD MOORE: It comes from just want to go play. I mean, it's everyone's dream to play. Especially for this team in the National Championship right now, I think going into the summer and going into camp we knew how great this team could be and I think it was just the drive of wanting to be out on the field and contributing to a team like this.

I think everyone has their own 'why' of why they want to play football and why they want to be great, so I think that's another part of it, too.

Q. What makes this year different?

ROD MOORE: I think just a lot of the things that's going against us right now, and just everyone on the team coming together and buying into everything. I think right after we lost to TC, everybody bought in, just the goal of getting to the National Championship. And every day from then, from then on, we've just been going at it and just being together through everything.

Q. Washington's receiver core loves to throw the 50/250 ball and loves to put the pressure on the defensive backs and on the safeties. What have you seen from them in this game and in your preparation and how excited are you to go up against arguably one of the best receiver cores in the country?

ROD MOORE: I'm excited to do it just like I was excited last week. Everyone said it was a challenge with Alabama and their deep threats. It's the same thing in a different way. They have a different offensive attack, especially with throwing the ball, they spread the ball out a lot more.

So I think there's going to be a money game just for the back end, especially Will going against No. 1, and then No. 2 as well. The whole receiving core is really good. I think it's just the opportunity to be great just in the back end and throwing off the quarterback. He's a really good quarterback. I think it's the best quarterback we see all year. He's on time with every throw he throws and we just have to give him different looks and do what we do the best.

Q. Curious given what happened with the Big Ten this year, the conference coming in, not having you guys back and getting in and suspending your coach, all that, how does it make you feel that the conference and people can kind of claim Michigan's success, and oh, look what the Big Ten did, when they weren't exactly supporting you guys?

ROD MOORE: I mean, I like it. I think it's just like a way of life. Everyone was against you at one point, I mean, we make it to the National Championship. So the narrative flips. It just makes us feel great, especially when they took Coach Harbaugh from us against Penn State and we didn't even know they were going to do it, and just now that everyone rooting for us, it just feels great as a team.

Q. Having a month to prepare for Alabama, sitting and over analyzing their film and their team, now you have a normal game week, seven days to prepare for Washington, almost two days away now. Has that been better for you guys? Does it feel more comfortable that you have a normal game week finally preparing for Washington versus having to sit and over analyze the Alabama team for so long?

ROD MOORE: Having that long to analyze Alabama really was a benefit. It was a lot of things that I could see on the field that we saw the entire week of preparation.

Just going back into a normal game week, I think I like it better just because it's like, it's right there. You know, you're not really being anxious and waiting up until the game all those days. Honestly, if you want to be honest, got kind of tired just practicing every day for three weeks.

I'm just happy that we get to go out right on Monday, especially it being the National Championship and it being the regular week, we don't have school either so you still get a lot more preparing time and I think it's going to be a real good benefit to do that.

Q. All that pressure on the coaches and team and players, the spotlight on you, for a month straight constantly in the media, have you been able to prioritize your mental strength as well as physical strength?

ROD MOORE: You said how have we?

Q. Yeah.

ROD MOORE: I think it's just -- it's not really a lot to really process your mental health with doing this. It's what we do every year round. So we're just happy to be here. I think that's what it was, especially getting considering what happened last year and coming back to the National Championship and the week before. It was just opportunity to be able to go play an SEC team. You saw everybody talking about how we couldn't hang with the SEC.

So I think just mentally it was the best because we could, you know, tell ourselves like we going to prove everyone wrong, the way we've been doing all year.

Q. How much do you know about the '97 Michigan National Championship team or how much have you learned about them throughout your season?

ROD MOORE: We've learned a lot. They brought it up a lot because that's the last time we won a National Championship. I know that team was a great team, and I know some members of the team said if we win this game, we will be the best Michigan team that's ever came through Michigan.

A lot of people compare us to that team but I just -- I just hope that we can go out and do that and mimic that '97 team.

Q. Obviously every program the last year has been trying to figure out how they are going to utilize NIL, and curious how you feel about how Michigan has done it. Seems like Michigan is not like going after the 17-year-old kid who has not proven anything and throwing a bunch of money at them. Curious how you think that's helped Michigan's locker room and culture still thrive in this new era?

ROD MOORE: Honestly I like it because you look around the country, there's a lot of guys getting, you know, from 100,000 up to a million and it's dependent on who you are coming out of high school. Sometimes that can tear a team apart if you see someone else getting a lot of money and you're like, oh, I'm doing as much as he's doing; I should be able to get the money.

I think it benefits Michigan because it keeps a team as a whole and really our main goal is to win. It's not really to come and bet paid. If you win, you do what you're supposed to do, you're going to get paid. I think that's just what makes it best that Michigan does because I know a lot of transfers come to the school asking about the money and stuff.

Me personally, I've never been about that, like trying to get paid. If you do what you're supposed to do, you're going to get paid. I'm not really bought into that NIL thing.

Q. One of your teammates described Jesse as a "wizard" as a play-caller. How would you describe him as a play-caller?

ROD MOORE: I would say a wizard and bossy. When it's down to it. I mean, you saw when he caught the last play of the game against Alabama, he sent the all-out blitz. I love Coach Minter he calls the right plays at the right time. It's just a matter if you execute it and if you execute it, it will be a great call.

I just like how he demands great out of everyone, out of the staff, out of everyone that's even on the field. It doesn't matter who you are.

Q. You were a freshman in 2021, and you guys played Washington at the Big House. Do you get the sense this has come full circle? That was when you guys started getting good again was 2021. You guys won. You went to the Playoff and you won the Big Ten. Do you get a sense this is coming full circle playing Washington again now?

ROD MOORE: A little bit. I remember that game very vaguely because I played a little bit but it was like -- it was probably the second game of my freshman year, so I wasn't playing as much. But I know some of the guys on that team and this team are still on the team. Just to play them again is going to feel real great, especially them being in the Big Ten next year. We play them again next year, I believe it's Week 2 or somewhere around there.

I think it's going to be great. It will really fire up the game for next year.

Q. What do these receivers, what type of challenges do they present and how much of a different look will it be compared to anyone you face this year?

ROD MOORE: As a core, they are bigger than what we've seen, like taller, I would say. They are really crafty. All of them are real crafty. Some of them have speed. I just think that the quarterback really helps them a lot with the way he places the ball and where he places the ball and they know how to track it and catch it and just get open.

I think just having a full receiver core that we have to cover, I think it's going to present a challenge for sure. But I think we are ready for it and I know the back end is just looking at this as another opportunity to be great.

Q. Your initial interpretation of Michael Penix, obviously former Indiana guy, now over at Washington. What does he bring to the game that will challenge you guys and what have you gone through this week to prepare for him?

ROD MOORE: He brings more of a -- he's a very smart quarterback. Like he can use his legs but I think more of it starts with his arms and his brains because he knows where to go with the ball, like I said earlier, and if you show him something, he's going to expose you.

I think just him being very, very smart and very good at the position that he plays. I was really surprised that he wasn't up there with the Heisman or, you know, just the top quarterbacks in the country. I just think that him being, like I said, smart and having the receivers that he has, I mean, it just all comes together.

Q. Couple big Bowls in a row, if you consider this a Bowl, I think it is, what's been the favorite kind of gift that you've gotten from all the swag that they give y'all?

ROD MOORE: I would probably say one of the Jordan sweatsuits that we got. It was kinds of like a windbreaker material. It's tan-colored. That one and the shoes, what were those, 3s? The 3s that we got.

Q. Just got a simple question: What's your pregame song that really gets you in that mode?

ROD MOORE: There's a couple. I would probably say 'In and Out' by Love Phonk.

Q. What's your favorite interception you got in the game?

ROD MOORE: Ohio State. Or my first one against Colorado.

Q. Rehab this week more than anything else?

ROD MOORE: I mean, he we practiced.

Q. How does it feel getting the game-winning catch while also being an Ohio native?

ROD MOORE: Feels great. Especially being able to that against Ohio State, like you said, I'm from Ohio. When I was getting recruited by Michigan and I came here, everybody told me we would never beat Ohio State. To be able to caught a game against them, it's an unreal feeling.

Q. Did you grow up an Ohio State fan?

ROD MOORE: All the way till probably eighth, ninth grade. But then I was a Georgia fan and we ended up losing to them.

Q. What has Ernest brought to the defense this year? You had two linebackers coming back who played a lot of snaps but I know he's served a big role in the rotation.

ROD MOORE: Who?

Q. Ernest.

ROD MOORE: Ernest.

Q. I'm learning, if you guys call him Ernest, he's like, what?

ROD MOORE: We call him Ern.

Q. What's he brought?

ROD MOORE: I would say he brought a lot of depth. Last year we didn't have any of that in the linebacker room and when one went down, you could tell.

I mean, Bro, he's been great, especially when he first came in from the summer, he's just been a hard worker and did everything he wanted to do to play. He spent countless hours in the film room and you could see it come out on the field. Ernest is going to be a great play, and I sometimes forget that he's a sophomore. He has, what, two more years of eligibility. So he's going to be a great player here for sure.

Q. Sounds like he's a heck of a character off the field. What's he like there?

ROD MOORE: Ernest is funny. It's really hard to describe. You've just got to be around him. If you are around him for an hour, you're probably going to get a whole bunch of laughs around him. Ernest is a great guy. He's super funny.

Q. What are the key to beat Washington?

ROD MOORE: Stopping the receivers and the quarterback, and getting pressure on the quarterback.