ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Donaven McCulley reflected on the team's flight home from Oklahoma and shared thoughts on the upcoming game against Central Michigan in Ann Arbor.
"The flight home was quiet, like it wasn't really a lot to talk about," McCulley said. "What we're expecting this week is just to get better, every single week, learning from what happened last game and working on Central Michigan."
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When asked what the team learned from the 24-13 defeat to the Oklahoma Sooners, McCulley said, "I think there's a lot that we could have learned. When plays come to us, we just got to make them. Bryce (Underwood) learned that he can do it. That was a good away game for him to test and get his feet wet."
McCulley spoke about interim head coach Biff Poggi, calling him "another one of the OGs." He added, "Everything he says we take into account and really listen to it and try to apply it every single day."
Regarding the timing of the coaching change, McCulley said, "We figured this out. Coach Poggi's great, so we'll be fine with him."
On his connection with quarterback Underwood, McCulley, who was targeted nine times, noted, "The key is just keep building on our connection, staying after practice, getting extra throws, watching extra film together."
When asked about protecting Underwood from too many hits as a running quarterback, McCulley said, "Just make the smart play. If you're going to run, run. If you're going to throw, throw. You got to make a decision and slide."
Discussing a particular throw where McCulley was blocking a defender, he admitted, "It was a miscommunication on our part."
On wide receiver blocking, McCulley said, "Just keep working at it every day in practice. But we need to make plays when the ball's in the air. I'm worried about blocking, but making plays, and we will to."
When asked about a sideline argument between Justice Haynes and Underwood, McCulley said, "I wasn't really there for that interaction, but just competitors on the sideline. They talked it out and worked everything out. It's not a big problem."
On the team addressing "the how" this week, McCulley said, "Not surprising. We'll address that and move on. Addressing things as players is important, putting everything into perspective. We're going to go as far as this team wants us to go."
Regarding the absence of tight end Marlin Klein, McCulley said, "We definitely missed him last game. He's another playmaker on that side of the ball. It affects the team, but that's how it goes."
Finally, on the offense's struggles against Oklahoma, McCulley said, "I think a lot of it was us. Just making plays when the ball's in the air. We got to do our jobs and execute."