April 16th, 2019 at 12:41 PM ^
I wouldn't go that far. If we went 1-11 (or even 5-7) the OSU win would be dismissed as a fluke and wouldn't help our recruiting. At this point I'd take 8-4 and beating OSU over 10-2 and losing to them, though.
April 15th, 2019 at 11:23 PM ^
Oh 100%, just talking about all the conversations around motivation. Every team is different and every player is different as far as what motivates them, but when people talk about losses to OSU being due to not wanting it enough I just get confused.
THIS IS IT CHIEF! Michigan wants to win/is trying to, I promise.
It's really just a huge mental block at this point. OSU comes in to that game every year 100% confident and convinced that they are going to win. Michigan comes in with a huge monkey on their back that they hear about all year, and are hoping that they can somehow find a way to break the cycle. No matter how the game starts, it always just has the feeling that it is just a matter of time before something breaks for OSU.
“See this logo? Yeah, these are the guys that are gonna rip your guys hearts out in late November this year. Again. NOW LET’S GO!!!”
I’m no coach, but if I had my way, I’d put on an all-OSU highlight tape of them giving us a beatdown this past November, and I’d put it on a loop all day, every day, on every TV in Schembechler Hall until next year’s OSU game.
I’d have 62-39 engraved into the locker of every single player there. Write the score on stickers and stick them on the front of every football helmet.
I’d have clocks up all throughout Schembechler Hall that tell the team not how long until kickoff against OSU, but how many days it’s been since Michigan last won.
I wouldn’t want a single player, coach, analyst, doctor, staff member, or fucking towel boy being able to look in any one direction, in any area of Schembechler Hall, without being reminded of this program’s massive shortcomings against its worst enemy.
You want all of that to go away? You want to stop being reminded of failure? Fine. Beat OSU.
I'm not really sure that would work the way you'd want it to. Being reminded of your failure can make you feel like a failure, which begets failure. It works as motivation up to a point-- the coaches have to figure out that point.
They haven't found it yet.
We want it SO bad... but making people feel like garbage going up against a talent advantage may not be a magic bullet.
I think we have a better shot beating them at home than in their stadium, even then, we don't have the same level of home field advantage.
One reason we don't have better rail transportation options in SE Michigan, so I've heard, is because Ohio decision makers don't want to approve anything that involves possible benefit to Michigan (even though it would benefit them too).
I remember when UM beat osu regularly. It was a fine time for us.
April 15th, 2019 at 10:30 PM ^
Looking back on the Cooper years are like looking back on the glory days
(Springsteen plays in the background)
April 15th, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^
If it weren't for Jon Cooper, OSU would hold the all time record by now.
We owe him a debt of gratitude.
These have been in the weight room for some time.
Michigan kids these days don't seem to have the animosity towards other schools like others have back towards Michigan. It's the darndest thing. I see more and more kids with the idea that they may transfer someday so, they don't want to 'offend' anybody at other schools. It's ridiculous. Many of these kids have 'flipped the script' that it's an honor for them to play at Michigan instead of, it's an honor to play for Michigan. And nobody is "those who stay..." - look at the amount of transfers, leave early's, and I'm not playing in the bowl guys, in the past 5 years ~ no loyalty.
Except Bush, last year at staee, we saw an ol' school Michigan man bustin' up their 'walk o' shame' line, scratchin' that 'S' off their field, and most importantly - walking out with a MF'in' win. FYS.
Eat that, D'anti-sportsmanonio!
Until we beat TDDS, put stickers on all the weights/sleds/dummies we want.
Emotion helps win games!
Fire Up! Go Blue!
April 15th, 2019 at 10:27 PM ^
The team (and Devin Bush)'s attitude towards MSU is exactly how they should feel about Ohio State. When they stepped in Spartan Stadium, they weren't letting Sparty get a win. Let's get back to 2013 when Hoke's inferior squad was giving OSU the business and dudes were getting tossed and Devin Gardner gave his all to put us 1 play away from victory.
I never thought we should go for two...
April 15th, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
Except for Devin Bush!!!
April 16th, 2019 at 12:58 AM ^
a men ... all the boys should have that same Bush mentality for every team.. don’t back down from anyone
“F E A R G O D” - DB
“I apologize for nothing” - CW
Of course matching intensity with other teams is a challenge for us. Put simply, we’re Michigan and they’re not. Our focus is to play like a ‘Michigan Team’, as you would expect ‘Michigan Men’ to do, while opponent’s focus is to ‘Beat Michigan’. This is particularly true in the case of OSU, as we owned them in the formative years of their football culture, and if you don’t think what happened in the first half of the 20th century impacts the current culture, may I point out how we feel about ‘point-a-minute’, Gerald Ford, and Tom Harmon. Intensity is easier to generate and sustain from the context of being a cultural underdog than being the tall dog.
All that aside, I am proud and thankful I got my degree from Michigan and not from a feckless and morally bankrupt institution like MSU or OSU. Fuck the both of them.
great move by the staff. Seeing this logo in the weight room in April will increase the chances of beating them in November by a lot.
April 16th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
How about we make some ? with that logo of the x-out buckeye logo on it like the revenge tour to motivate them. Oh never mind
I don’t see the point of the X.
April 15th, 2019 at 11:26 PM ^
April 16th, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
Harbaughs preparation for the game is likely horrible. Has nothing to do with talent. Hoke teams weren't nearly as talented as these Michigan teams and they gave Ohio hell most years regardless of how poorly they played during the season.
You mean to tell me Purdue and Maryland can get the edge on Ohio and Michigan cant.
Nah, outcoached, out schemed and out practiced.
Purdue and Maryland can sneak up on a complacent OSU in a way Michigan NEVER can.
Truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. Still, the fact that the 2013 team that had to go to three OTs to beat Northwestern somehow went toe to toe to OSU is crazy.
April 16th, 2019 at 10:55 AM ^
Even the 2014 team with dead man walking Hoke going against a national champion was down 7 points going into the 4th quarter.
The problem is mental.
Should put those stickers on a car in the parking lot and rest a sledge hammer nearby. Allow the kids to vent after practice or a rough day.
April 16th, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^
That used to be a thing (not with the OSU logo) but with taking sledge hammers to cars in the diag.
I'm definitely more motivated now to beat OSU this year.
That logo should be on the urinal cakes.
April 16th, 2019 at 10:47 AM ^
Great post
April 16th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
A couple of years ago after the osu loss everyone said if we only had a qb it was bad qb plays that lost the game. Insert shea and if he is eligible we're good no way another osu loss then a loss to osu. Now it's if we could only get rid of pep. Pep is gone insert Gattis. Now if there is another osu loss instead of adding signs, stickers and ? ? to motivate how about really looking at what's stayed the same and change that
April 16th, 2019 at 12:52 PM ^
If we really wanted to take this rivalry more seriously and start playing to Ohio State's level, we'd just shutter our Engineering school and stuff the ballot box to downrank our business school to 25th or something.
April 16th, 2019 at 10:40 PM ^
It should have a 62-39 on it as well ...