Former Players: How Was Ohio State Week Different?

Submitted by Eastern Wolverine on

For Mgobloggers who played football at Michigan, how was Ohio State week different from others? Did you feel extra pressure to perform? Did you sense coaches feeling under the gun to win The Game? Were you honestly glad the season was almost done and you could soon return to a more normal student life? Did your team's practice intensity rise higher than other weeks? Was The Game buildup more of a media phenomenon and less so for players? Please share what you can with those of us who will never experience preparing as a player for college football's greatest rivalry game.

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Trump

November 23rd, 2015 at 10:44 PM ^

Ah man. What I would do to go back.... If coach would have put me in we would have won states. I guarantee it.

Joined: 07/09/2012

MGoPoints: -9889109

snarling wolverine

November 23rd, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^

I can't reveal my identity, but when I returned that punt down the sideline, I knew that all the extra work I'd put in that week and the rest of the season had paid off, that we'd be headed to Pasadena, and I'd win an award or two.

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98733

snarling wolverine

November 23rd, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^

I can't reveal my identity, but when I returned that punt down the sideline, I knew that all the extra work I'd put in that week and the rest of the season had paid off, that we'd be headed to Pasadena, and I'd win an award or two.

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98733

Gitback

November 24th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^

I really didn't think it was too different.  For Notre Dame, MSU, and OSU you heard a lot of "C'mon!  Let's Go!!  This is Notre Dame/MSU/Ohio State week!" from the coaches.  20 times a practice.

There were green jerseys for the demonstration players during MSU week, and green beanies for their helmets, but we didn't have anything like that for OSU.  Demo guys would put tape on the backs of their green jerseys that might try to make fun of the MSU guys: I remember Jeff Zaske writing "The Thrill" on the back of his jersey to take a poke at Mill "The Thrill" Coleman.

The focus and intensity went up somewhat noticeably for OSU, but that was true of any big name opponent.  It was the same getting ready for Colorado, or the first year we played Penn State.  

The anxiety levels were higher for staff, but, again, that was true for any game that had the potential for a loss.  Back in the early 90's it really felt like there were a handful of games every year that were flat out "NO WAY we'd lose type" games (Northwestern, Indiana, Minnesota, Houston, Washington State, any MAC-rifice) so, compared to those games, ND, Colorado, Virginia, OSU, PSU... all had more of an edge to them.  OSU built up a touch more than those, perhaps, but it wasn't so noticeable to me that I was like "WOW!  This is an intense week!"  

It was coming out of the tunnel that it felt different.  Seeing their fans, hearing the sceams, knowing it was the last regular season game, that's when OSU really felt different.  But for the week leading up to the game, on a scale of 1-10 we were already at a "9" for the likes of Penn State or Notre Dame, so the "10" for OSU wasn't that much of a difference.  

I will say there were a lot more "disparaging" comments about MSU and OSU from the coaches in team meetings than any other opponents.  They were referred to as "these assholes" a lot. 

Joined: 04/12/2011

MGoPoints: 2126