Charles Woodson's emphasis on OSU game statement revisited
"You know what, to be quite honest, I really feel like in recent years there hasn't been the emphasis I'm used to being put on that game," Woodson said Saturday at The ChadTough Foundation's gala in Ann Arbor. "Every game has been put on the same level as that game. That's not the way we were brought up. Not the way we were raised around here.
"We had no shame in saying (we were going to beat Ohio State). And every time I watch our teams in recent years, it's 'oh, it's another game.' It's not."
"They got it. But now it's time to go finish," he said. "The time is now. We ain't waiting anymore. ... That's it. That's the game. With us, we talked about it all the time. We could go 0-10 but if we won that game, it was a good season. We wanted to win every game, but we all knew that was the big fish.
"And we didn't mind saying it (to the media). When's the last time you guys have heard that? So you get the picture."
Anyone else wondering if anything has changed?
I don't see the same amount of obsession and focus on that game on our end that I see from them all year. They do all those dumb things that we mock them for like crossing out letters and not saying "Michigan". But it keeps the game on their minds so it works.
What do we do? What do we do for the rivalry?
What game week traditions does Michigan Football have for this game and this game only?
If anything--and it kills me to say this because I hate it--it seems like the guys take the MSU rivalry more seriously. Devin Bush said he hates MSU more than OSU and others have echoed similar things. The trash talk between the programs is goes on all year it seems between players and coaches.
This was the year to do it. There are no excuses we can use for that. Something has to change because whatever has been going on for years in regards to our intensity and focus on this game isn't cutting it.
December 12th, 2018 at 12:19 AM ^
This is awesome. I remember one year someone designed the pattern to spell out FUCK OSU at night using the windows of Markley dorm (on the hospital side) the week of the game. We all got notices of who was to shut their lights out and who leave them on. It was a very cool sight. Go blue. Also, fuck OSU.
December 11th, 2018 at 7:56 PM ^
It continues to amaze me how OSU (the team and the fan base) is able to stay "on message" and be so obsessed with beating Michigan considering how one-sided it's been for almost two decades. The players on OSU know nothing but OSU dominance so it must be a little weird for them to see the coaches and fan base so obsessed when they first join the program (especially the out of state players). If nothing else, I respect how much they collectively hate Michigan. We come nowhere close to their level of hatred and focus (as a fan base for sure, and it seems to be the case with the players as well). Credit Tressel for recognizing Cooper's lack of hatred for Michigan as a contributor to his issues. Tressel fixed that and Meyer took it even further. Day said the right things at his presser but I'm hoping he doesn't really live those words as consistently as Tressel and Meyer given his relative newcomer status.
December 11th, 2018 at 10:43 PM ^
You have something here, Shaken, I do believe that as far as the fanbases go anyway, they do hate us more. I have several interesting travel stories about treatment from Buckeye waiters when they see Maize and Blue on a customer, the Bucknuts do not get reciprocal experience. Heck Brady Hoke invited the cancer victim who named his cancer "Michigan" so he could echo his parents' hatred, to a game here.
December 11th, 2018 at 8:13 PM ^
+ 1 million, every week we should spend some time on OSU, practice and game planning. However, Up until this year we weren’t sure it would be “THE GAME”....we just weren’t good enough. Moving forward should be a paradigm shift back to the old days....
December 11th, 2018 at 8:17 PM ^
I haaate the "just another game" thing. It's not. We all know it's not. Circle the date and know its the most important game.
December 11th, 2018 at 8:34 PM ^
Why didn't we have a hurry up offense installed after the ND game?
Why wasn't there one installed in fall camp?
C'mon JH ...you got 40 plus years experience in this game.
December 11th, 2018 at 8:40 PM ^
Lets try another series with three more up the gut and a desperate pass, should work this time.
December 11th, 2018 at 8:46 PM ^
Not sure when people will realize that while our coaching is "good", it's certainly not elite, and not even second-best in our own division. Meyer recruited at a CFP level and had great offensive and defensive coaches. D'antonio always does more with less. We have Harbaugh, who is good and will lead us to 9- and 10-win seasons, but we have average-at-best offensive coaches running a neolithic game plan that gets even more conservative in big games. We have a DC who pummels lesser talent but has no schematic answer for the better teams.
Add to that OSU's talent edge and their laser focus on The Game, and we're not beating them anytime soon -- unless their coaching turnover doesn't go well for them.
For the record, I think winning 10 games is pretty nice, because 5-7 was awful. But this staff isn't beating OSU unless their staff's ability decreases.
December 11th, 2018 at 8:50 PM ^
I don't think there is a lack of emphasis on this game. Maybe OSU emphasizes it more, but not to the point where that's what's going to carry them to victory every year. Michigan knew what was at stake, they knew what beating them would mean, how close they'd gotten the previous two years, and Harbaugh played in it. There are few people who understand the need to beat OSU more than Harbaugh does. I imagine there is a lot more that he says behind closed doors.
Just my opinion, but we don't lose because we don't value the game as much. Look at the three close games we had under Hoke. For all of the guy's flaws, his teams always played up to OSU and had legitimate chances to win. No one can ever accuse Hoke of not emphasizing the OSU game. Then look at the 2017 game. Had a vastly inferior team, at least on offense, but an excellent gameplan and would've won if we had even average QB play.
We've lost because OSU has just had better teams almost every single year for the last 20 years. And even when the teams were fairly evenly matched like 2006 and 2016, OSU had a distinct advantage in the most important position on the field: QB. The team with the better QB almost always wins the game. Minus 2011, we haven't had superior QB play in at least 15 years.
December 12th, 2018 at 12:28 AM ^
Does it seem like OSU has one an outsize portion of the "coin flip" games, though? Even against other teams? Like how they beat Maryland, PSU, Minnesota and Nebraska this year? One bad break in any of those games and they could have lost it. But they never seem to get the bad break. It seems like 99 percent off the time they get what they want in the close games, too. Hate 'em.
December 11th, 2018 at 9:16 PM ^
Harbaugh is a poor strategist and tactician and Meyer is great at those things or at least finding guys who are great at those things.
That's the difference. Its like looking at an ancient battle and saying the Romans wanted it more than the Gauls. No, the Romans were smarter than the Gauls.
Beilein didn't beat Izzo twice last year because he had better talent.
December 11th, 2018 at 9:30 PM ^
This ain't just X's and O's. How many times were we torched by a 5-star future NFL Pro-Bowler against a mis-matched 3-star cover guy ? Like every TD. Sorry, but we need better players AND better coaching schemes. The rebuild will take time. Patience is a virtue ...
December 11th, 2018 at 10:09 PM ^
Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan State all have inferior talent to us.
There was no talent gap this year. Stop it.
December 11th, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
Interesting post. Neb, PSU and MSU had inferior seasons this year. You stop it.
December 13th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
Purdue has a whole bunch of 3-stars as did Iowa last year when they won. I'll grant the home/road difference in how OSU plays, but it sure seemed those teams wanted it more than UM has recently.
December 11th, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
We gained one total yard on our first series of the second half - with a chance to take the lead & gain momentum. Pure chicken shit play calls. Have to be aggressive like Purdue this year & Iowa last year.
December 12th, 2018 at 4:27 AM ^
Plain and simple OSU showed up and Michigan didn’t.
With respect to the students a vast majority could care less about the game and that is all schools. I think the game is more of a social event that is forgotten once the game is over.
I had my eye exam last week and found the optometrist was an OSU grad. I asked her about the game and she told me she didn’t watch it and really doesn’t care about football. She further commented that most of her friends don’t either.
The game means more to the people on this and other boards, but the population at large isn’t that interested.
In ten years I wonder what the landscape of football will look like. With the advent of CTE and its effects you have to wonder if parents will allow their kids to participate.
December 12th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
How is a rivalry when you never win?
December 12th, 2018 at 1:22 PM ^
Ever since Tressel made the speech Michigan has never recovered. Woodson is correct.
December 12th, 2018 at 10:27 PM ^
Yep. We are Ohio states prison girlfriend until we prove differently......
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