ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Though you won’t hear many pleasantries between Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State’s Ryan Day this week, at least the football players in Ann Arbor are insisting their respect for the rival Buckeyes.
The archrivals both enter The Game undefeated for the second straight year for the first time in history, and many are arguing this may be the most important version of the rivalry of all time. With the allegations causing scandal for the Wolverines mixed with Ryan Day being 1-2 against his nemesis, and this being the last contest before the Big Ten and College Football Playoff expands, the winner has an opportunity to throw a wrench into the other’s season — and perhaps program.
For senior left guard Trevor Keegan, this game is particularly special since the Illinois-native has family on both sides of the rivalry.
“Oh, this game always feels different,” Keegan said. “I grew up in this rivalry. And it’s always got a special place in my heart because my mom’s from Livonia, 20 miles away, a lot of my family’s from Ohio. So, for me personally, yeah — this is always the biggest game of the year for me. And I know all the guys on the team feel that way as well.
“This is a game that we work for every day. You see it all around the building. What are you doing today to beat Ohio State? And now that it’s here it’s come to fruition and our hard work’s gonna pay off and it’s gonna show.”
Michael Barrett has a particular appreciation for the rivalry having been around the program since 2018. With two wins and two losses, this version of The Game is his opportunity to have ultimate bragging rights, with a better record than not.
Though he notes he’s not making friends out on the field, he says there’s a mutual respect between players.
“I have a lot of respect for them their program, their coaches, their players, they have a lot of great great coaches, great players,” Barrett said. “They’re always gonna play tough, they always have a great receiving corps, great skill players, great O-line. Nothing but respect to them. Whenever that rivalry comes, it’s a rivalry. So whenever we’re on that field together, no friends in that moment, but nothing but respect.”
For senior right guard Zak Zinter, that respect manifests itself outside of postgame handshakes and banter in between plays. Instead, the way he says players show mutual respect is to prepare for each other all year round.
“They’re a good team. So you gotta respect that, you got to respect them,” Zinter said. “And you can’t just go in there and expect to win, you got to prepare your (expletive deleted) off all week and just focus on the details.
“So there’s a lot of respect there for them at that but I mean, the same time it is rivalry game — there’s a form of that, as well, but you definitely still gotta respect them.”
Senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins concurs with Zinter, noting that the preparation is the best manifestation of respect. But it’s also about effort, going as hard as you can as long as you can that shows how much you respect the other side.
“Obviously, it’s a fierce rivalry,” Jenkins said. “It’s been a fierce rivalry for years, like one of the best — take that back; the best rivalry in the country. So, obviously, there’s going to be that level of respect for each program, that you’re going to prepare for them and give them that respect to take that field with the best you got — being 100%, giving it 100%.”
The Game kicks off at noon EST on Saturday at The Big House.