ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There’s a certain gravity to Saturday’s Michigan game against Texas that has everyone buzzing. There hasn’t been a nonconference, non-bowl game as big as this for the Wolverines in 30 years. And even though the maize and blue weren’t terribly sharp in Week 1 in the 30-10 win over Fresno State, the team is ready for the challenge.
Most of the team has experienced big games as the Wolverines just won the national championship after having beaten Ohio State, Alabama, and Washington late in the year, but for transfer left guard Josh Priebe — who came aboard from Northwestern — this is the biggest game he’s played in to date. Before this, it was the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game.
But Priebe says that the team is ready and no matter what struggles the offense may have had in Week 1, they’ll correct the mistakes and will put forth their best against the Longhorns.
“Anytime you can play an opponent like this, everyone’s gonna be excited about it,” Priebe said. “And I think, regardless of things we need to clean up, whatever it may be, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. We’re gonna try and fix those things regardless. And we’re gonna have the same urgency surrounding what we need to fix and what we need to improve. And I think having an opponent like Texas is obviously an exciting challenge and something that we’re going to fully embrace.”
Texas isn’t just the favorite in the sportsbooks, but it’s unlikely that any analysts will choose the Wolverines to win on Saturday. Given how well Michigan plays with a chip on its shoulder, senior defensive tackle Rayshuan Benny says that let everyone talk — the maize and blue will do their talking with their play on the field.
“We see the media — everything,” Benny said. “Everybody has their own perspective on us and the team, but we got our own perspective, and we believe in ourselves. That’s all that matters.”
For Priebe, he says that the most important thing is that Michigan focuses on the task at hand, doesn’t make the game too big, and that the team plays its brand of football on Saturday. If they do that, everything will take care of itself.
“Certainly everyone in the building, understands the weight of this game and how serious everyone’s taking it,” Priebe said. “And I think nobody takes that lightly. But I think at the same time trying to eliminate all the outside distractions, all the kind of buzz or extra pressure of the game, I think just investing that time and energy into prepping and preparing for Texas, and it’s just kind of everyone’s focus right now.”
Michigan and Texas will kick off at noon EDT on Saturday with the game broadcast nationally on Fox.