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He didn’t predict it, but Michigan didn’t allow anyone’s predictions to affect how it faced Ohio State.
On the “ESPN College Football Podcast,” Kirk Herbstreit couldn’t help marveling at the will that Michigan had to break Ohio State’s. Marveling at the atmosphere at The Big House, Herbie also couldn’t help marvel at what the Wolverines put on the field on Saturday.
“From the word go, there was just one team that seemed to want it more than the other team,” “From the very first series. Michigan just looked like — ‘Not today. Had enough.’ And Ohio State, to its credit, they kept battling. Their offense kept trying to make plays despite the wind and the snow and their passing game, just kind of hung around.“
Herbstreit was in the tunnel when the fracas took place, and there’s a part of him that feels like that helped fuel the maize and blue to really take things up a notch in the second half.
“Whatever happened, second half starts. Michigan came out, and it was just the physicality,” Herbstreit said. “That’s what this rivalry has been built on, Woody and Bo. And that’s what Michigan’s offensive line, especially in the second half. ‘Don’t. You. Ever. Do. That. Again. Don’t. You. Ever. Come. Back.’ kind of approach. And Ohio State couldn’t match them in the trenches, especially in the interior up to the linebackers.
“And Cade McNamara — I know Hassan Haskins had a monster game — but Cade McNamara, no one even knows who he is. You talk to anybody outside of Michigan or the Big Ten and say, ‘Who’s Michigan’s quarterback?’ They’d be like, ‘Is it Shea Patterson? I have no idea!’ They have no idea the job this kid has done and how efficient he is and what a great fit he is with their physicality. Jumbo sets, run the football, possess the ball. And then, all of a sudden, play action, eight-yard gain on third-and-6. They just — they’re a confident football team that’s playing with a chip on their shoulder.”
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Herbstreit was particularly impressed with what the Wolverine trenches were able to do, particularly up front on offense. He gave a lot of credit to Sherrone Moore for the job he’s done, and hearkened back to those old school O-lines that football teams used to field in the days of old.
“Michigan’s offensive line — everyone’s gonna talk about Hassan Haskins. He ran like a man possessed, it was physical running. But their offensive line: they look great,” Herbstreit said. “Like, in their uniforms. They look like — they’ve not had an offensive line like that for a long time. I’m talking like, ‘You know we’re gonna run, and we’re still gonna run.’ It’s that kind of offensive line. And they are just put together. Michigan’s offensive line coach Sherrone Moore did an amazing job. Gotta give the Michigan offensive line credit, especially in the second half and late in that game when they had to run the ball, they were able to do that.”
But now, Herbstreit wonders, how does Michigan respond now that it’s taken down Ohio State?
Iowa is no slouch, and the last thing the Wolverines can do is to let the Hawkeyes dictate the style of play in Indianapolis on Saturday.
“Now the question is — they’ve deserved it, it was a celebration postgame of insanity,” Herbstreit said. “100,000 people on the field. It was, for the sport, a huge day. Sad day for Ohio State, a huge day for Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. But can they get back? It was an epic, epic — kind of like Ohio State when they beat Clemson and had to come back down and get ready for Alabama. Michigan put everything into this and good for them and they won it. And now, a week later, of all the teams you have to play, you get Iowa. You get Iowa. Of all the teams, who has a history of kind of sitting there like, ‘Hey guys. Good win last week. That was impressive. Alright, you ready to get into the wrestling mat? You ready to wrestle for three or four hours? That’s what we’re gonna do.’ I don’t know who’s gonna win the game, but I’m very interested to see how coach Harbaugh and the Michigan team comes back down to earth and preps, works their tail off to get ready for a physical battle against that Iowa defense in Indy on Saturday. I can’t wait for that game.”
For Herbstreit, it all comes down to Michigan’s energy, something that it’s had in spades all year. If the Wolverines can take care of the football and play with similar drive as it did last week, they should emerge as Big Ten champions.
“That game is going to be turnover margin, which has been a strength of Iowa’s, turnover margin and field position will be a big, big 1986-type feel to this game between Iowa and Michigan,” Herbstreit said. “But I want to see the energy of Michigan. Because Michigan just looked Ohio State in the eye and said, ‘We are gonna come at you all day.’ Can they do that again against Iowa. It’s gonna take that kind of attitude again.”
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