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From one rivalry to the next, Michigan football is trying to make sure its trophy closet is up to date early on in the 2020 Big Ten season. After putting the Little Brown Jug back in its spot in Ann Arbor, out goes the Paul Bunyan Trophy as the Wolverines prepare to take on the Michigan State Spartans.
On Tuesday, we heard from Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker and how he took the Ohio State route to this rivalry. There was a lot more that was said by Tucker besides the obvious that was not said, but Tucker wasn’t alone when talking to the media a few days ago.
Quarterback Rocky Lombardi and linebacker Antjuan Simmons spoke to the media and had plenty to say as they prepared for the Wolverines in just a few days.
“This is a huge game for us,” Lombardi said. “Everybody knows that it’s a huge game for our program, but ultimately we try to prepare as well as we can for every game. It’s not like we don’t prepare to the best of our abilities every week, week in and week out. But I’m definitely not downplaying the importance of this game for us and our program. This is a big deal for us. We’re gonna go out and give it our best shot.”
While this isn’t your average game for both schools, Lombardi and Simmons wanted to ensure that the rest of the young players knew how important this game is between the two programs. In a big-time game like this, everyone needs to be on the same page if either team wants to win.
“Antjuan (Simmons) and I talked to the freshmen yesterday about how important this rivalry is to us, to the state, to the program, you know this is gonna be something that everybody is gonna be talking about for the next 365 days or however long it is until we play next,” Lombardi said. “It’s definitely a big deal for us to make sure everybody understands that this is not just another game. This is a big game for us, this is a big game for coach Tuck, this is a big game for our program.”
“What we did was just tell them what this game means to the program, what this game means to us as individuals, things we’ve been through, the things that comes with this rivalry, the things that comes afterward, just everything,” Simmons said. “Just trying to catch them up, trying to make sure they understand what they’re getting into. This is a trophy game; this game holds more weight. It means a lot to this program; it means a lot to (Michigan), so both programs are gonna bring it.”
Simmons has a little bit of a different take coming into this game as he went to Pioneer High School, which is in Ann Arbor and a minute or so walk to the Big House.
“I’m playing right across the street from my high school,” Simmons said. “I know a lot of people back in Ann Arbor. It definitely makes me want to go a little harder, put a little bit extra into it this week.”
Outside of the Ohio State-like talk, Tucker had plenty of other things to say when talking about the maize and blue. While Tucker never participated as a player in the rivalry between the two schools, he participated in it at a different level and knows how important this game is for both schools.
“Playing at Wisconsin, you’re aware of the rivalries in the Big Ten, and always Michigan/Michigan State has been a huge one,” Tucker said. “Being here as a graduate assistant in ‘97 and ’98, I was really able to experience that first hand and just feel the passion and the energy. There’s not a day that goes by where you don’t hear about this game from someone in one way, shape or form. So, it’s certainly not just a game. That’s what makes college football special are these types of rivalries, and that’s what makes it special to be here at State.”
Tucker wants his players and staff to know that this week isn’t an ordinary week. He wants them to be educated on the history of the rivalry between the two schools and the newcomers to understand that this game is bigger than the rest.
“We’re doing some things in-house here to emphasize what this game means, in terms of educating our player, reminding our players what’s at stake — the Paul Bunyan Trophy,” Tucker said. “We have some coaches on our staff that have played in this game, and just talking about the history of the game. We’ve showed guys videos, just framing it up for them, just putting it in perspective of not only what this game means now, but what it has always meant for us here at Michigan State. We’re treating it special, and we’re putting an emphasis on it…every day we’re doing a little something different to really emphasize the importance of the game.”
Tucker touched on Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh as well when discussing the Wolverines. The two haven’t seen each other often and have yet to coach against each other when it comes to college football, but they have gone against one another in the NFL.
“I’ve met Jim,” Tucker said. “I’ve actually coached against him at least once — I believe when I was in Chicago (as defensive coordinator for the Bears) and he was in San Fran(cisco) as a head coach, we were able to match up,” Tucker said. “I actually know his brother (John Harbaugh) better than I know him. But I know that he is a fantastic coach and he’s a football guy, comes from a football family. Obviously, I have a respect for all of the coaches in our conference and all of the coaches that I get a chance to compete against.”
Michigan takes on Michigan State at noon EDT on FOX as the Wolverines host their first home game of the season in the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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