Though quarterback Bryce Underwood went to the old rote, ‘we’ll enjoy this win,’ following the Michigan football win over Maryland, head coach Sherrone Moore wasn’t in the mood for idioms with Ohio State on deck.
The Wolverines’ headman shocked the world last year, beating the Buckeyes in Columbus last year, despite being a three-score underdog and while having essentially no semblance of a passing attack against the No. 1 team in the country. The maize and blue are much improved this year, but even so, not many are giving Michigan a chance.
Thus, as soon as the Maryland game was over, Ohio State was immediately on Moore’s mind.
“Oh yeah, it’s turned,” Moore said. “The page is completely turned. I’ll probably watch this game on the plane or on the bus. The bus ride’s not that long, but on the plane. And by Warde’s discretion, I won’t be in the office tonight, maybe. But this is the most important game of the year. It’s around our building. Everybody knows what this is about. And we’ll put everything we’ve got into winning this game. So we’re excited to get prepared for it.”
While Michigan preaches taking things on a week-by-week, game-by-game basis, that’s not exactly the case for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes get special attention from the Michigan football coaching staff, drawing the head coach’s attention even when other teams are on the docket. Though college football media waxes ecstatic about OSU and what they do in all phases of the game, Moore thinks perhaps some are overlooking the maize and blue given the talent that the Wolverines also have.
“Yeah, I watch them every week,” Moore said. “They’re a really good football team. They’re the No. 1 team in the country. They’ve got talent everywhere — on offense, on defense, on special teams. But I think we’ve got a really good football team, too. I think we’ve got really good players. I think we’ve got talent everywhere. So we’ll prepare our tails off for this game, and we’ll go after it on Saturday.”
Michigan has signs everywhere within Schembechler Hall emphasizing The Game. Turn your head and you’ll see murals of the Wolverines winning in the rivalry, or a video board asking, ‘What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?’
Moore notes that beating Ohio State isn’t about game-week preparation. Much more goes into it, and that stretches all the way back into the offseason. It’s not just about the daily ‘beat Ohio drill’ that the team deploys in practice — everything they do is about beating the Buckeyes.
Considering the four-year winning streak, it’s working at this point.
“I mean, it’s everything you do. It’s going to class, it’s taking your business off the field. It’s the way we practice, what we do, how we prepare, the mental mindset of how we study. Obviously, there’s things within the confines of the building that I can’t completely let you know.
“But there’s everything we do — whether that’s in the weight room, putting your hands up, making sure everything is neat, everything is tidy, everything is locked in. Because you can’t prepare for the game the week of The Game. It’s got to happen in January, it’s got to happen in February, it’s got to happen in March, in the summer. If you try to shift the way you prepare that week, then it’s too late. So we’ve been doing this for a while, but now we get to focus in from a game plan standpoint — exactly what we’re going to do.”
Michigan has only been the favorite once in the past four years against OSU, in 2023, and even then, it was a closely decided contest. And yet, the Wolverines have four straight wins.
This iteration of The Game will take place at The Big House at noon EST, with the broadcast being on Fox.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Moore explains why Michigan’s focus moves instantly to Ohio State week
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
