The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 17 He likened it to Griese, who nearly didn't return in '97, following a previously up-and-down career and an off-field in- cident involving his own frustration. "It made me think of Brian Griese," Karsch said. "He was going to graduate and go off and be a civilian. Then he came back and led a team to a national cham- pionship. "I'm happy for these kids. I've gotten to know this team, doing sideline, pregame and postgame, getting into the locker rooms. "The way they talk about each other comes across to me as incredibly genuine. There's no faking it with this group. They really are that tight, and they really are that unselfish. "It makes it really easy to cover them, and a really easy group to root for." Somebody was rooting hard for Barrett in the final game of the 2021 season — even more than No. 23 wanted. Karsch noted: "I told the story in one of our broadcasts. Late in the Georgia game, when things were going bad, Michael Barrett wasn't playing a whole lot at that time. I heard a woman screaming from the stands, 'Play Mike Barrett! Play Mike Barrett!' And Mike was on the bench and could hear it. It was 34-8 Georgia. Barrett turned around and said, 'Cut it out!' "A couple years later, I ran into Mike Barrett's parents, and I told them the story. His father rolled his eyes, and his mom said, 'That was me.' They were so pleased that Mike had stuck it out." After the championship, Barrett — who led the team with 3 forced fumbles and ranked second with 65 tackles — let his own voice be heard, loud and clear. "With everything that's been go- ing on these last few months, these guys right here, these men, all we could do with the support of all you guys … was sit there and grind," Barrett told the Crisler crowd. "We didn't have to do all the talking. We're not in the talking business. We're in the ass-kicking business. And business is booming! Let's go!" Go they did. They kept going when the NCAA — in a rare maneuver — fast- tracked an investigation into the illicit sign-stealing charges. They kept going when Harbaugh got sidelined for the first three games of the regular season, and the all-important final three prior to the Big Ten championship and playoff games. They kept going when Big Ten Com- missioner Tony Petitti bowed to pressure from Big Ten coaches and athletics direc- tors in locking Harbaugh out of that trio of key games down the stretch. Former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr used to quote British Prime Minis- ter Winston Churchill in saying: "When you're going through hell, keep going." The Wolverines kept going, reaching college football heaven. "I had the opportunity to come back and play for the best head coach in the country and be a part of the best team in the country," noted Sainristil, who paced the Wolverines with 6 interceptions on the season. "There's nothing from these past five years that I would give back, and trade for anything. The memories that we were able to create with these guys, it means everything to me. It's something I will cherish for the rest of my entire life. You boys know how I feel about you. I love you all from the core, from the bottom of my heart." To the Crisler crowd, he added: "To the fans listening, we put you guys through some stuff now, these last five years. "But at no point in time did you turn your heads and say, 'I'm giving up on those guys.' You stuck with us. You are just as much a part of this as the guys on the field, putting the work in. You supported us, and you all stayed with us. "As far as this season goes, they doubted, they disrespected, they called us names, they said we were cheaters. None of that mattered to us. We stayed focused. We kept our heads on straight. And week to week, we just gave spankings out." They delivered those spankings right to the end — to Ohio State, to Iowa, to Ala- bama, to Washington. They paddled more opponents than any Michigan team in any Michigan season in history. They stayed. And they are the cham- pions. ❏ Kris Jenkins stayed for his senior year just to be able take in a moment like this … National Champions! PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF