The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 65 M ore than a week later, it was still stunning that Michigan football con- quered Ohio State for the fourth straight time in The Game. Very few people — other than those in Schembechler Hall and alumni Des- mond Howard and Charles Wood- son on television — believed that the Wolverines would be competi- tive, let alone have any shot to be victorious. SP+ gave the Maize and Blue only a 6 percent chance to win. At kickoff, they were 20.5-point underdogs, and no team in the his- tory of the rivalry had defeated the other when expected to lose by three touchdowns or more. Yet, when the clock hit triple zeros, it was Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolver- ines that were running around Ohio Stadium celebrating their monu- mental 13-10 win and planting the Block M flag at midfield, while OSU head coach Ryan Day stood in total disbelief. In hindsight though, it is not com- pletely shocking that Michigan earned the largest upset win in series history, given how it transpired. The Wolverines currently have a mental edge — a confi- dence — that gives them a tremendous advantage and has been a constant trait of the rivalry. A critical reason why The Game is the greatest rivalry in all of sports is that, each year, Michigan and Ohio State have championship aspirations. By the time the end of the regular season rolls around, at least one of the two pro- grams, if not both of them, is vying for a Big Ten and national title. The Game often makes or breaks the season for them. It ends with unbelievable, eu- phoric glory for the victors, while the losers see everything they built crumble around them. As a result, there is an immense pres- sure placed on the coaching staffs and players to win The Game each year. The defeated have to spend 364 days stewing over the loss and preparing a new approach, developing a new game plan and doing everything to prevent it from happening again because of the fallout. Prior to The Game this season, Day spoke about how losing to the team that he will not refer to by name is "one of the worst things that's happened to [him] in [his] life" and placed the Buck- eyes' current losing streak up there with when he lost his father to suicide. It is very saddening to hear Day feel that way about a game, but it speaks to the toll of The Game. That pressure builds up after just one loss and compounds each and every year. And then it creates scars. Not physi- cal scars, but mental ones. As a mistake happens or a bounce goes the wrong way, the team on the losing streak be- gins to flash back to mishaps from prior years. A nervous energy sets in like, "Oh, no, it's happening again." Those vibes jumped out from the bleachers at The Horseshoe and through television screens on Nov. 30 when the Wolver- ines took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter and locked OSU in a phone booth, and it only intensified from there. The Buckeyes played more tentatively, and Day and his staff coached more conservatively. It seemed that they were playing to not lose rather than going out and taking it. On the other hand, when a pro- gram wins The Game, it is confident they are superior, knowing what it takes to get a win. That school tends to be very sure of itself and its iden- tity on the gridiron. For example, these past four years, the Wolver- ines have reestablished themselves as being stronger and tougher in the trenches. The Maize and Blue have worn down the Buckeyes on the ground in the fourth quarter, gaining a combined 394 rushing yards and averaging 6.7 yards per carry in the final frame of these past four contests. This had led to four straight wins. This is the rhythm of sport's greatest rivalry. It does not go back and forth. It is full of long runs and streaks. Michigan has now won four in a row. Prior to that, Ohio State won 17 out of 19. Before that, the Maize and Blue were 12-3-1 against the Buckeyes. Even the Ten-Year War, the greatest period of this rivalry's history, saw Bo Schem- bechler win the last three to finish 5-4-1 against Woody Hayes. Once a school wins in this rivalry, it usually takes firm control and runs with it. The Wolverines' historic upset win against OSU only further cemented that truth. Michigan knows who it is and who it wants to be. Its coaches and players know what it takes to beat the Buckeyes. So, in addition to having the top 2025 pros- pect in quarterback Bryce Underwood signed and the next game at home in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have the mental mismatch to extend the streak to five. ❑ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Mental Mismatch In 'The Game' Head coach Sherrone Moore embodies the mental tough- ness that the Wolverines have demonstrated in winning four straight games against Ohio State. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett.