THE GAME is officially upon us.
When Michigan faces off against Ohio State this Saturday, the stakes will be higher than ever, with both teams vying for not only a place in the Big Ten championship game, but a spot in the College Football Playoff as well.
Of course, the Wolverines will be navigating the crucial matchup without their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who is still serving his suspension.
Despite the absence of Harbaugh on the sideline, Michigan’s players and coaching staff remain undeterred and confident heading into the much-anticipated showdown.
“A lot of us would run through a wall for [Harbaugh], so it’s definitely been tough, and going into the game without him, this is kind of just like adding fuel to the fire,” Michigan running back Blake Corum said.
“We’re going to play a little harder for him and make sure at the end of the game, we give a game ball to him. And you give a game ball to someone, you say you’re going to give a game ball to someone, you must win; so we’ll make sure we do that for Coach,” he confidently added.
Blake Corum on not having Coach Harbaugh on the sideline 〽️ #GoBlue #BeatOhio pic.twitter.com/KdQch2H4aT
— Michigan Football on UMGoBlue (@UMGoBlog) November 20, 2023
Harbaugh is currently serving the third game of his three-game suspension imposed by the Big Ten Conference.
The suspension is in response to allegations that former staffer Connor Stalions orchestrated an in-person scouting scheme to steal play signals and calls.
Jim Harbaugh sure took a long pause when asked about his respect level for Ohio State's Ryan Day. Because here's what he really thinks…#GoBlue #TheGame pic.twitter.com/bfhh7pdzkd
— M Go Humor (@MGoHumor) November 21, 2023
This is not the first time Harbaugh has been absent this season; he also missed the first three games due to a Michigan self-imposed suspension related to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
Rather than viewing Harbaugh’s suspension as a setback, the Wolverines are using it as motivation, embracing a “Michigan vs. Everybody” mentality.
Corum proudly sported these words on a sweatshirt during his press conference, emphasizing the team’s unity amidst off-field challenges.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy echoed the sentiment, stating that the adversity has brought the team closer together.
Despite the significance of the rivalry and the pressure associated with The Game, McCarthy believes the Wolverines are battle-tested and well-prepared to handle the unique circumstances.
“Just the whole process and throughout the day of just not having him there, it was different at first. And just now with that experience and knowing how it works and how the coaches react to certain things and how they go about coaching the game, it’s going to be tremendous for us this Saturday because it’s one of the bigger games,” he said.
Harbaugh, comparing the external noise to a high-pitched siren, emphasized his pride in the team’s resilience, drawing inspiration from the popular show “Ted Lasso.”
“It’s like that Ted Lasso show: Believe. What comes out of that is believe,” Harbaugh said. “I’m just so proud, so proud of our team. Despite that noise, our locker rooms in one piece.”
“Like Ted, for me, locker rooms (are) a lot like my mom’s bathing suits: I like to see them in one piece. We’ve got that and it’s amazing.
“There’s so many lessons to be learned, many life lessons that our young guys are learning at this age. It’s how the world works,” he added.
Jim Harbaugh on the state of the team 〽️👙😂 #GoBlue #Believe #BeatOhio pic.twitter.com/Xh2mey5feL
— Michigan Football on UMGoBlue (@UMGoBlog) November 20, 2023
Michigan’s offensive coordinator, Sherrone Moore, who will act as the head coach for the fourth time this season, acknowledged the significance of The Game but maintained that it wouldn’t alter the team’s approach.
“We all know what it means, it’s ‘The Game.’ It’s the one you practice and play for, you work for all year. So we all know the stakes, and that’ll give us a chance to go repeat on the Big Ten title,” he said.
“The words, the prep, that’ll come out a little bit more later on down the week. We try to keep it on a low boil this week because it can get pretty high really fast. The kids are as prepared mentally and physically as they’ll ever be to get ready for this week.”
I think I speak for us all when I say I can’t wait for Saturday.
Who will win – Michigan or Ohio State???
Should the loser of the game also make the Playoff???