Michigan Football: Khaleke Hudson Understands Ohio State Rivalry Better Now
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Michigan sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson wasn’t very familiar with the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.
It’s safe to say that has changed.
Entering Saturday’s game, he’s set to play in the game for the first time as a starter, hoping to close out the regular season with an exclamation point.
He said that he didn’t really understand the magnitude of the rivalry until he got to campus and heard everyone talk about it. He said he really felt it once the team was in Ohio last year for the game.
“You really don’t know how it is until you play in the game,” Hudson said. “It’s very intense, everyone’s moving fast, lots of trash talking.”
He said that the fans and their emotions were what signaled to him the importance of “The Game”.
“Before the game even started, the fans were talking trash, saying stuff about you and the coach,” Hudson said. “You just get that feeling as you’re driving to the stadium. Saying stuff to us on the bus, throwing stuff.”
He said the trash talking is on a whole new level during the Ohio State game. He’s not much a trash talker, but sometimes he’ll let it out — but he said he does try to keep it down.
Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich, on the other hand, does not keep it quiet.
“Chase likes to talk a lot,” Hudson said. “He’s a great player though, he backs it up well.”
Lately, Hudson has been on quite a tear. He’s had arguably his three best games as a Wolverine in the last three weeks.
He’s got 31 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble against Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin.
He is Michigan’s second leading tackler on the season, with 67, has a team high 16 tackles for loss and is tied with Winovich for the team lead in sacks with seven.
“I feel more comfortable out there each game,” Hudson said. “I feel like I’m reacting faster to things. Just being able to see things multiple times by different teams, I’ve been able to react faster and feel more comfortable.”
He could’ve added both a pick-six (against Penn State) and safety (against Wisconsin) to that impressive stat line, but both fell just short.
He said as a player, you just have to have a short memory when it comes to both plays like that and bad plays.
“At the moment it does [stick in his head], but the next play I just forget about it,” Hudson said. “It happened, it can’t change the outcome, I just move on to the next play.”
Michigan’s defense, which enters the Ohio State game ranked No. 3 in the country, is hoping it doesn’t have any plays to forget against the Buckeyes.
“They’re just a great team all around,” Hudson said. “They have a great quarterback, great receivers and running backs. We just have to execute and try to force turnovers and have the quarterback feeling uncomfortable back there. You can’t let him get into a groove or he’ll eat you apart.”
Fifth-year senior linebacker and captain Mike McCray has been impressing upon the rest of the young defense the importance of this game. Hudson said the team wants to send the seniors out the right way.
“You see anything about Ohio State and you get that taste in your mouth, like you don’t really like that,” Hudson said. “Being on the same field as them, there’s just something about it that makes you want to let all your anger out and go hard.”
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