Rivalry Report: What The MSU & OSU Players Said About U-M At Media Days
Three players from Michigan State and Ohio State each spoke about the Michigan Wolverines' football program yesterday at Big Ten Media Days, discussing what the rivalry means to them.
We've rounded up all the quotes on the Maize and Blue from MSU fifth-year senior defensive end Kenny Willekes, senior linebacker Joe Bachie and fifth-year senior defensive tackle Raequan Williams, and Ohio State senior defensive end Jonathan Cooper, fifth-year senior wideout K.J. Hill and senior safety Jordan Fuller.
Michigan State:
Bachie, on what he tells the young MSU players about the rivalry: “That we take it very seriously and that we have it circled every year. I know a lot of people say they don’t look past games, but that one means a lot and we have it circled. It’s in The Big House this year, and we got a win there last time — we’ll try and repeat that and bring Paul home.”
Bachie, on when he realized the intensity of the rivalry: “When I first got here. They told us we don’t lose that game and that we put everything we have into it. I grew up an Ohio kid and not liking them anyway."
Willekes, on what the game means to him: “That it means a lot, especially being a Michigan kid. I think it originally means more being from Michigan, but once you've played in the game and realize what’s at stake, you ride with it. That’s the game people are always talking about, and how you’re always on one side of the fence or the other. Whoever wins has bragging rights for a year, and you don’t want to go back and face people if you lose that one. It’s just a different game and a different atmosphere, because we don’t like them and they don’t like us.”
Willekes, discussing why he has extra motivation for 2019: “Losing to your rival in your own stadium definitely adds extra motivation to you wanting to dominate them. I’m 2-2 against them in my career, and definitely want to go out with a winning record.”
Williams, revealing when he understood the intensity of the rivalry: “The first day on campus. Everybody was stressing it, but you don’t really feel it until the week of the game and they start showing videos of it. That’s when you realize why you don’t like them. I would describe it as ‘hate.’ All Coach [Mark] Dantonio just told us about it is that ‘you guys will understand.’”
Ohio State:
Hill, on how they prepare for Michigan: “When you step on campus, it’s installed in you. You go through the drills to understand the meaning of the rivalry. We did one this morning before we got here and I’ve been doing them ever since I arrived on campus. When we get to the game itself, we feel like we’re ready to go and already prepared for it.”
Hill, describing the rivalry in his own words: “I love the tradition surrounding it. You watch the old videos and it pumps you up to go make plays, and just play forever. I love running out and seeing the atmosphere because it gives you chills, and you know what to expect. I definitely respect the game and I respect them.”
Fuller, on whether or not he respects Michigan: “They’re obviously a formidable opponent who is usually very good. I have a ton of respect for them. That’s why I work so hard to be able to beat them. That game is everything and you can’t lose it. We have so much respect for them, and the game at the end of November will be another dogfight.”
Fuller, on how he prepares for U-M: “We have a countdown clock until the game where we’ll have workouts and do however many pushups are left until it occurs. At the start of winter, it’s 300-some reps of whatever Coach [Day] wants. That makes you start to dislike them, wondering why we do this for one team. You don’t understand how much every play matters until you play them — it’s going to be dirty and grimey, but that’s why we work so hard to overcome it. We emphasize it because we know how much that game means to the state of Ohio and to our families. We’ve messed up a couple of times over the past few years losing games we probably shouldn’t, so we know how important every game is.”
Cooper, on the year-round obsession with Michigan: “That’s why we go so hard and train so hard. We want to win every single game, but that one is different — it’s tradition. We respect it by doing those summer and winter workouts and giving it our all that game, because it is different. When you train so hard for something for a long time and the day finally comes, it’s all about pay day and having fun. You realize why you did all those pushups, situps and runs. We hate them and they hate us, and that’s just the way it is. We have a punching back with the letter M on it, and we punch it because we're tired — it’s the flip of a switch and it changes you.”
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