Michigan Wolverines Football: Josh Ross Talk MSU Rivalry
This isn’t just a normal game week for sophomore linebacker Josh Ross.
Michigan may have just dominated Wisconsin, but a rival awaits. For the Michigan native, the matchup with in-state rival Michigan State means more. It’s something he grew up watching and spent time contemplating.
“Games like this, you dream about as a kid, especially growing up in Michigan,” Ross said. “Michigan vs. State, that’s a big deal. This game for me means so much. There’s so much history with us playing this team. I’m ready to go, I’m excited.”
Ross is fifth on the team with 20 tackles and has emerged as another strong linebacker in Don Brown’s defense. Going up against Michigan State, Ross knows what the rivalry means, yet he said he doesn’t talk trash and just goes out there and lets his play do the talking.
While the rivalry may mean more, Ross and the rest of the team are approaching it just like another game.
“I wouldn’t say I’m more excited or anxious,” Ross said. “I know how I feel about this game and I know the passion I have for this game.”
Ross said that in the past, there were some chippy games between the two programs, but at the end of the day, it’s a big game that means a lot.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-2 against the Spartans. Since 2008, U-M is 2-8 against Michigan State. While the numbers against their rival might be bad, Ross says the team doesn’t pay attention to that.
“In all honesty, we don’t pay attention to that,” Ross said. “We’re just looking at this year, we’re ready to go this year. We know the confidence we have. We know how good we can be.”
Ross is even more familiar with the rivalry because of his brother, James Ross. James played for Michigan from 2012-15 and is currently a defensive grad assistant with the program. Ross has watched his older brother play in this game for many years.
“I would say from brother just being around this program so much and seeing what he went through and see him play in every game, I would just say this rival kind of grew for me after the years he was playing here and I built a little more emotion towards this game,” Ross said.
Michigan is coming into the MSU game as hot as any program in the country. The Wolverines have won six straight games and dominated Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin, I feel like was just a huge confidence builder for our whole team and the morale of our whole team,” Ross said. “I feel like that’s going to carry us in a positive direction for the rest of the season, especially this upcoming week.”
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