Prior to their kickoff against Western Michigan on Saturday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes turned their focus for a quick second to a different Michigan team.
“When that third quarter comes. And the best band in the land plays “sloopy.” I want you to get up on your feet. I want you to be so loud that the entire country, especially up I-75 North, three-and-a-half hours, 195 miles from here. I want you to let them know that we coming. And we bringing blood and thunder with us.”
New RB Coach Carlos Locklyn gets it.
It’s a mindset that for the past 3 years has been missing.
Regardless of the opponent that weekend, everything you do is in preparation for that last date in November.
Because in this rivalry it isn’t just another game, it is THE game.
It decides legacies, coaching jobs, and championships.
Ohio State walked into the locker room following their dominant 56-0 win over Western Michigan with a clear message.
They’re comin…
The Buckeyes are experienced on D, have a variety of weapons on offense, and look like a team that can compete for a National Championship come seasons end.
Michigan on the other hand, looked the opposite.
Struggling to move the ball on the ground or through the air. The defense that had been hyped up all off-season as elite, allowed Texas to score on 5 of their first 7 possessions of the game, and would have been six had it not been for a missed FG on Texas’ first drive.
Ohio State is equally, if not more talented across the board than Texas.
And when they meet TTUN in late November, they’ll be hungrier than ever.
It’s the reason guys like Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom, Emeka Egbuka, and TreVeyon Henderson all came back instead of taking their talents to the NFL.
To beat a team that has plagued them for most of their time in scarlet and gray.
and if what we’ve seen from these two teams thus far is any indicator of what we can expect come November, there will be plenty of blood and thunder to go around.
Go Bucks!
