Interesting Story in the Dispatch from OSU-Mich Game

[Bobcat Thunder]

Bob Hunter commentary: Rodriguez speech ruckus helps rekindle rivalry

By Bob Hunter

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- This was it. This was Rich Rodriguez's chance to one-up that villainous Jim Tressel, to go him one better before his Michigan football team has played its first game.

Everybody remembers when the new Ohio State coach took the microphone at halftime of an OSU-Michigan basketball game in 2001 and assured fans he would make them "proud" of his team "310 days from now in Ann Arbor."

Well, here it was. A new Michigan football coach being introduced at halftime of another OSU game, this time to the crowd in Crisler Arena. Rodriguez getting the chance to assure the Michigan faithful that his Wolverines were finally going to make someone besides their moms proud of them in the big game.

The place went crazy as Rodriguez began to speak, just as it did for Tressel that day in Columbus. "I really want to thank everybody here for welcoming my family …"

Some Michigan fans were probably getting misty-eyed when their eyes shifted away from him. From the top of Section 47 high above the north basket, a spirited group of maybe 60 Ohio State students unfurled a bed sheet with "1,548 Days" written on it, signifying the number of days it has been since Michigan last beat OSU in football. They started chanting "Tres-sel … Tres-sel … Tres-sel …" loud enough to cause Rodriguez to stop talking and look up. The cheers turned into boos.

"I hope you guys up there enjoy your seats," Rodriguez said.

Hoo-boy, the rivalry lives. Ain't it great?

Ohio State-Michigan may be college football's best rivalry. But the Buckeyes' dominance since Tressel arrived has taken some of its juice. Winning six of the past seven games is good for the Buckeyes, but not for the rivalry, which is why Lloyd Carr's retirement and Rodriguez's hiring is a good thing.

Would OSU students have displayed a banner if Carr was still the coach? Would they have chanted about anything? Would anyone in Crisler have cared if they did?

"We had ushers on both sides of us, threatening to throw us out," Ohio State senior Erin Paulson said. "We had ushers on both sides. We had like four of them up here."

Throw them out?

"The usher said, 'We don't do that at your stadium,' " OSU senior Josh Friedman said. "And we were like, 'Yeah, you do worse things.' "

This is nah-nah-nah-nah-nah stuff, just a notch above yo-mama lines. Ain't it great?

Rodriguez predicted no victories, although Tressel said after he spoke that day that he didn't either. What's important is that the fans thought he did, and he later fulfilled the "promise."

"I'm not going to make any predictions just yet," Rodriguez told the crowd. "But I know one thing, when you come to the Big House and the maize and blue come out of that tunnel, I guarantee you they will play hard and they will play physical, that I can promise you."

Rodriguez said afterward that he remembered Tressel's so-called promise of victory but said "we got to do things our own way." He seemed to understand all the attention being paid to his remarks, though.

"If you follow college athletics, you don't have to coach at Michigan or Ohio State to understand the intensity of the rivalry," he said. "But when you do coach here, you see the passion in a hurry."

The "passion" was evident throughout the day, both from the Maize Rage student section "Worst state ever, worst state ever …" and the gang in Section 47, located about one cumulonimbus cloud from heaven.

"You know, if we could have got them higher seats, we probably would have put them up there," Rodriguez said. "That was as high as we could put them."

Beautiful.

"They were chanting, 'white trash Buckeyes,' " Paulson said, "and we were just chanting our coach's name. We took the high road."

Well, maybe they did chant "We love Lloyd Carr," but heck, maybe they truly did. Maybe that explains why they disrupted Rodriguez's little speech.

"Did he guarantee a win?" OSU senior Matt Haar said. "We didn't hear what he said. We were chanting."

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

[RiverRatRay]

Good story Bobcat Thunder! I didn't realize it had been over 1500 days since Michigan had beaten tOSU in football.

[noreply66]

Does Michigan's coach have his green card?

[TrojanXplosion]

Hopefully it will be another 1,548 Days before those losers beat the Buckeyes again....

[Peake]

HAHAHAHA. if I ever had ot hear a buckeye student say that UM fans are worse than UM's, I would laugh in his/her face and sell them some ocean front property in Huntington, WV. Buckeye students are the far worse than UM's, that is well documented!

[RiverRatRay]

HAHAHAHA. if I ever had ot hear a buckeye student say that UM fans are worse than UM's, I would laugh in his/her face and sell them some ocean front property in Huntington, WV. Buckeye students are the far worse than UM's, that is well documented!

I know, I read the article up top.

[beleagle05]

HAHAHAHA. if I ever had ot hear a buckeye student say that UM fans are worse than UM's, I would laugh in his/her face and sell them some ocean front property in Huntington, WV. Buckeye students are the far worse than UM's, that is well documented!

I know...we're cavemen/women compared to those at UM
Every school has their "bad eggs"

[NUTHOUSE]

This is a great story, I can't wait for Jim Tressel to welcome Rich Rodriguez to the Big Ten. I'm pretty sure this will be his first time coaching in the Shoe I wonder if he can handle it...

[crafty left-hander]

Peak,

Don't start on the whos fans are worse argument. You don't even know the stories I have on their fans. Every school has people act like idiots. That was a stupid statement.

[Philos_Finest]

I agree, i was 7 when i went to my first OSU vs UM game & had a UM fan spit on my hat, AS A 7 YEAR OLD.

[OZZIEOHIO]

[OZZIEOHIO]

Have any of you been to Huntington latly. the hottest selling item in town is the Blue and gold shirts that read Fraudriguez.

[BigDintigertown775]

rich rod has always choked in close games. When things start going bad u can see the panic on his face. Just look at the Pitt game last year he really blew that one.

[TrojanXplosion]

rich rod has always choked in close games. When things start going bad u can see the panic on his face. Just look at the Pitt game last year he really blew that one.

He looked like a deer in headlights at that game.

[1987chieftains]

rich rod has always choked in close games. When things start going bad u can see the panic on his face. Just look at the Pitt game last year he really blew that one.

Or like the looks on tress's face when he is getting blowed out by an SEC team for the 2nd yr in a row