Michigan preparing for every opponent like they're Ohio State

Michigan is not playing Ohio State for 11 more weeks, but the Wolverines’ recent Achilles’ heel remains a focal point when preparing for their weekly contests.

Michigan plays Washington in primetime on Saturday night in one of the more intriguing Week 2 games. The matchup lost some of its shine when Washington lost to FCS opponent Montana last weekend, but the Wolverines are not overlooking the team from the ailing Pac-12 North. 

“You can’t worry about what happened last week,” said Michigan safety Brad Hawkins. “It’s a new week. It’s college football. College football is full of surprises. You’ve just got to come out every week and give the team that you’re playing your best effort, your best game.

“We’re going to come out this week like any other week. Prepare every single week like we’re playing Ohio State. That’s how we’re going to go at it every single week.”

Hawkins is not the only one with the sentiment. 

“We’re preparing every day like we’re playing Ohio State,” said tight end Joel Honigford. “If we continue to prepare (like that) everyday — and just focus on that — it doesn’t matter who we’re going against. We’re going to give it our best. It doesn’t matter if it’s Washington, Western Michigan, Rutgers, Ohio State — we’re preparing the same every week to really show out.”

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has had some success in Ann Arbor. Since taking over at his alma mater in 2015, the Wolverines have three 10-win seasons. Of course, the one big knock on Harbaugh is his inability to beat “that team up North,” Ohio State. Harbaugh has lost each of the five matchups (the teams did not play in 2020), and the Buckeyes have outscored Michigan by a score of 221-126.

In total, Michigan has lost eight straight games to Ohio State and 15 of the last 16.

Embarrassed Huskies look for bounce-back win in Ann Arbor

Washington has to travel to the Big House at night on Saturday, which is never an easy task. Michigan is a touchdown favorite.

The Wolverines will look to build on their complete performance from last week, one which saw 73 players get into the game and had multiple star players contribute. They beat Western Michigan 47-14. Unfortunately, top wide receiver Ronnie Bell is done for the season with a knee injury suffered in the game.

The Huskies are looking for their first win of the 2021 season after they turned the ball over three times and lost 13-7 to a Montana team that mustered just 232 yards of total offense. The Huskies scored on their first possession and did not see the end zone again. 

Washington is certainly a better team than they showed last weekend, but head coach Jimmy Lake will have his work cut out for him on Saturday night.