LOOK: JJ McCarthy comment directed at Ohio State lands on quote board inside Woody Hayes complex
Michigan Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy did not mince words when discussing the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, especially after Michigan beat the Buckeyes last season by a 42-27 final score.
The Buckeyes had been dominating the Wolverines for the entirety of the Jim Harbaugh era, but in what was a special season for Michigan football, Harbaugh not only led Michigan to its first-ever College Football Playoff, as the Wolverines finished with a 12-1 regular-season record and a No. 2 overall seed, but he also finally beat the rivals.
Now, the win was far from a common occurrence in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, at least not in recent years. Ohio State entered the series with an eight-game win streak, as the Wolverines had not won until 2011, but that narrative ended in 2021. And as a result, McCarthy said beating the Buckcyes is “all we know.”
The quote, quite literally, served as bulletin board material for Ohio State, which now put McCarthy’s comment on the board at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, so Buckeyes see it every time they go for practice and workouts.
More on McCarthy’s comment directed at Ohio State
Last season was a special one for the Michigan Wolverines on the gridiron. The Wolverines went 12-1 in the regular season, 8-1 against Big Ten opponents, and made the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed. But arguably more importantly, Michigan finally beat Ohio State. That victory is something that meant a lot to the program, and Michigan backup quarterback JJ McCarthy said beating Ohio State is “all we know” right now.
The victory over Ohio State was a giant one. At that point in the season, Michigan and Ohio State were both 10-1. Entering the matchup, everybody knew that the winner of that Big Ten contest would likely be sitting in a fantastic position to make the CFP. Well, the Wolverines won and made the CFP. But for McCarthy, Michigan simply winning that game means more than any other traditional game.
“For us, the whole 10-year stretch of us not winning – that’s all we know is beating Ohio State right now,” McCarthy said. “So we’re going to keep that going.
“For me, that rivalry is very personal…and I won’t dive too deep into that. That was just one of those games where you definitely want to win it a lot more than the other ones. Of course, you want to win every game the way that you want to win every game – but that one was super, super nice to win.”