Mike Sainristil on OSU game: 'We prepare for this week every single week'
The Michigan Wolverines live in the Ohio State rivalry. It is woven into the fabric of the program throughout the year in the way it attacks each week of game prep.
Now that the week is finally here, Michigan players are ready for the challenge as they gear up for a potential third-straight win in the series. It has been a difficult few weeks for players while the program navigates an investigation into an alleged illegal scouting operation, but the opportunity to return home to play the biggest game of the year is a welcome one.
“It just feels any opportunity we get to play at home in front of our fans, just feels good,” graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil said. “So happy to play in the big house one last time in front of our own people.”
“We prepare for this week every single week. it’s just, different periods that are sprinkled in, in practice. But, we’ve been preparing for this since the off-season. We have in the weight room ‘What are you doing today to beat Ohio State?’ (We’re ready for) the opportunity for it to finally be here, and be able to, go out on Saturday and showcase what we’ve been preparing for.
“And, just playing this game means a lot.”
Sainristil and the Michigan pass defense will go up against an OSU offense that has a different look with quarterback Kyle McCord under center. His predecessor, CJ Stroud, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft of the Houston Texans after an impressive college career.
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McCord is not quite the same caliber, but Sainristil belives he’ll provide a challenge.
“I think CJ Stroud was a bigger guy, taller, arm talent out of this world,” he said. “A guy that is going to sit in there, read the coverage and take what you give them. Both two really good quarterbacks, two quarterbacks that, being on the defensive side of the ball, I can’t wait to play against him. He’s going to go out there and he’s going to try throwing to his best guys and we have to cover those guys. It lleaves room for opportunities all across, everywhere in the back end.”
Saturday’s matchup between top-three teams is essentially a playoff game, and it has never meant more than it will this week. Michigan already has plenty of motivation to take down the Buckeyes, but Sainristil and the team are out to prove that players win football games, not sign-stealing.
“It’ll mean a lot, of course to win, especially with what’s going into this game, the anticipation, top four matchup,” Sainristil said. “Like I’ve said before this is the Big Ten championship, this is a playoff matchup. This is everything we’ve been working for. The hours, the film study, the training, everything that we’ve been doing all year long is exactly what’s going into this game.
“It’s all about our preparation for Ohio. The days, the minutes, the hours, everything leading up to this game, that’s where our focus is. Preparing ourselves and planning. Practice and then execute. Anything else is irrelevant when you get into this kind of big game week.”
