Michigan plants flag from Ohio State game front and center at Schembechler Hall: 'I love seeing that'
Being on the field after Michigan Wolverines football‘s 45-23 domination of Ohio State last November, its first victory in Columbus since 2000, was something else. As soon as the clock hit 0:00, those in maize and blue were smiling ear to ear, jumping up and down, hugging each other and crying tears of joy.
It was mayhem, really. Michigan players, led by defensive back Mike Sainristil, planted a huge block ‘M’ flag around midfield and paraded it around Ohio Stadium.
On a conference call the next day, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh what he thought about his players planting the flag and if it will add more “fuel” to the rivalry,” almost in a way in which the reporter was looking for an apology, a la Brady Hoke, circa 2014.
“I want to get that flag and put in our museum,” Harbaugh confidently stated.
“I think there’s already plenty of fuel to the rivalry. I mean, there are songs. They have songs. The one about how they ‘don’t give a damn about the whole state of Michigan.’ It’s all good.
“It’s been going on for a century. It’s all good.”
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It’s all great for Michigan over the last two years, with the Wolverines beating Ohio State in consecutive meetings for the first time since 1999-2000, winning back-to-back Big Ten championships and appearing in two-straight CFPs.
In December, the Michigan program added murals with shots from the last two Ohio State games, Big Ten championship contests and other signature moments to the lobby of Schembechler Hall.
And yes, this spring, that flag showed back up. It’s now right in front of the door, displayed with a special mount that says, ‘The Game.’
“I love it, love seeing that,” Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said of walking past the flag on his way into work every day. “I think about that game every day, think about every moment. When you walk in the building, you see it as soon as you walk in. Obviously, you see all the things about the rivalry and what it is, and you think about that every day.
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“It’s constantly on my mind, it’s constantly on the players’ minds and we’re all preparing for it.”
Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter loves the new addition to the lobby, too.
“It’s really cool,” Minter said. “That’s what makes college football special, is rivalries and the ability to enjoy those moments and enjoy the significance of those wins.”
Moore uses the memorabilia as motivation, with Michigan looking to beat the Buckeyes for a third straight year this fall.
“Yeah, human nature, you’re going to remember that moment, remember how it was, but at the same time, that was last year, and there’s a new year ahead of us,” Moore explained of his mindset. “We have new goals, and we’re just going to continue to keep working.”
Minter, too, thinks about last year’s game often. His Michigan defense shut the Buckeyes down in the second half, holding them to just 3 points and coming up with 2 fourth-quarter interceptions on Heisman finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud.
“I really think about the defense being together going into the fourth quarter and watching a player-led defense take charge of that game and make the plays we needed to make to win that game,” Minter said of what comes to mind when he thinks back on the win. “Super great memories, and try to work every day so we can have a bunch more of those this year.”
Perhaps Ohio State will use this latest move of displaying the flag as “fuel.” But as Harbaugh says, ‘Greatness doesn’t fear consequences.’ Michigan will be up for this November’s clash at The Big House, too.
