COLUMBUS — Players and coaches come to Ohio State and Michigan to be a part of “The Game,” the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan. But the rivalry has been lopsided in recent years.
For the last eight seasons in a row, Ohio State has beat Michigan.
Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is 0-5 against the Buckeyes. Although a contract extension was just given to Harbaugh, he knows what he needs to do to change the trajectory of the Michigan football program.
At the Big Ten football media days in Indianapolis on Thursday, when asked about beating Ohio State and the steps Michigan needs to take to be a Big Ten championship and college football playoff contender, Harbaugh was clear.
“Well I’m here before you, I’m as enthusiastic excited as I ever am, always am, even more to have at it, to win the championship, to win the, to beat Ohio, your hometown there,” Harbaugh said. “Our rival is Michigan State, everybody, that’s what we want to do. And we’re going to do it or die trying.”
Harbaugh shared a story about his family recently climbing a mountain, a story he compared to the challenges of beating Ohio State and getting to the top.
“I was talking to my daughter this summer, we were going up this, we were climbing Sarah, Addy and I were going up this mountain, it was like a mountain climb — I don’t know how high it was, but it was pretty high, we probably did 15,000 steps to get up there, she was counting it on her phone. And we were getting up close to the top and I remember she said, ‘We got to apex, dad, we got to get to the top.’ You’re darn right we do. We got to get there,” Harbaugh said.
“That’s what we got to do. We got apex this, we got to get to the top. She’s got that gene in her and I was darn glad to see it. And I tell you I got that gene in me.”
Climbing the mountain appears to be the motivation for the program this season.
Climbing the mountain.
One step at a time. One day at a time. ?♂️#GoBlue 〽 pic.twitter.com/M7azEIHd5P
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) July 21, 2021
[Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports]