A few seasons back I had this idea that everytime I came across a great qoute about The Game, I would put it in this text file and keep it, hoping I would eventually have a great list of qoutes that would really fire me up for The Game.
Just so everyone can start to get their juices flowing, I'm gonna post some select ones that I really liked. If anybody has any others, post them here. It would be great to have a thread version of my text file. That we could refer back to every season to really get amped.
Here are what I think are some of the best, in no particular order. The players and their years are from when they said the qoute:
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“The whole year is getting ready for this game. It just builds up. It’s not like we talk about it all the time, but as the year goes on, it’s like
every game we play is a scrimmage, getting ready for the Michigan game,”
-Adrien Clarke,
OSU Senior Offensive Gaurd
“I haven’t touched a bench press since. But
you could put a thousand pounds on there in pre-game warm-ups Saturday and I could lift it,”
-Branden Joe,
OSU Junior FB (regarding his return to the lineup after injuring himself benching 485 lbs)
"Throughout the season, you always have the Michigan-Ohio State game in the back of your head, It's something you think about every week. It's really hard to explain --it's like something takes over your body, After the Northwestern game, running off the field,
my face just lit up with a big smile, because I knew the time had finally come." "
- Carl Diggs, UM senior LB
"Because I couldn't go for three."
- Woody Hayes, former
OSU coach (when asked why he went for a 2-point conversion after scoring a later 4th quarter TD in a 50-14 win over UM in 1968.)
"If you want to be recognized around here as a coach or a player, you beat Ohio State," he said. "That's what you're here for."
-Bo Schembechler, former UM coach.
"I wanted to see them all celebrating, because
I wanted to live with it and remember it."
-Chris Perry, UM senior RB (when asked why he remained on the field in Ohio Stadium last year while fans rushed the field and celebrated ohio state's win over michigan)
"(The Game) is going to be
the biggest thing in the world on saturday. There won't be 111,000 people in the same place anywhere else."
-Chris Perry, UM senior RB
"But for all players, the entire week has a different feel, from the scout team squad putting maize and blue tape on their helmets to the energy and buzz everywhere on campus. Everyone is wrapped up in the game and the excitement of Michigan-Ohio State week is unparalleled for a Buckeyes player.
The best way to describe the anticipation is to compare it to Christmas Eve for a six-year-old who still believes in Santa Claus. It's tough to sleep after your parents put you to bed."
-Kirk Herbstreit, former
OSU QB
"This isn't about the BCS Bowl, this isn't about a Big Ten title, it's about I don't care if we're 0-10 going into this game and it's our first win, that would be enough for us,"
-Bobby Carpenter, Senior LB
"As a youngster I kind of took the rivalry for granted, but as soon as I took my first hit in The Game, I understood what it was all about. This is a huge one. Anytime you face
that team up north, you've got to come out with a win,"
-Troy Smith, Junior QB
Allen Krenzel: 'Aren't you nervous?'
Craig Krenzel: 'This is what I've worked for
my whole life.' "
-A phone conversation between Craig and his father before the 2002 Michigan game.
