Tressel Reflects On Time In Rivalry
Now that he’s not prowling the sideline at
Ohio State, Jim Tressel can talk candidly about the Ohio State-
Michigan rivalry.
So Tuesday night seemed as good a time as any to ask – what’s the secret to going 9-1 against Michigan?
OK, the answer might not be as exciting as you’d hope, but it was pretty simple, and clearly the formula worked.
“We were fortunate,” he said. “We had good players. We had great focus. We had great respect for our opponent. We would never do anything other than try to be at our best, and you have a better chance to win if you’re at your best. I think it was our respect of Michigan that was very helpful.”
Of course, emphasizing the rivalry – something Tressel clearly did in his time – also helped. From his famous “310 days” speech in 2001 to the Maize and Blue periods he inserted into each practice session throughout the year, Tressel was in some ways the polar opposite of his predecessor, John Cooper, and the result was quite different from Cooper’s 2-10-1 mark.
“There’s no question about it, we had great emphasis on the Ohio State-Michigan game,” Tressel said. “I remember learning as a young coach, I heard Bo Schembechler say, ‘You get what you emphasize.’ I can promise you, we emphasized that game.”
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