The Michigan football team has a new sheriff in town with first-year coach Kyle Whittingham.
Like any first-year coach, Whittingham has brought his fair share of change to Ann Arbor, most of it being much-needed given the dysfunction that occurred within Schembechler Hall last year.
Whittingham also led with a new perspective on that school down south. To many Wolverines fans, Whittingham isn’t fulfilling a simple prerequisite to becoming a Michigan man: hating Ohio State.
“(Hate is) a strong word, but I want to win that game as bad as anybody in Ann Arbor,” Whittingham said at Big Ten Football Media Days on July 30.
On Wednesday, Whittingham addressed the media for the first time since those comments. He acknowledged the stir his remarks created, but Whittingham stayed true to his battle plan.
“Would we have a better chance to win if I hated them?” Whittingham said Wednesday. “Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I’m all for.”
Whittingham’s approach doesn’t lend itself toward having intense feelings toward the Buckeyes. Instead, he’s remaining focused on the ultimate bottom line: winning games. And that perspective has been adapted by the on-field commander of Michigan’s offense, the guy whose performance will possibly be most influential in the outcome of the Wolverines’ season, as well as Michigan’s trip to Columbus in late November.
“Every game, we’re trying to be one and zero this year,” Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood said July 30 when asked about “The Game.”
Despite two of Michigan’s leaders not lending as much external emotion toward that contest in late November, its significance has not been downplayed inside Schembechler Hall. As it is for Wolverines and Ohio State fans alike, the game certainly remains a date circled on the calendar for Michigan. Its stakes and intensity are very much alive inside the program, and that should lend itself to contribute to what Whittingham — and fans — care about most: winning.
“There’s periods in practice or the weight room that it’s talked about,” Whittingham said. “We’ve got the countdown clocks. We’re not trying to downplay it at all.”
Whittingham’s more measured, business-like approach to the game reflects the general energy change inside Schembechler Hall. A stark contrast to the chaos of the previous regime, Whittingham has brought a sense of normalcy and professionalism to the Wolverines’ football program. It’s in-character that he’s not coming out and making boisterous comments about how much he hates the Buckeyes.
After all, it was former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore that mimicked a flag-planting gesture at a basketball game just weeks after Wolverines’ players planted a Michigan flag at midfield after beating Ohio State. The following year, he oversaw a Michigan team that got trounced by that rival at home. And that wasn’t even close to the worst thing that happened with Moore in the weeks that followed.
At the same time, Whittingham is no stranger to intense rivalries. In his tenure at Utah, he commanded the Utes in the Holy War against Brigham Young at the end of nearly every season. To boot, Whittingham went 11-6 against the Cougars — a much better mark than the multiple Buckeye-loathing Wolverine coaching staffs had in that same time span.
Yes, most Michigan fans hate Ohio State. And they don’t just hate the Buckeyes — they love to talk about how much they hate Ohio State.
Whittingham isn’t following suit. Because as much as Wolverines fans can’t stand that team down south, what’s most important is what the Ohio Stadium scoreboard says around 3:30 p.m. on Nov 28. That’s where Whittingham’s focus lies.
