<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td class="yspsctnhdln">Newcomers to 'The Game' stunned by intensity of rivalry</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="7"><spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> By RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer
November 15, 2005 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- In Anthony Schlegel's first two years at Air Force, the Falcons' most intense games were against the other service academies.
But nothing prepared him for the charged atmosphere of playing in his first Michigan-Ohio State game last November.
"Well, there were 105,000 people at this one, and everybody was going crazy," he said, shaking his head. "It was deafening out there." "It was one of the best experiences I've ever had playing college football," said the native Texan, who transferred to Ohio State after two years at Air Force, and will be in the starting lineup Saturday when the ninth-ranked Buckeyes and No. 17 Wolverines meet for the 102nd time.
Like most top programs, Michigan and Ohio State draw players from several states. As a result, many recruits come in without a feel for the traditions and history of what is commonly called "The Game" in both states.
"For the guys who are going into it for the first time, there are a lot of things that they don't know yet," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "And they're going to find out in a hurry."
Like Schlegel, Michigan's Grant Mason started his college career elsewhere. A Michigan native, he played two seasons at cornerback for Stanford. The spotlight game for the Cardinal was the annual clash with Cal, the "Big Game," which also takes place this Saturday.
"In each one's area, they're big rivalries but I think on a national scale the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry beats all other rivalries," Mason said.
Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk chuckles to himself every year when a freshman comes in who hasn't been a part of the annual showdown with Michigan, and has little knowledge of the game's storied past.
"It's tough to explain to them," Hawk said. "Guys from out of state may have an idea of what it's about, but once you get here it's completely different. I know once I got here I realized how different it was -- and I grew up an hour away from Columbus."
There's no question 'The Game' is bigger in Ohio than in its neighboring state to the north. There are other red-letter days on Michigan's schedule: in-state rival Michigan State, and the annual showdown with Notre Dame.
But Ohio has no real in-state rival and doesn't have an annual nonconference game. There is not an outlet, a distraction, for Ohio State fans who plan weddings and even funerals around when the Buckeyes meet the Wolverines. As a result, one Saturday in November becomes an obsession.
"We hear about it all season," Ohio State defensive tackle Marcus Green said. "People always ask me, 'Who do you have next week?' I'll tell them, 'San Diego State' and they'll say, 'You play good in that game -- and make sure you beat Michigan this year.' And, man, we'll still have five games left!"
Offensive guard Rob Sims said, "It's everything in this state. Everyone talks about Michigan and Ohio State. Every time I drive my car, people see me on the street and say, 'Go get 'em. Go beat Michigan."'
Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes grew up in Belle Glade, Fla., 90 minutes from Miami. In one of the Sunshine State's two big rivalries, he favored Florida State rather than Miami's Hurricanes.
"Up until the time I came here, I never thought about playing against Michigan," he said.
Preparing for his third game against the Wolverines, it is clear that he has become indoctrinated.
"This is what you live and die for," he said.
Despite those words, The Game does not seem to have nearly the edge and the enmity it did when Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler were growling and prowling on the sidelines in the 1970s.
Michigan owned the series while John Cooper was Ohio State's coach, going 10-2-1. Since Jim Tressel has taken over the Buckeyes, Ohio State has won three of four. There are occasional but infrequent complaints of visiting fans being verbally abused, but for the most part times have changed.
After all, Hayes hated Michigan so much that he refused to even say the word. And legend has it that he once pushed his car across the state line rather than to have to buy gas in "that state up north," as he called it.
With so many people watching one game so closely, the contest churns out heroes and goats. Under that big of a microscope, no one could blame the newcomers for being jittery.
"The moment for me when I began to understand the intensity of this rivalry was my sophomore year," Michigan senior wide receiver Carl Tabb said. "That was actually the first time in my life (when) I was completely nervous."
He wasn't the first. He won't be the last.
