Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
You’re Nuts: Which Michigan player has caused you the most pain?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State’s rivals. Michigan is the defending national champion, but there has been a lot of change in Ann Arbor. What does that mean for the season, the Big Ten, and the Buckeyes? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”That Team Up North” articles here.
There are three certainties in the lives of Ohio State fans. Death, taxes, and hating Michigan. The Buckeyes could be playing the Wolverines in a game of checkers and Ohio State fans would still want to see Michigan decimated. The hatred between the neighbors is what makes the rivalry one of the fiercest the world has ever seen. With so much emotion invested in the rivalry, those on the losing end can lash out in unimaginable ways because they can’t stomach having to admit their rival was better.
Unfortunately for Ohio State fans, the Buckeyes don’t always come out on top when they meet That Team Up North. Just look at the last three years on the football field. Whenever there are setbacks for Ohio State against Michigan, there are Wolverines that Buckeyes fans learn to hate. Lately, it has been guys like Cade McNamara, Donovan Edwards, and even Jim Harbaugh after the weirdo head coach started to find success against Ohio State after learning how to cheat better.
Today we want to know which Michigan player has caused you the most pain. Even though a lot of the focus will be on football after three straight losses to the Wolverines, your answer doesn’t have to be associated with football. Maybe there was a Michigan basketball player who tore your heart out during their time in Ann Arbor. It could even be a Wolverine who went on to torment your favorite professional sports team after leaving Michigan. If we are being honest, it shouldn’t be hard to come up with a healthy list of Wolverines you detest.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25548537/1271307565.jpg "Purdue University Boilermakers vs University of Michigan Wolverines")
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
This is going to seem like a really odd answer since Brady was 1-1 against the Buckeyes as a starter. My reasoning for my hatred of Michigan Man Tom Brady is because of how often he destroyed my Buffalo Bills. By the time Brady called it quits prior to the 2023 season, he amassed a 33-3 record against the Bills. Following Buffalo beating Brady and the Patriots 31-0 in the 2003 season opener, the next time the Bills were able to beat the Patriots was in 2011. The only other victory over Brady for Buffalo was in the 2014 regular-season finale in a game New England essentially treated like a preseason game since they had a playoff spot locked up.
It was incredibly frustrating to watch Brady carve apart my beloved Bills for nearly two decades. During the time he could do almost nothing wrong, aside from deflating a few footballs and destroying his cell phone so the NFL couldn’t prove he was doing so. Not only did Brady and the Patriots win the Super Bowl after “Deflategate” occurred against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, but they also won the Super Bowl in the 2016 season, which started with Brady being suspended for the first four games because of the controversy. It just feels no matter when a Michigan Man is cheating, they find a way to come out on top.
Even worse is now we are going to be stuck listening to Brady call NFL games for FOX. You thought you hated Tony Romo on the call of games? While it’s obvious Brady is very intelligent, he is incredibly boring. It’s also obvious he has no sense of humor after he must have not understood how a comedy roast works when he wouldn’t allow jokes about the plastic surgery it’s clear he has done, or billionaire sex pest buddy Robert Kraft.
While some Michigan players torture Ohio State fans for just a few years, unfortunately, he has been causing me pain for decades. At least as a Bills fan, I’m used to being hurt in some incredibly creative ways.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25548538/294770.jpg "Tim Biakabutuka")
For Buckeye fans in my age bracket, there is one name that to this day sends shivers down your spine. In 1995 (my freshman year of high school), John Cooper had his Buckeyes undefeated and ranked second nationally. A win in The Game would give Ohio State a legitimate shot at a national champion as the Nebraska Cornhuskers were the only other major unbeaten team remaining.
The OSU offense was led by quarterback Bobby Hoying and was flanked by one of the most talented assemblies of talent in Buckeye history. At running back was Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George (with Pepe Pearson backing him up). The legendary Terry Glenn was OSU’s flanker and, arguably the best in program history, Rickey Dudley was at tight end. Hall of Famer Orlando Pace anchored the offensive line as well.
As good as the offense was, the defense was also impressive. Up front, you had the iconic lineup of Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, Matt Finkes, and Matt Bonhaus. Greg Bellisari was in the middle of the linebacking corps, and one of the all-time best Shawn Springs had his side of the field locked down at corner.
The Buckeyes came into the rivalry game outscoring their opponents 35.7 to 15.4 per game. In the two weeks before the matchup with Michigan, OSU beat Illinois and Indiana by a combined score of 83-6.
At that point, Cooper was 1-5-1 against the Wolverines but was coming off his first victory in the series. TTUN was No. 18 coming into the regular season finale having lost two of its last three games (Michigan State: 25-28, Penn State: 17-27) and the win sandwiched in the middle was a 5-0 victory over Purdue.
Things were looking really good as the Buckeyes headed to Ann Arbor. However, Saturday, Nov. 25 was a disaster. The Buckeye defense had literally no answer for Michigan’s junior running back Tshimanga “Tim” Biakabutuka.
The TTUN RB ran the ball 37 times for 313 yards and two touchdowns as the home squad pulled off the devastating update and won 31-23. It was heartbreaking then, it is still heartbreaking now. Damn you, Tim Biakabutuka, damn you!
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State’s rivals. Michigan is the defending national champion, but there has been a lot of change in Ann Arbor. What does that mean for the season, the Big Ten, and the Buckeyes? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”That Team Up North” articles here.
There are three certainties in the lives of Ohio State fans. Death, taxes, and hating Michigan. The Buckeyes could be playing the Wolverines in a game of checkers and Ohio State fans would still want to see Michigan decimated. The hatred between the neighbors is what makes the rivalry one of the fiercest the world has ever seen. With so much emotion invested in the rivalry, those on the losing end can lash out in unimaginable ways because they can’t stomach having to admit their rival was better.
Unfortunately for Ohio State fans, the Buckeyes don’t always come out on top when they meet That Team Up North. Just look at the last three years on the football field. Whenever there are setbacks for Ohio State against Michigan, there are Wolverines that Buckeyes fans learn to hate. Lately, it has been guys like Cade McNamara, Donovan Edwards, and even Jim Harbaugh after the weirdo head coach started to find success against Ohio State after learning how to cheat better.
Today we want to know which Michigan player has caused you the most pain. Even though a lot of the focus will be on football after three straight losses to the Wolverines, your answer doesn’t have to be associated with football. Maybe there was a Michigan basketball player who tore your heart out during their time in Ann Arbor. It could even be a Wolverine who went on to torment your favorite professional sports team after leaving Michigan. If we are being honest, it shouldn’t be hard to come up with a healthy list of Wolverines you detest.
Today’s question: Which Michigan player has caused you the most pain?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Tom Brady
This is going to seem like a really odd answer since Brady was 1-1 against the Buckeyes as a starter. My reasoning for my hatred of Michigan Man Tom Brady is because of how often he destroyed my Buffalo Bills. By the time Brady called it quits prior to the 2023 season, he amassed a 33-3 record against the Bills. Following Buffalo beating Brady and the Patriots 31-0 in the 2003 season opener, the next time the Bills were able to beat the Patriots was in 2011. The only other victory over Brady for Buffalo was in the 2014 regular-season finale in a game New England essentially treated like a preseason game since they had a playoff spot locked up.
It was incredibly frustrating to watch Brady carve apart my beloved Bills for nearly two decades. During the time he could do almost nothing wrong, aside from deflating a few footballs and destroying his cell phone so the NFL couldn’t prove he was doing so. Not only did Brady and the Patriots win the Super Bowl after “Deflategate” occurred against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, but they also won the Super Bowl in the 2016 season, which started with Brady being suspended for the first four games because of the controversy. It just feels no matter when a Michigan Man is cheating, they find a way to come out on top.
Even worse is now we are going to be stuck listening to Brady call NFL games for FOX. You thought you hated Tony Romo on the call of games? While it’s obvious Brady is very intelligent, he is incredibly boring. It’s also obvious he has no sense of humor after he must have not understood how a comedy roast works when he wouldn’t allow jokes about the plastic surgery it’s clear he has done, or billionaire sex pest buddy Robert Kraft.
While some Michigan players torture Ohio State fans for just a few years, unfortunately, he has been causing me pain for decades. At least as a Bills fan, I’m used to being hurt in some incredibly creative ways.
Matt’s answer: Tshimanga Biakabutuka
For Buckeye fans in my age bracket, there is one name that to this day sends shivers down your spine. In 1995 (my freshman year of high school), John Cooper had his Buckeyes undefeated and ranked second nationally. A win in The Game would give Ohio State a legitimate shot at a national champion as the Nebraska Cornhuskers were the only other major unbeaten team remaining.
The OSU offense was led by quarterback Bobby Hoying and was flanked by one of the most talented assemblies of talent in Buckeye history. At running back was Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George (with Pepe Pearson backing him up). The legendary Terry Glenn was OSU’s flanker and, arguably the best in program history, Rickey Dudley was at tight end. Hall of Famer Orlando Pace anchored the offensive line as well.
As good as the offense was, the defense was also impressive. Up front, you had the iconic lineup of Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, Matt Finkes, and Matt Bonhaus. Greg Bellisari was in the middle of the linebacking corps, and one of the all-time best Shawn Springs had his side of the field locked down at corner.
The Buckeyes came into the rivalry game outscoring their opponents 35.7 to 15.4 per game. In the two weeks before the matchup with Michigan, OSU beat Illinois and Indiana by a combined score of 83-6.
At that point, Cooper was 1-5-1 against the Wolverines but was coming off his first victory in the series. TTUN was No. 18 coming into the regular season finale having lost two of its last three games (Michigan State: 25-28, Penn State: 17-27) and the win sandwiched in the middle was a 5-0 victory over Purdue.
Things were looking really good as the Buckeyes headed to Ann Arbor. However, Saturday, Nov. 25 was a disaster. The Buckeye defense had literally no answer for Michigan’s junior running back Tshimanga “Tim” Biakabutuka.
The TTUN RB ran the ball 37 times for 313 yards and two touchdowns as the home squad pulled off the devastating update and won 31-23. It was heartbreaking then, it is still heartbreaking now. Damn you, Tim Biakabutuka, damn you!
Continue reading...