Blake Frazier's moment arrives ahead of Michigan State showdown

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines second-year offensive tackle Blake Frazier is prepping for his first-career start in Saturday’s rivalry tilt, but it is one he has prepped his whole life for.

Unfortunately, his emergence in the starting lineup comes on the heels of an injury to junior Evan Link at left tackle, who was carted off the field in the 24-7 win over Washington. Frazier hates that it came to that to earn a bigger role, but he has been ready for it regardless of circumstance.

“How it happened on Saturday is never how you want it to happen, but at the end of the day, football’s a dangerous game,” Frazier told the media on Tuesday night. “We all sign up for it when we sign up to play. My mindset’s been to get ready to play every week, and that just happened to be against Washington. I feel like I took care of business, did my job, but obviously not how I wanted it to happen.”

Frazier, the son of former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Frazier, grew up a Wolverines fan and knows all about the situation he walks into this weekend with an in-state rivalry up next. He’s excited for the opportunity.

“It’s great,” Frazier said. “Especially with me growing up a Michigan fan, I know what the game means. I’m excited, especially being a night game in East Lansing. It’s going to be a good opportunity to see what we’ve got as a team.

“… I’ve known what it’s like to play in this game since I was five years old. It’s the state championship. The whole state’s bragging rights depend on it. You give it everything you’ve got and expect that records don’t matter. You’re going to get their best shot no matter what.”

The Michigan-MSU rivalry can sometimes bring out chippiness between the in-state foes, but the Wolverines want to make sure this week they handle their business without taking part in the extracurriculars.

“It’s an emotional game, but we talk all the time about playing with passion and not emotion,” Frazier said. “It’s important to understand what this game means and find a way to put your heart and soul into it, but at the end of the day when the whistle blows, go back to the huddle and get ready to play the next play.”

When Frazier takes the field, he represents one of the most famed numbers in U-M history, sporting the No. 77. Plenty of star linemen have worn it in Ann Arbor, and now it’s his turn.

“I didn’t play offensive line until my junior year of high school,” Frazier said. “When it came to picking a number, it was obviously having the history of Jon Jansen, Jake Long, all those guys. But my high school’s got a deep military background, and the man our school is named after wore number seven. We couldn’t wear number seven because it was retired, so I wore 77. Coming from a military family myself, that meant a lot.”

Frazier and the Wolverines do battle with MSU on Saturday night in East Lansing in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC.