Michigan football podcast: The Balas and Skene show - post-Maryland, looking ahead to OSU

Michigan dominated Maryland after a slow start, pouring on the points in a 45-20 victory. The Wolverines’ running game continues to thrive — that’s four 200-plus yard games in a row — and while Ohio State will present a bigger challenge, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is pleased with the progress through 11 games.

Now, it’s all on the line. Win, and the Wolverines are likely in the NCAA playoff and still have a shot at the Big Ten championship game (Washington would have to beat Oregon).

“That’s something you talk about, something guys know, they acknowledge,” the Michigan coach said. “They understand the importance of this game, that it’s different than last year. You’re playing for something big, and that’s what you want.

“We always talk about they remember November, and to be able to play for that, play for a spot possibly in the playoff, and even in the Big Ten Championship … all those things are at hand, and I think our kids deserve to know that they’re in that position. We’ll talk about it, but at the end of the day, we’ve still got to go prepare.”

And this one’s different. This is considered the best rivalry in sport by many, and Moore and his Michigan team believe they’re prepared.

“I was talking to Coach [Chip] Lindsey about it,” Moore said. “He’s been in the Iron Bowl, and we’ve talked to people that have been in the Iron Bowl and been in this one. It’s different. You can’t describe it. Like, literally, I could try to describe to you the feeling of exactly what it feels like. ‘Oh, it feels like this. It feels like this.’ I can’t.

“I remember last year going on the field with Jaishawn [Barham], and we’re running out during warm-ups. He’s like, ‘oh, this is different.’ And Jaishawn doesn’t say much, so for him to say that … it’s a feeling that you can’t really describe. It’s an intensity. It’s just an aura about it that you can’t describe until you get on the field.”

Our Doug Skene, five-time Big Ten champion, was part of five of them. He joins Chris Balas to talk about the upcoming rivalry game, look back at Maryland in today’s podcast.