... and other items. He talked about...
• What it's like going into OSU's lair: "It's one of the few games you don't fly to. You take the busses down. As you cross the border into Ohio, you usually have some sort of police motorcade, not necessarily stopping traffic, but just as escort.
"When we got down there, Ohio State fans realized what the busses were. I don't know if they communicated to each other or what, but all of a sudden vehicles start stopping in the highway and slowing our busses down. Cops are pulling people over. That's when you realize, this is a different game.
"In my first trip to Columbus, that started happening. You get down there and … I'd love to say something nice about them, but I can't. It's a bunch of former frat/sorority guys [and gals] and the worst people you could find at Walmart and they all got together in one area, and they've all got red on, so they're going to cheer for one team. It's nasty. It's not a welcoming environment.
"It's very hostile — hostile to fans. My mom got a beer can chucked at her head when she was down there. It's nasty.
"It's good versus evil. It's a war. There's just nothing nice to be said. It's one day out of 365 days a year that you're going to go down and battle for the bragging rights or honors, whatever you want to call it. For some reason, it's the most significant thing you can battle for, and everybody that plays in the game feels that."
• How ready these Wolverines are for this challenge: "I think our whole season has been leading to this last road game. It's been a great story. To go to Notre Dame with all the pre-season hype, the very first game of the year, and open up with blemishes, looking ugly for the first half of football.
"Then we go to Northwestern, and who knew Northwestern was going to be good. I did talk about, usually Pat Fitzgerald gets those guys playing well, but we didn't know how good they were going to be or what challenge they were going to present. So we go to Northwestern and we barely pull it out.
"Then we travel to Michigan State, and Michigan State might not be where they used to be, but it's still a road game, rivalry game, ranked rivalry. We go in there and we handle business. We could have been a little better when we got on their side of the field, but it's just been building and building for this moment.
"The sense is the same as it was for me in 2011. That was just a different feel. You could feel that Michigan had the significant edge in the game. To be honest, it's something that we're not 100 percent used to yet, but it's definitely something you notice. The hair on your neck stands up.
"They are a very well-balanced unit, and it sounds like we're pretty healthy. It sounds like [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winovich] is going to be back in the lineup. We're going down with bad intentions, and a sour taste in our mouth.
"I would expect nothing less than Michigan to come out and put as much as they can on these guys, as fast as they can do it."
• How this one might go: "I think it's critical to say that the page has been turned for the Michigan football program, however you might want to phrase that. There have been questions as to whether or not [Jim] Harbaugh was going to get our offense rolling like it had been previously for teams that he's had.
"Is he a quarterback whisperer, like we thought he may be? All these questions … just little seeds of doubt, that have been around and lingering. To completely remove all of that doubt, this game would do that. Obviously there are things and implications that would come after that, but losing this game — not just because it's Ohio State, but because of the implications, post-season-wise — would be a monumental letdown for that momentum of how everybody's been feeling about where the program is at.
"It's too good of a story not to finish it the right way."
Here's the full podcast, including his breakdowns of match-ups on both sides of the ball, the punishment he'll endure if Michigan does not win, etc.: michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-13
• What it's like going into OSU's lair: "It's one of the few games you don't fly to. You take the busses down. As you cross the border into Ohio, you usually have some sort of police motorcade, not necessarily stopping traffic, but just as escort.
"When we got down there, Ohio State fans realized what the busses were. I don't know if they communicated to each other or what, but all of a sudden vehicles start stopping in the highway and slowing our busses down. Cops are pulling people over. That's when you realize, this is a different game.
"In my first trip to Columbus, that started happening. You get down there and … I'd love to say something nice about them, but I can't. It's a bunch of former frat/sorority guys [and gals] and the worst people you could find at Walmart and they all got together in one area, and they've all got red on, so they're going to cheer for one team. It's nasty. It's not a welcoming environment.
"It's very hostile — hostile to fans. My mom got a beer can chucked at her head when she was down there. It's nasty.
"It's good versus evil. It's a war. There's just nothing nice to be said. It's one day out of 365 days a year that you're going to go down and battle for the bragging rights or honors, whatever you want to call it. For some reason, it's the most significant thing you can battle for, and everybody that plays in the game feels that."
• How ready these Wolverines are for this challenge: "I think our whole season has been leading to this last road game. It's been a great story. To go to Notre Dame with all the pre-season hype, the very first game of the year, and open up with blemishes, looking ugly for the first half of football.
"Then we go to Northwestern, and who knew Northwestern was going to be good. I did talk about, usually Pat Fitzgerald gets those guys playing well, but we didn't know how good they were going to be or what challenge they were going to present. So we go to Northwestern and we barely pull it out.
"Then we travel to Michigan State, and Michigan State might not be where they used to be, but it's still a road game, rivalry game, ranked rivalry. We go in there and we handle business. We could have been a little better when we got on their side of the field, but it's just been building and building for this moment.
"The sense is the same as it was for me in 2011. That was just a different feel. You could feel that Michigan had the significant edge in the game. To be honest, it's something that we're not 100 percent used to yet, but it's definitely something you notice. The hair on your neck stands up.
"They are a very well-balanced unit, and it sounds like we're pretty healthy. It sounds like [fifth-year senior defensive end] Chase [Winovich] is going to be back in the lineup. We're going down with bad intentions, and a sour taste in our mouth.
"I would expect nothing less than Michigan to come out and put as much as they can on these guys, as fast as they can do it."
• How this one might go: "I think it's critical to say that the page has been turned for the Michigan football program, however you might want to phrase that. There have been questions as to whether or not [Jim] Harbaugh was going to get our offense rolling like it had been previously for teams that he's had.
"Is he a quarterback whisperer, like we thought he may be? All these questions … just little seeds of doubt, that have been around and lingering. To completely remove all of that doubt, this game would do that. Obviously there are things and implications that would come after that, but losing this game — not just because it's Ohio State, but because of the implications, post-season-wise — would be a monumental letdown for that momentum of how everybody's been feeling about where the program is at.
"It's too good of a story not to finish it the right way."
Here's the full podcast, including his breakdowns of match-ups on both sides of the ball, the punishment he'll endure if Michigan does not win, etc.: michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-podcast-ryan-van-bergen-with-john-borton-13
