Things were relatively quiet from both sides of the rivalry heading into The Game on Saturday, although Ohio State DB Denzel Burke made a bit of noise just days before the matchup. Meeting with the media last week, Burke was asked what stands out to him about Michigan on film.
His answer? "Nothing".
"Nothing," Burke said. "We've just got to go out there and do our job and really compete and play hard for each other. We're gonna be the villain walking in there and this game is really about respect for us. Especially my class, the last two years, we haven't gotten it done. No gold pants. So, we've got to go there and just be us."
It's hard to say whether or not Burke's words made their way into Michigan's locker room, but there was certainly a low of jawing between Burke and the Michigan wideouts on Saturday. Following Michigan's 30-24 victory, senior wideout Roman Wilson was asked specifically about Ohio State's toughness defensively, specifically if the secondary was more physical.
Wilson didn't hold back.
"No, Definitely not," Wilson said. "I told the receivers this whole week, you've got guys back there that...this is a thing I thought too. You've got guys who, you want to put on the Louis V, the $1,000 outfit and you want to act hard...but when we're out there, they're not hard. I saw the film, you're not tough. And I don't think I'm the toughest guy in the world, but I'm out there, I'm getting physical. I don't think they wanted it like how I wanted it."
Sheesh.
Wilson finished his afternoon with 36 yards and one touchdown on three receptions, helping propel Michigan to a third consecutive win over the Buckeyes and a third consecutive trip to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis this weekend.
Michigan and Iowa will square off for the conference championship at Lucas Oil Field on Saturday at 8:00 pm ET on FOX.
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