Our Honor Defend

Monday nights and Tuesdays are not a very good day for blogging for me, but anytime is the right time for HATE.  I’ll proceed briefly.

Brandon Graham Calls Out Justin Boren

Lost amidst the rumors (likely unfounded) that this could be Rodriguez’ last year in Ann Arbor and lost among the newest shenanigan filed against Rodriguez’s staff regarding practice logs is that this is Justin Boren’s return to Ann Arbor after the falling out with Rodriguez and eventual enrollment at Ohio State.  You knew that you knew that you knew this would be a talking point by time The Game came around, but the bigger story for both right now is A) Ohio State has guaranteed themselves a Rose Bowl berth and B) Michigan is in a very real position to be bowl ineligible for the second straight year.

Brandon Graham hasn’t forgotten about Justin Boren, though.  No doubt one of the best players on the Wolverine defense, he certainly used the occasion to talk a lot more than you would think his team’s 5-6 record would permit.

Go go gadget bulletin board Hate Board material.

“I’ve got a lot of words for a lot of people,” Graham said. “Whoever’s in my way every play, I let them know, don’t come my way. Some people talk back, some people don’t.”

“It’s just somebody who shouldn’t have been here in the first place,” Graham said. “That’s over and done with. Justin we will see on Saturday, and I hope he can contain our D-line.”

“We’re not worried, we’re just going to come,” Graham said. “I trust and believe we’ve got a good front four that’s going to get the job done. He’s going to have to prove to me he’s still got it. He was good here, but I don’t think he’s good there because it’s O-State. He’s really from here.”

(On the family values remark) “That was just an excuse about why he wanted to leave,” Graham said. “He put that on himself. He didn’t give (the coaches) a chance when they got here, and he was just so used to the coach (Lloyd) Carr era, he didn’t want to get used to nothing else.”

“That’s the only thing I don’t like about transferring because, what was the reason? Some people just leave because they feel they were better than what they are. Not trying to put that much work into it, the coaches tell them if you work a little harder and get into film and do extra, you can get out there. But a lot of people just get lazy because they think it comes to them.”

Wisely, Justin Boren was not made available to the media during this week. Hopefully Boren and his teammates were engaging in the pre-approved Hate activities.

But Wait, There’s More!

David Moosman, center for the Wolverines, evidently did not get the memo that players on 5 win teams should not have too much bravado.

Go go gadget Hate Board material.

“They’ve got some good guys, nobody that’s really far and away better then anyone we’ve seen…”

Not quite Hate Board material to the degree of Brandon Graham, but, duly noted.  Context is hard to tell, and it could very well be Moosman is saying that he has faith in his Wolvereenies to play with the Buckeyes.  This is natural if you don’t want to lay down and play dead like a nonconference patsy.

But if it adds to the Hate, I’m for it.

Tate Forcier Would Like To Add Some Hate, Kinda

This is some I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate ™.  Forcier, suggesting that his Wolverines need to get a lot better and put forward their best effort against the Buckeyes, says he’s going to put in the effort to make the Wolverines bowl eligible.  In fact, he kinda promised it.

“I am going to get (my teammates) to a bowl game,” he told the Detroit News. “If it means spending 10 hours in film this week, then I am going to do it. But we are going to get them to a bowl game.”

Innocuous, but if it adds to the Hate, and if the cumulative effect of that Hate is enough to pound Michigan into submission on Saturday, then it’s a good thing.

I’ll probably put up a post for Thursday about my anxieties regarding this game, why I feel this 2009 match is unique in the Tressel era and why, should he win, it would add a lot to Tressel’s tenure as head coach.  For now, I’m just trying to drum up some Hate.

Two Minutes Hate

Yes, I’m going overboard with the 1984 references.  Yes, I can do that.  It’s my blog.

Nevertheless, it’s time to watch something — and something with a duration of 2 minutes or less — that will contribute more Hate towards the enemy.  The offering for this post will be the famed M Club banner incident from the 1973 game.

Many of you have seen it and probably already know about it.  It’s been on YouTube.  As far as I know, my copy is from the 1973 ABC broadcast of the game and, thus, was called as Bill Flemming and Duffy Daugherty saw it.  From what I can tell, there was an interruption in service in getting back from commercials to the ABC Sports broadcast.  As such, you don’t get to see the banner tear down “live”, but you start from the aftermath and eventually see it on replay.

If you want to see the same thing, but with more hysterics, there’s always Bob Ufer.  That “dastardly fate” that Ufer speaks of? A 42-21 thrashing of USC in the Rose Bowl.  Wish you were here?

The 1973 Ohio State football team — led by luminaries like Randy Gradishar, John Hicks, Fred Pagac, Rick Middleton, and Vic Koegel among many others — contributed their part¹.  You must add to the Hate as well.  I encourage all Buckeye families in Ohio and disapora scattered across the United States to engage in some Hate-themed Family Home Evening-type activities.  We must all do our part.

1. Incidentally, I think TTUN learned their lesson and no longer have the M Club banner anywhere near the visiting team, let alone the Buckeyes.  That said, if they are so careless again, the first Buckeye to whip out a pair of Brutus Beefcake-styled scarlet and gray garden shears and cut that thing to pieces goes down as a hero for all time. [↩]