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By Cameron Kiszla
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"The Game" could be losing some of its spark.
In recent days, new Michigan Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham has said he doesn't hate Ohio State.
Now, his quarterback is taking a similar stance.
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Speaking with John Fanta of NBC Sports, Wolverines passer Bryce Underwood addressed his own view of one of the top rivalries in the sport.
“It’s just another game,” Underwood said. “Just, we’re guys in a different color. That’s how I see it.”
He did admit that the loss from last season stings.
In that matchup, Ohio State won 27-9, and Underwood was 8-for-18 passing for only 63 yards. He had no touchdowns and threw an interception too.
Underwood said college football is "more mentally taxing than it is physically," explaining that it's an all-around sport, and he said The Game is no different.
"It's a blessing to be in, very physical. Like I said, it's all-around taxing, mentally, physically — you've got to stay strong mentally, you've got to stay strong physically. You can't quit. You can't give up," he said.
Perhaps most notably, Underwood did not engage in the animosity that has historically characterized the rivalry.
Ohio State, for instance, typically crosses out the letter M during rivalry week, with some going so far as to refuse to call Michigan by its name, instead calling it "that team up north," or TTUN.
The year before Underwood arrived, the teams actually engaged in a scuffle at midfield after the visiting Wolverines — a heavy underdog — bested the eventual national champion Buckeyes and planted the Michigan flag at midfield.
Maybe Whittingham, Underwood and the Wolverines are just trying to turn the temperature down, or perhaps they feel they'll have an advantage by staying level-headed while their opponent gets emotional.
It's hard to say until The Game gets here, but as Whittingham previously said, the Wolverines definitely want to win.
“I’ve learned how intense that rivalry is, how important the game is,” Whittingham said. “Hate’s a strong word, but I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor. I just think that a rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor. I don’t think there’s any place for that, personally. I think [Ohio State coach] Ryan Day’s a good person. To sit here and say, ‘I hate Ryan Day,’ I’d be making crap up.”
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