Ohio State’s confidence (or arrogance depending on who you ask) was on full display prior to kickoff against Michigan on Nov. 30. As pre-game was winding down, Buckeye players crowded the Wolverines’ sideline, jawing at their rivals as they exited the field toward their locker room.

We all know what happened next.

Ohio State’s display, led by defensive end Jack Sawyer, ended up just being all talk and chauvinism, as Michigan went on to shock the Buckeyes and the college football world in a 13-10 upset in ‘The Game’.

A little over two months later, Wolverine defensive end Derrick Moore revealed what he and his teammates thought of the Buckeyes’ pregame antics during an appearance on the “Blue by Ninety” podcast.

“They just kinda sat right there, staring at us, talking trash. And it was just like, ‘Who do y’all think y’all are? We’re not scared of y’all, anything like that.’ When we got back into the locker room, you could just feel the energy,” Moore said.

Ohio State’s show of confidence had the opposite-desired effect. Instead of intimidating Michigan, it just fired the Wolverines up further.

“Everyone was in there turnt — everybody, all the way to the coaches,” Moore said. “You would’ve thought the game was already at halftime, but it was pregame. When we came out through the tunnel, it was no turning back from there. You could hear the music blasting, and you look around and it’s all of your brothers. We’re walking into enemy territory, and it’s just like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is a good feeling.’ 

“One thing about playing in that stadium, it just feels different. Going out, it felt like a great moment. It felt so great. From the snap of the ball, we just knew we had ‘em.”

That self-assurance stayed intact throughout the game, even in some of the most dire moments for the Maize and Blue, like when quarterback Davis Warren through an interception down by the goal line with the Wolverines looking to grab the lead in a 10-10 tie.

Despite the shock of that moment, Moore said Michigan linebacker Ernest Hausmann rallied the defense amidst the sudden change.

“He gathered the whole defense up, and he was like, ‘This is our moment right here. We don’t care about anything. We’re not gonna put this on the offense. We don’t care that there was just an interception. We’re gonna go out here, we’re gonna get the ball back for the offense,'” Moore said.

“Right then and there, I feel like at that moment I looked into everybody’s eyes, and nobody was worried, nobody was pointing fingers, nobody was like, ‘Ah, man.’ We were really locked in together, and staying committed to going back out there and getting the ball back for our offense. That’s exactly what we did.”

Michigan’s defense forced Ohio State into a three-and-out, getting the ball back to the offense for the eventual game-winning series. Wolverine kicker Dominic Zvada put Michigan in the lead for good with a 21-yard field goal with just 45 seconds remaining.

“I remember when I got back to the sideline, I think it was [running back] ]. He was like, ‘We got y’all, man. We’re gonna make sure we get this in the end zone.’ They didn’t get it in the end zone or anything like that, but one thing about Zvada is he’s gonna get it.

“And then we went back out there again on that last final down. Before Ohio State came out, we all huddled up and we just said, ‘Man, this is our last one, man. We’re gonna make it special. Don’t let them get anything.’”

Ohio State managed just four plays and one yard on their final series of the game, during which Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale gave his unit one last message before the upset was complete.

“The play before the last final play, Coach Wink called a timeout,” Moore said. “He had been telling us all season, we’re built for this moment. This year’s gonna be different, a lot of things. He just said, ‘Y’all are prepared for this moment, y’all are ready for this moment. Now go out there and make a stop and let us get out of this trash stadium.’”

Michigan’s defense got the stop, the Wolverines’ planted their ‘Block M’ flag at midfield of ‘the Shoe’ and left Columbus with their fourth straight victory over the Buckeyes.

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