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November 25, 2015 - Image 8

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily

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They joined
Michigan fans
at Forest Hill

Cemetery

By MAX COHEN

Managing Sports Editor

Jeff
Holzhausen
laughed

when
he
heard
that
Jim

Harbaugh might be interested
in joining his yearly tradition.

Each
year
since
1997,

Holzhausen has gathered a

group of Michigan fans to walk
to the graves of former Michigan
announcer Bob Ufer and former
Michigan coach Fielding Yost
before the Wolverines play Ohio
State. Former Michigan coach
Bo Schembechler’s grave was
added in 2007 after he passed
away before the Ohio State game
in 2006.

But never had there been

a participant of Harbaugh’s
stature.

Holzhausen first heard of

Harbaugh’s interest in attending
six weeks ago, but he didn’t
fully
believe
the
Michigan

football coach would actually
show up until he did. His
appearance meant a great deal
to Holzhausen.

“You’re going to tell me the

guy’s a flight risk to the NFL
when on a Tuesday night before
the biggest game of the year, he’s
out here?” Holzhausen said.

Holzhausen estimated that

200 people showed up to the
Forest Hill Cemetery Tuesday
night. Harbaugh joined in right
as the group arrived at the grave
of Schembechler, his former
college coach.

When
Harbaugh
arrived,

Holzhausen said, he spoke a
few words about Schembechler.
He attributed all of his success
to things he learned from
Schembechler, and discussed
how much his college coach
meant to him.

Then Holzhausen handed

Harbaugh a maize and blue
hammer and a buckeye nut.
It has been a tradition for
Holzhausen and his friends
to smash a buckeye nut when
they tailgate before Michigan
football games, and they did
the same thing when they first
walked
to
Schembechler’s

grave in 2007. Harbaugh joined
their ranks in the tradition
Tuesday.

But after Harbaugh left and

much of the crowd dispersed,
there was one more surprise
visitor for Holzhausen. That
was Michigan
fifth-year
senior
quarterback
Jake Rudock,
who
also

showed up at
the cemetary.
As a transfer
to
Michigan,

he had never
taken part in
the tradition,
but his father told him about it
when they talked on the phone
Monday.

“My dad had found out about

it and said it’s just a pretty cool
thing,”
Rudock
said.
“He’s

never heard of
anything like
that.”

Rudock has

made his mark
on
Michigan

history
in

his lone year
playing for the
Wolverines,
becoming
the
first

quarterback

in team history to throw for
more than 250 yards in three
consecutive games Saturday. But
while he’s in Ann Arbor, Rudock

has also taken the opportunity
to learn about Michigan history.
His family members frequently
tell him new facts, and he hears
tidbits from fans as well.

Tuesday
night,
Rudock

got to experience the history
firsthand.
He
walked
to

Schembechler’s grave, and like
Harbaugh, smashed the buckeye
nut.

Rudock then walked with

Holzhausen and the group to
the graves of Ufer and Yost. The
fans in attendance made sure
to watch out for Rudock when
he walked on the icy trail of the
cemetery, just days before the
biggest game of his career.

“If
Jake
slips,
someone

throw yourself under him,” one
member of the group joked.

Rudock paid his respects

at the graves before heading
back to the rigor of game week.
Holzhausen was impressed by
both Harbaugh and Rudock
during the tradition.

“Both of them, it talks about

their commitment to Michigan,
their
love
of
Michigan,”

Holzhausen said.

After the coach and his

quarterback showed up, it will
not be difficult for Holzhausen
to rank his favorite moments
from the 19-year tradition.

“1A and 1B,” he said.

8A — Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Harbaugh, Rudock participate in annual grave walk

LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily

Jake Rudock learned a little bit about Michigan history when he attended the annual grave walk Tuesday night.

“My dad found
out about it and
it’s just a pretty

cool thing.”

Wolverines look for better
defense against Ohio State

By JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

Six weeks ago, Michigan

coach Jim Harbaugh reached
into his bank of allusions for a
motivational tool. That week, the
Wolverines took on Michigan
State, which had dominated
them for the previous two years
by an average of 23.5 points.

Harbaugh urged his team

to move past that history,
referencing a quote from “The
Lion King”: “The past can hurt.
You can either run from it, or
embrace it and learn from it.”

Fast forward to this week,

when the No. 10 Michigan
football team (6-1 Big Ten, 9-2
overall) hosts Ohio State, and the
quote applies again — especially
for Michigan’s defense. The
Wolverines have kept the past
two meetings with the Buckeyes
close, losing on a last-minute
two-point conversion in 2013

and falling behind only late in
the game last season. But the
defense has been the issue,
allowing 42 points in each of
those games.

“You can’t worry about the

past,” said junior safety Dymonte
Thomas. “The past is the past for
a reason. The only thing you can
do is look forward, so the only
thing we’re looking forward to is
the game Saturday.”

The Buckeyes have averaged

471 yards in the past two games
against Michigan, including 313
on the ground at 7.4 per carry.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett broke
his foot in last year’s game, but
only after totaling 265 yards
and three touchdowns. He will
be back under center against
Michigan on Saturday.

“But this year, we’re a new

team,” Thomas said. “We’ve got
a new coaching staff. And we’ve
got a lot of players stepping it up
this year.”

While the Buckeyes gashed

two solid Michigan defenses in
the past two years, this year’s
edition is even better. Despite
struggles against opponents such
as Minnesota and Indiana in the
second half of the season, the
Wolverines appear to be back on
track after a strong performance
at Penn State. They’re focused on
replicating games like those, not
specifically on improving from
two
lackluster
performances

against Ohio State.

“If we do our techniques and

our fundamentals, it’s kind of
hard to beat us,” said senior
safety Jarrod Wilson. “So we’re
just worried about ourselves.”

Neither the coaches nor the

players have discussed past
games against the Buckeyes,
according to Wilson, but they
still have their keys to this
week’s game.

They have to limit Ohio State’s

“explosive players,” as Wilson
called them: Barrett, running
back Ezekiel Elliott and wide
receivers Michael Thomas and
Braxton Miller. In preparation
for Saturday’s game, Michigan
watched different clips of every
game the Buckeyes have played
this season.

That
practice
helps
the

Wolverines stay focused on
this week, though no game of
the rivalry exists in a vacuum.
Wilson, who is from Akron,
Ohio, still talks to former players
about their careers. Their record
against Ohio State is always one
of the first topics to come up.
Wilson, meanwhile, is 0-3, which
gives him extra motivation for
Senior Day on Saturday.

“It’s always an extra edge —

one last time to give it all I got
and hopefully come out with a
win,” he said.

Recent history is not on

Wilson’s side, but that’s only
history. The Wolverines are
confident this year will be
different.

“Of
course,”
said
junior

defensive end Taco Charlton.
“That’s why we’re playing. It’s a
new year, new game.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Jarrod Wilson and Michigan’s defense will look to improve against Ohio State.

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