thelantern.com @TheLantern Ohio State Marching Band looks to soak in the moment in 118th edition of ‘The Game’ The historic rivalry football game be- tween Ohio State and Michigan hasn’t been played in Ohio Stadium since 2018, and while it’s a dream come to life for many football players, there are other performers for whom this will be their first, or last time, playing the Michigan game in the ‘Shoe. The Ohio State Marching Band is re- nowned for its performances during games, and for many members, Nov. 26 will be the first time performing “The Game” in front of a home crowd. Crosbee Lisser, a fourth-year in music education and psychology who plays the mello- phone, said she’s looking forward to the atmosphere of Ohio Stadium and hopes to add to the “home team advantage” brought by the fans. “I’m really excited to just play for all the fans at halftime,” Lisser said. “It’s go- ing to feel like we’re a part of that day. I think that’s what’s going to be really special, all the fans are going to come all riled up for this rivalry.” Lisser is one of many members of the program, also known as “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” who has performed during the rivalry game in Michigan Stadium, but not the ‘Shoe. The football teams were scheduled to play in Colum- bus in 2020, but Michigan canceled the matchup as a result of rising COVID-19 cases within the program. Avery Voress, a fifth-year in zoology and sousaphone player, said the atmo- sphere he experienced in Ohio Stadium during his first year was unlike anything he’s experienced since. “Playing at home against Michigan, that was the loudest I think I’ve ever heard Ohio Stadium,” Voress said. “You know, everybody hates Michigan. But playing at home and then getting the win, and everybody storming the field, that was just amazing. That was a great experience.” STEVEN KISHPAUGH Lantern Asst. Sports Editor ZACHARY RILLEY | PHOTO EDITOR Band members celebrate an Ohio State touchdown during then-No. 3 Ohio State’s 77-21 win over Toledo Sept. 17. Voress will have the honor of dotting the ‘i’ Nov. 26 for the performance of “Script Ohio.” He said although the band has several performances before the Michigan game, he knows the prepara- tion leading up is going to be intense. For band members like Voress, the performance in the Michigan game is the final time they will perform in front of an Ohio State crowd. He said he gets the same “nerve wracking” feeling ev- ery time he walks down the ramp, but he wants his final game to be perfect. “I think that upcoming game, it’s defi- nitely going to be reminiscent of the very first game,” Voress said. “Just because it’s my last one, I want it to be perfect. And I’m dotting the ‘i,’ and that needs to be perfect.” Christopher Hoch, the director of Marching and Athletic Bands, said the band focuses on one routine for each performance. But specifically for the upcoming Michigan game Nov. 26, the preparation is more intensive because of Ohio State’s Thanksgiving break week, giving the band half the normal time to work with. “We take every performance that we do very seriously,” Hoch said. “Everything is kicked up a notch because this game means everything to Ohio State fans, it means everything to us and it means ev- erything to the team. It’s special.” Lisser is playing her first home per- formance in the next rendition of “The Game,” and knows she and other fellow band members take pride in the reputa- tion they’ve built and want to put on their best performance. She believes practice for rivalry week will be “the most intense challenge I’ve ever had as a band person.” Despite that, she thinks the atmo- sphere will be incredible, even more so coming off last season’s loss. “I’m looking forward to the atmo- sphere,” Lisser said. “I’ve been looking forward to that my entire marching sea- son. Getting to be in the stadium with all of those fans and getting to be a part of the whole rivalry. But having the home field advantage, I think is going to be amazing.” Hoch also said while it will be a chal- lenging week, he wants his students to soak in the moments in the stadium. For those whose final home performance will be Nov. 26, they will want to work extra hard to make it special, he said. “You will remember that performance for the rest of your life,” Hoch said. “You’ll remember this game, that moment, your last time putting on the uniform in Ohio Stadium, and you’ll remember that for- ever.” Block ‘O’ making sure to ‘dot our I’s and cross our T’s’ for first rivalry game in Columbus since 2018 Most Ohio State students haven’t wit- nessed “The Game” between the Buck- eyes and Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Sam King, a fourth-year in neurosci- ence and vice president of the Block “O” student section, traveled to Ann Ar- bor during his freshman year in 2019 and watched Ohio State play Michigan. He said the excitement built for when he could see “The Game” take place on campus as a student in Columbus for the 2020 season. But the COVID-19 pandemic sent plans astray. Not only could fans not witness the 2020 rivalry meeting, but “The Game” didn’t take place at all, as increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases among the Wolverines’ program forced its cancella- tion, snapping a streak of 102 years. “I was just kind of disappointed,” King said. “Excited to see it on our home turf — and then have our hopes dashed.” JACOB BENGE Lantern Sports Editor Block “O” plans to pack the stands at Ohio Stadium Nov. 26 for the first meet- ing between Ohio State and Michigan in the ‘Shoe since 2018. Yusty Sanchez, a fifth-year in commu- nication technology and Block “O” foot- ball director, recalled when the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines 62-39 during his first year at Ohio State. Sitting in Block “O” North and storming the field after the game, Sanchez said he could sense the pressure on campus before “The Game” in 2018. “I can’t really put words together to ex- plain what that game feels like there in the ‘Shoe,” Sanchez said. “That Monday, everyone’s here on campus, but you feel the tension in the air. Tuesday, Wednes- day, Thursday, campus kind of dies. It be- comes a ghost town. It’s really eerie just because of Thanksgiving, and then you see people slowly coming back Friday and then game day.” Four hours before kickoff, the Block “O” student section arrives at Ohio Sta- dium and sets up the traditional card stunts, which collectively display a thematic image and has been tradition since the organization’s founding in 1938. Sanchez said they’re among the first inside on game day. Preparation begins long before game day, Mackenzie Swartz, a fourth-year in psychology and president of Block “O,” said. Come game week, Block “O” takes part in the Rivalry Run 2022 on campus Nov. 20 with a 1- and 3-mile course beginning near the RPAC, Swartz said. Block “O” will also partner with the Student-Alum- ni Council and Ohio Staters to hold a ri- valry rally at the Ohio Union Nov. 21. “It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime op- portunity for people — at least my year. This will be our only chance as students,” Swartz said. “You can already hear peo- ple start talking about it, how excited they are, so I can’t wait. I think that week is just going to be electric.” Both Ohio State and Michigan are on track to meet in Columbus with playoff implications, as both placed among the top-five teams in the first two College Football Playoff rankings. With high stakes and as bitter of a ri- valry, King said he can sense emotions trending in a particular direction come time to take part in “The Game” in per- son. “Everyone’s really excited,” King said. “All season, just kind of building up, espe- cially with Michigan and Ohio State both being very good teams this year.” Sanchez said preparation for Nov. 26 will be “business as usual” for the student section. Overseeing both the Block “O” North and South sections, Sanchez said excite- ment continues to build as Ohio State students get closer to witnessing “The Game” on campus for the first time in four years. “For us, it won’t be any different,” San- chez said. “It’s just making sure that we kind of dot our i’s and cross our t’s and make sure that from our perspective, we’re ready to go. Whether that’s the card stunt, any other logistics that we have for that game in particular, just so that when it’s kickoff, we’re rocking and rolling for that game.” Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022 | The Lantern | 5