‘Hater’ Kris Jenkins felt bad for Ohio State’s bowl loss: ‘That ain’t the team we played’

Michigan football enjoyed its third straight victory over Ohio State in “The Game” this season, allowing the Wolverines to earn a third straight Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth.

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes followed up that loss with a 14-3 defeat in the Cotton Bowl to No. 9 Missouri, one in which all-world receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. opted out and second-string quarterback Devin Brown was injured. (Starter Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse before the game). The loss dropped the Buckeyes to 11-2 on the season.

But at least one Michigan player felt bad the Buckeyes suffered yet another loss in their 2023 college football season. Wolverines defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, who had five tackles in a closely contested 30-24 win over Ohio State, told reporters on Saturday it was “rough” watching the Buckeyes lose the Cotton Bowl, pointing to the fact they were undermanned against Missouri.

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“Yeah, no, I didn’t like that at all,” Jenkins told reporters of the Buckeyes’ loss. “That wasn’t the team we played. I mean, I’m a hater, so I don’t really like to see them win, but I don’t want to see them go out like that, either. That was rough.”

Without two of its top offensive playmakers, Ryan Day’s offense struggled to a paltry 203 yards and three points, the lowest scoring total of his tenure in Columbus. The defense held the Tigers’ normally potent offense scoreless through three quarters before giving up two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the defeat.

The Cotton Bowl was one of several bowl game meetings between the Big Ten and SEC, including the Peach Bowl (Penn State vs. Ole Miss), Music City Bowl (Maryland vs. Auburn), Citrus Bowl (Iowa vs. Tennessee), ReliaQuest Bowl (Wisconsin vs. LSU) and, of course, the Rose Bowl semifinal between Michigan and Alabama.

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It’s uncertain whether Jenkins’ sentiment toward Ohio State is widespread on Michigan’s team, but it seems as if he at least is willing to support the Big Ten this bowl season — a notion that’s undoubtedly easier to stomach when the Wolverines aren’t playing their hated rivals.

(That said, Michigan fans might enjoy the Tigers’ use of the block ‘M’ to troll Ohio State after the game).