ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan coach Sherrone Moore wears his cap low, but he can’t hide the bleary eyes under his bill at the postgame podium.
He looks like he’s been crying. No surprise. When Moore dons the Wolverines headset, he bares his soul into the mic. When he first emerged from Michigan’s locker room on Saturday afternoon, he chest-bumped players and urged the Big House crowd to bring noise.
And when emotion fuels The Game, as it has over the last four seasons, Moore fits Michigan like his linemen fit Buckeye run plays.
But when talent wins out, as it did during Ohio State’s 27-9 win vs. UM on Saturday, Moore loses his rivalry aura. The Buckeyes widen the holes in his resume. You start to see him differently, and not just due to dried tears.
“It stings. Everybody stings,” Moore said Saturday. “You sting for the seniors, sting for the program. When we’re in this 24/7, when you’re in this for 365, this hurts. And you work tirelessly to make this be successful.
“… I’ll put it on me. I always put stuff on me and, (we will) self-reflect, self-look at what we need to fix, see what we need to do.”
Welcome to Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s world, minus the cushion earned by piling accomplishments next to a pair of gold pants. Over the last four years — and particularly the fourth — Moore and Michigan have made their names invalidating the Buckeyes’ would-be bullet proof resume. For every Buckeye bullet point, his Wolverines offered a rebuttal.
OSU won 12 games per season, but …
It made two College Football Playoff appearances, but …
It won the national championship (!) last season, but …
The Buckeyes — particularly Day — still couldn’t beat Michigan.
Now the rabbit has the gold pants, and he was already faster and stronger. Even sans Saturday’s win, Ohio State owns the nation’s longest active winning streak. It boasts the best gambling odds to win the national championship (again), and Day has built this program to sustain success.
Meanwhile, Michigan follows a blueprint designed to, um, good question.
What is Michigan football (and its coach) without the rivalry win?
Let’s self-reflect. In the two full seasons since Harbaugh left, Moore has won 17 games total, and 12 in conference play. Those numbers rank fifth (tied with Illinois) and fourth (tied with Iowa), in the Big Ten, respectively, since UM celebrated its third straight conference title in 2023. And they’ve only pushed Moore as close to the Playoff as his Wolverines crept toward Ohio State on Saturday.
Read: Not close and/or not good enough. Even Moore would tell you as much.
“… Nine wins is great a lot of places, but we want to be better,” Moore said.
To be fair, he inherited a barren quarterback room last season and a young roster this season. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood (8 of 18, 63 yards passing) represents both Michigan’s frustrating present and promising future. So does first-year receiver Andrew Marsh (0 targets Saturday), who broke the program’s freshman receiving yards record without real playing time until Week 5.
Add next season’s 11th-ranked recruiting class, and you can see the momentum building.
“I think he tried to keep the culture the same (as Harbaugh’s), and I think he’s done a great job so far,” senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder said. “And I think (today is) just on the players. I don’t think that had to do with anything that happened out there today. It just came down to execution.”
And talent. And temperament. Over the last four years — and particularly the fourth — Moore and Michigan dragged the Buckeyes into a street fight, where culture and emotion can meet talent. Over three hours on Saturday, however, Moore’s program looked behind.
The rabbit is faster, more accomplished and, apparently, moving past its Michigan mental block. The Wolverine lost its claws and its rebuttal in the same afternoon.
And without his rivalry glow, Moore’s own resume looks blurrier through two seasons than it appeared. No, those aren’t the tears blocking his accomplishments. They are tiers, as in how many Michigan has dropped since Moore took over.
Fall far enough, and blue-blood fans start tapping their feet. Just ask Day, who placed his rival in a familiar bind after Saturday’s streak breaker.
Going forward, Moore must either beat Ohio State or win something bigger. Because fans and boosters can’t hide their emotions, either.
