“It's Worse”: Caleb Downs Reveals His Biggest Pet Peeve About Ohio State's Michigan Rivalry Culture
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Nothing matches the intensity of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. The head coaches feel the pressure of winning every year; the fan bases can’t stand each other, and then there is the overall pettiness that comes with hating your rival. Famously, Woody Hayes refused to stop at a Michigan gas station during a recruiting visit because he didn’t want to give “this state a nickel of my money!”
Yet to former Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, there are more important things to him than just winning ‘The Game’. During his appearance on the June 2 episode of the St. Brown podcast, the matter came to light when the hosts asked Downs to pick the “bigger game” between the national championship and Michigan.
“For the fans, probably Michigan,” said Downs. “For me, winning a national championship. There’s nothing else to accomplish in college.”
“After we won the natty in my sophomore year, there were definitely people that came up to me after, like, ‘So that wasn’t a great season,’0″ Downs recalled. I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ But it was what it was. It’s worse at Ohio State because they refuse to say the name Michigan. They X out all the Ms. I’m like, ‘Bro, we got to go play a normal football game. We can’t do this every time.'”
But that said, Downs is not the only one who feels this way. His former coach Nick Saban would also agree.
“I said it last year, these Ohio State fans, they’re psychotic about this, man,” Saban said in November last year. “They all need to go to see the doctor someplace. I’d rather win the national championship than beat Michigan. That’s just me, all right? Although I’d love to beat Michigan, don’t get me wrong.”
Notably, the no-name-calling custom was introduced by the legendary coach Woody Hayes by addressing Michigan as ‘The Team Up North.’
Well, Hayes will probably be happy to know what his team was finally able to defeat ‘The Team Up North’ after a four-season skid.
The Game, which happened on November 29 last year, saw big performances with quarterback Julian Sayin completing 19-0f-26 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns, wide receiver Carnell Tate leading the team with five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown, and Jeremiah Smith recording three receptions for 49 yards and a TD.
Buckeyes’ running back Lamar Jackson also rushed for 117 yards on 22 carries, while linebacker Sonny Styles led the team with six tackles. Downs, on the other hand, finished with three tackles and a pass breakup.
“I can’t describe how much that win meant to coach Day,” the safety had noted on his Downs 2 Business podcast in December last year to brother Josh Downs. “And everybody on our team was so excited about it after after the game. Everybody was really excited, ready to celebrate.”
While that’s ironic coming from Downs, the Michigan win also served as a final feather on the cap for the player who’d achieved almost everything during his college football career.
Caleb Downs’ time being a Buckeye
Caleb Downs has been one of those talents who receive praise when they enter college and live up to all their hype. He arrived at Tuscaloosa as a highly touted recruit and became a key part of Nick Saban’s defense. As a freshman, Downs had 107 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble.
However, when Saban unexpectedly announced his retirement, Downs shifted to a head coach he had rejected a year earlier during his high school recruitment. Ryan Day and Jim Knowles got the final piece of their puzzle, and despite being a sophomore, Downs emerged as a leader in an Ohio State defense full of seniors.
Downs accomplished the national championship dream in his first season with the Buckeyes. The Alabama transfer started all 16 games, racking up 82 total tackles and 2 interceptions. However, despite winning the natty, something was amiss. In their regular-season clash, Michigan came to Columbus as a significant underdog and defeated the Buckeyes 13-10. It was the fourth straight loss for Ryan Day’s team. And even Downs heard from the fans.
However, last season, although the Buckeyes couldn’t win the national championship, Downs was incredible throughout the campaign. He recorded 68 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 sack, and 2 interceptions in Matt Patricia’s NFL-style defense. And it didn’t come as a surprise when he was picked by the Cowboys. Rather, the former Buckeye should have gone higher.
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