COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Urban Meyer remembers his mother bundling him up against the cold and whisking him out of the house to introduce him to what would one day be a major event in his life.”She said we have to go run an errand or something. She looked like she was out of her mind,” he said, grinning at the thought of his first Michigan-Ohio State game. ”We went to some outdoor area, like a mall. They were playing The Game’ over the loudspeakers. And I’ll never forget that as long as I live, listening to (former Buckeyes) Pete Johnson and Archie Griffin and the boys.”From an early age, kids in Ohio and Michigan are tutored in what happens every year in late November in the cold of a massive stadium on either side of the state line. The tales of past games are legend: Bo Schembechler being carried off the field in ’69, the Snow Bowl in ’50, even Tyvis Powell’s game-saving interception in a 42-41 Ohio State win a year ago.The bitter rivals – if you doubt that, remember three players were tossed out last year for fighting – meet for the 111th time when the Wolverines (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) try to salvage their season and coach Brady Hoke’s job when they take on the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-0, No. 6 CFP).No. 7 Ohio State is playing to remain in the national championship picture.Hoke, like Meyer, also grew up in Ohio and was steeped in the traditions of the annual showdown.”Winning that last game always means a lot,” he said. ”I do not think there is ever a time where it has not meant something. You want to be able to go back and say, My senior year we beat Ohio.”Here are some things to watch for at Ohio Stadium:BARRETT MANIA: Back in August when QB Braxton Miller went down for the year with a shoulder injury, Buckeyes fans expected the worse. They’ve gotten the best.J.T. Barrett, a freshman, has been a godsend, setting Ohio State records for TD passes (33) and total offense (3,507 yards).But Barrett has never played in The Game, which makes some rookies’ knees buckle.”I know what rivalry games are like,” he said…
Continue Reading: Michigan, Ohio State both risk a lot in The Game
