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Jake Butt, JJ McCarthy talk Michigan-Ohio State, lessons from 2022 win

The two former Wolverines discuss the advantages that can come from playing on the road in a hostile environment...

Matt Lounsberry

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Michigan football has enjoyed a three-year run of success over bitter rival Ohio State, but enters this season's rendition of 'The Game' in a bt of unfamiliar territory.

For the first time since 2017, the Wolverines are unranked heading into the greatest rivalry in all of sports. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, sit at No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and are favored by a whopping 21 points this weekend. Ohio State also has the luxury of playing within the friendly confines of the Horseshoe.

However, two former Wolverines don't necessarily believe that going on the road to Columbus is an inherent disadvantage for the Maize and Blue. In a recent episode of 'The L.A.B.', podcast host and former tight end Jake Butt sat down with quarterback J.J. McCarthy to discuss the rivalry game and reflect on Michigan's 45-23 victory over Ohio State in 2022.

"I always enjoyed playing on the road," Butt said. "it just felt like it was an untapped source of energy. Like, you can draw on — like, if you can take their energy and capture it, like, that gives you more energy."

McCarthy agreed.

"100 percent," the quarterback said. "I believe, playing on the road, there's a lot of things like that that you can take advantage of. Anytime you're in a setting that's unknown, that's foreign, your immediate instincts, flight or flight, are turned up, ready to go. So, that's another advantage I think you get from playing on the road, especially in a hostile environment like 'the Shoe'."

What can current Michigan quarterback Davis Warren and the rest of the Wolverines expect from the Buckeye faithful on Saturday?

"It's going to be loud on third down. They're gonna, you know, flick you off on the way there to the locker room. Do all of that stuff. You see the X's crossed out, but all that is just jazz, glitz and glamour for the fans," McCarthy said. "At the end of the day, strap 'em up, smell the dirt, lets play ball."

Ignoring the outside noise is a lesson McCarthy said he learned from former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert, who following Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. Herbert's former second-in-command, Justin Tress, is Michigan's current strength coach.

"It doesn't matter where you are," McCarthy said. "That's something that I learned from Coach Herb. You know, that was one of the biggest lessons — anytime, anyplace. Like, yeah, it's cliche, but like it does not matter. It could be snowing, it could be raining, it could be 102, it could be in the Horseshoe, it could be in the freaking parking lot. We're going to strap it up and we're going to give you our best."

Kickoff between Michigan and Ohio State is scheduled for Noon ET with FOX carrying the televised broadcast of the 120th playing of 'The Game'.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 37, Michigan 6

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