Revenge is on the minds of the Ohio State Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps’ football team. Last year in the 15th annual game against University of Michigan NROTC’s football team, the controversial end result was heart wrenching.
“It wasn’t bitter sweet, it was just bitter,” said defensive end Mike Furlan.
With only one second left on the clock and Michigan leading 19-12, OSU threw a 60 yard pass touchdown. The game winning touchdown, however, was called back on a holding call giving UM the win and the coveted helmet trophy. Losing the trophy, painted half like a Buckeye helmet and half like a Wolverine helmet, was as painful as the game itself.
“Last years loss was extremely disappointing because (Jim) Tressel agreed to put the (Buckeye) leaf sticker on the trophy himself,” Furlan said, adding this year they are waiting until they have it in their possession to ask Tressel to do the honors.
The team’s chance to win the trophy back will come on Friday night under the lights of Lincoln Tower Turf Field with kickoff at 8 p.m. In what the NROTC calls “the game before the game,” these two football teams will face-off in a full contact game complete with a lit scoreboard, statistician, and as neutral as possible referees, said the team’s coach Morgan Ritter. After last years controversial end, the team is determined to win fair and square.
“We want to give them a legitimate pounding,” Furlan said.
The team has been practicing twice a week since the start of school to play sixty minutes of football against UM. They have a rookie quarterback who has only played in one game this season (a 50-12 win over Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course) and a defense that has mostly been scrimmaging themselves. What this team lacks in experience they make up for in passion.
“We want to beat the shit out of Michigan,” quarterback Mike Fout said. “Our defense will go out and pressure but our offense has some doubts about what it can do.”
One player who curbs Fout’s doubts is his wide receiver Ben Harris. He is a two year veteran of the team and is known as the “go to guy” by the players.
“I don’t have to be that accurate, Harris will bring (the ball) down,” the quarterback said.
The defensive pressure will come from Furlan and defensive tackle Logan Ash. Furlan is happy to have Ash on his side of the ball.
“He is a wrecking ball,” Furlan said.
Ash’s motivation is simple.
“I just like to hit people.”
With all this fuel lighting the fire between the two rivals, the players know they still must uphold military professionalism. Players from both teams are part of the bigger entity known as the United States Navy and they know each other from various training camps.
“We are all on the same team,” Furlan said. “But this is a chance to put away our friendships for a couple of hours.”
NROTC will house Michigan players Friday night and invite them to a tailgate on Saturday. Ritter said the unit cleans the Ohio Stadium after every home game and the money from that to covers their expenses. Despite the etiquette the NROTC must show, Furlan reiterated that this game is “one more chance to stick it to Michigan.”
