Not since the tortoise and the hare has a race been this famous.
The bobble heads of Eddie George, Chris Spielman and Archie Griffin will take the field one last time at the Michigan game, with one surprise guest.
“A former Michigan coach will pop up somewhere in the scene,” said Craig Brown, Ohio Stadium scoreboard manager. “It’ll be exciting because the bobble heads always get the biggest response from the stadium.”
Other new animated surprises are planned for the big game, and the scoreboard animation staff is hard at work putting finishing touches on graphics.
A “Buckeye Express” train will blast through the jerseys of all 12 teams Ohio State has beaten this year. If the Buckeyes win, the train will confront a Michigan jersey and demolish it as well.
“The theme of the locomotive will be ‘All Aboard the Buckeye Express,’ ” said Jake Aukeman, a senior in computer science engineering and creator of the animation. “I’m making two versions, one with Michigan to use when we win, and a generic one in case we lose.”
Aukeman produced two scoreboard classics – “The Simpsons ” characters Duffman and Chief Wiggum – that will run on Saturday.
Along with its jersey, Michigan’s mascot will also meet a disastrous fate.
“There will be a scene showing a cooked Wolverine,” Brown said. “The scoreboard will read ‘Wolverine, The Other White Meat.’ “
Woody Hayes will make an appearance too, as he points at and zaps a Michigan player in Zeus-like fashion.
Another graphic will proclaim, “The best thing about living in Michigan is being so close to Ohio,” Brown said. “It’s just for the big game against Michigan that we have stuff referring to our opponent.”
Scoreboard animators said they don’t mind the extra work.
“Everyone wants to have something new for the Michigan game,” said Sherri Shmitz, assistant scoreboard manager. “It’s great to be around people who are so pumped up and know you have a little piece of that.”
Shmitz is working on her own graphic to be played after OSU makes a tackle. The “Nice Hit” animation will show a Michigan player getting beaten up, Shultz said.
Scoreboard animators have to be careful of what they show and when they show it.
“We’ve had to pull some animations,” Brown said. “We don’t want to send the wrong message, so we have to watch what we run.”
Operators must also be careful to keep the scoreboard still during play so as not to distract the players.
Three to four animations can be shown between each play, which totals more than 100 different scenes per game, Brown said.
Because so many animations are run, fans should expect to see old crowd-pleasers along with the new.
The dancing referees, monkey downs and hell’s bells are scheduled to be played as usual.
OSU students have their favorites and many said they can’t wait to see anti-Michigan animation.
“I sit in south stands, so I can’t always see the board,” said Billy Lowry, a junior in turf and grass management technology. “But I always turn around for the bobble head race.”
Jon Saxon, a junior in electrical engineering, is also excited about the animations.
“I just want to see some Michigan players begging for mercy on that screen,” Saxon said.
