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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. When you turn the ball over, really, three drives in a row, it's like, all right. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Picked off in the end zone by Carolina.
Intercepted by Hornigan. Today's guests: Michigan head coach Sharon Moore, comedian Jim Gaffigan. Fox Sports NFL analyst Mark Schleret. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Yeah.
Time for another program right here on the Rich Eisen Show. All three hours seen on Disney Plus, the ESPN app, heard on ESPN radio. Radio presented by Progressive Insurance Sirius XM Channel 80 listeners. Hello to all of you. It's going to be a fun Tuesday in our neighborhood with a dozen National Football League weeks now in the books.
And we turn our attention to the Thanksgiving triple header. And then we have a big-time contest on Friday between the Eagles and the Bears. And then. It's unlike the proverbial Kong o' donkey. In the big house.
when it's a Michigan-Ohio State contest once again. High noon on Fox. And Sheryl and Moore will be joining us on this program in about 18 minutes' time. And um My goal is to do no harm. No harm.
at all, but to give you a sense of what's going on and uh One of the teams involved in this program just happens to be my alamater, whose win-loss record affects me emotionally. And so, Sharon Moore will join us on this program. Always fun to have Mark Schlerith on on a Tuesday. It's an overreaction Monday on a Tuesday. Jim Gaffigan in studio and hour number three.
And talk about just hitting directly on something that he's doing business-wise. You know, he's got his own bourbon line, right?
So he's doing an entire stand-up set about bourbon and drinking bourbon. That's what you do. That's what you do. Father Time Bourbon's own Jim Gaffigan in studio and hour number three. It's always a fun time.
Hour two. Oh, pardon me. Hour two. That's right. We've got hour two for him, and then Schlerith and hour three.
You threw out 844-204, Rich number. I'll go to see you over there, Chris for Brad. Do you like that your game is right off the bat? Oh, God, do I ever. 9 a.m.
Oh, my God. You do like that. I might have to take something on Friday night to make sure I don't wake up too early. And then I'm not part. I don't like watching the pregame hype.
I just can't do it. I don't want it, don't need it. And the only thing that's longer than waiting for the game are the freaking commercial breaks that Fox constantly jams in there of three and a half dude every network does excuse me three and a half minutes yes three and a half minutes long three and a half minutes Mike I was at I was at a big noon Fox game in Ann Arbor Michigan versus Wisconsin and the number of times that guy with his twirling sign came out and put three and a half minutes on the clock or three oh five red hat on the sideline I wanted to throw the Red Hat out of this stadium. I hate the Red Hat. The games take four hours.
They do. It's absurd. Anyway, Mike Del Tufo is here. The Fox apologist, Mike Del Tufo, is here. Good to see you.
From sports to news, Mike Del Tufo is here. Apologizing for Fox. That's okay. They're the ones who give you your pension plan and all that stuff. Emmys, good to see you over there.
TJ Jefferson, how are you? Just two quick things. As someone who you like it when I speak with my chest. I know. It's that week for you.
As someone who hosts a pregame show, the fact that you don't want to watch a pregame is wild.
Well, it's because mine is watchable. It's wild. I'm just kidding. And number two. No, stop.
No, but I understand. If I'm leading to a one o'clock game, and it means that much to you, and I'm here talking about it, talking about it, and I understand if you don't want to watch me hype it. I get it. I get it. Also, as a lead pipe-wielding professional wildlife lead pipe.
The interview with Coach Moore is going to be completely unbiased. It's going to be journalistically and his integrity. Yes, yes. Yeah, and there'll be nothing balanced after it. What do I care?
It's that time of week. But I'm happy to say the Ohio State University and spell the letter O-H-I-O. I get the whole business. You're above that frame. But every other frame, I'm not above.
I'm beneath. I'm quite beneath. And I'm going to do my best to not, you know, drag coach into it. At any rate, that's now in 15 minutes' time. You know what?
You know how you haven't seen an old friend in a while? Yeah. And you're like, oh, that's right. I haven't seen you in a while. Yeah, I am.
And I missed you. You know, I've always enjoyed my time together, especially since I'm always there for you. Where are you going with that? You know what? No, no, no.
I missed this. I missed it. I missed it. I missed it. And for a flash last night, it returned.
It is. For a flash last night, it returned. My old friend, the conversation is: is Brock Purdy a franchise quarterback? It flashed again.
Somebody who's talking in front of a microphone today may have texted everybody in the group last night. And all caps, Mac Jones, Mac Jones watch. Watch. I was not alone in that. And by the way, I've been very pro-Purdy this year.
I just said, I kind of missed it. Man, he was terrible. I missed it. It's been a while. You know, it's been a while.
It's been a while. I guess it reared back up when he signed his $55 million a year contract. How's that looking today? And then, you know, he did throw a game-winning pass with. damn near um a torn up toe in Seattle.
Against the Seattle team that's hardly lost since then, finding Jake Tongas in the end zone. Feels like that. Jake Tonja's season occurred in week one. Yeah, no, no. And then he went away.
Then he came back too soon. Everyone's like, okay, we'll just blame it on the toe. And then he came back last week and looked really good in Arizona. And you can say, everybody looks good in Arizona. Fine.
Okay. Fine.
Sometimes you can read my mind. No, I can read all your minds because I know you represent the sports id. of our 2025 World, sometimes, Chris. I have been very pro-Purdy this season. Which is why you're so fabulous at Overreaction Monday and found Overreaction Monday on a Tuesday coming up with all the subject matters.
Well, I would stay tuned for that. I got you, but it's been a while. It's been a while. So, Purdy throws an interception. And then he throws another interception.
And then I'm And you threw another one. In a row. In a row. Yeah, in a row. In a row.
And by the way, JC Horn during that stretch. J.C. Horn became the first Carolina Panther in team history to come up with multiple. multiple interception games in a single season. He's really good, though.
He's really good. He's really good. And the Carolina Panthers were in this football game. They were in it. The fact that Purdy threw three straight interceptions is a major reason why.
Um, but so is um Christian McCaffrey. And so is Kittel, and so is Juwan Jennings. And so is The way it goes in San Francisco. They're eight and four. You are what you are.
And what they are is a team. that has now won two in a row with Brock Purdy at the quarterback spot. Purdy making the throws necessary, the runs necessary. At one point, it looked like he was dead to rights in the pocket, and he pulled the ball down and he made a play fake, got out of the pocket, made another fake. That's why Steve Young says use your legs a lot.
Steve Young knows all about that. constantly counseling Purdy to do both run and pass. Don't force it. And all three of his interceptions came on deep throws down the field. Or more air yards, all three of them, when he's under 20 air yards, 23 of 29 with a passer rating just south of 106 and a touchdown and no picks.
So Not pretty. Not pretty, but at the end of the day, McCaffrey getting it done. I called my shot again earlier this year. In the same way, I said this would be the year Matthew Stafford would make the Hall of Fame in the mind's eye of anybody else who had had doubts coming in. I think I've been proven correct on that front.
I told you Christian McCaffrey is a Hall of Famer. We're watching a Hall of Famer at work. And I understand the pushback about what uh Um his sometimes availability is and You know, I understand. I told you once upon a time, my son is in a fantasy league where somebody named their team Christian McCaffstrain. Um.
Which I think kind of sets it up. But Christian McCaffrey coming off of last season's disaster of. being healthy.
now leads the National Football League in receptions. Oh, come on. 81 of them. It's not Jackson Smith and Jigba. It's not name them.
Name them. Yeah. receptions and 1,581 scrimmage yards. That's his 10th game. Of the season in which he's had at least 100 scrimmage yards.
He's the only player with nine or more. And how about this one? This is a good one. He's got five games of 30 or more touches. Five of them.
Imagine that. Only player with multiple such games this year. The last player to have. As many games in a season with 30 or more touches. I'll give you the year.
You want to take a shot?
Okay. 2017. Is that the famous year of Billy Joel's Miami? Mike? Right?
Todd Gurley? No. Right position. Zeke? No.
You mentioned him the other day. In reference to somebody kind of surfing around on the field, like Jerry Chudi. Correct.
Okay. Correct.
And it it it it's obviously um helpful. when your quarterback's throwing interceptions and your defense. Um has suddenly become sackless, which makes sense as the uh Broadcast, Monday Night Broadcast, did show a split screen of both Nick Bosa and Fred Warner in their street clothes in a Levi Stadium suite. And their 13 sacks are the fewest. Of any team in 2025.
Nine games with one sack are fewer than most in 2025.
So these are the challenges for the 49ers moving forward, those things. They're eight and four, which isn't As good as two other teams in their division. And The good news is the team that's right above them in Seattle, they have won one game. They're already. And their last game of the year is against Seattle at home.
Should that come down to it, they split against the Rams.
So there's no tiebreak one way or the other there. They're right there in the NFC West. and they're currently in the NFC. Right there in the wild card spot, that's going to be tough for, say, Dallas to go catch him. They now have that tiebreak against Carolina, which is crucial.
They're a half game in front of the Lions, whose next game is against the six-seed Green Bay to kickoff Thanksgiving. What a huge contest that is. They're a half game. Behind Seattle.
Next game is at home against Minnesota. For Sam Donnell to make life even more miserable for the Vikings these days?
So half game behind the Bears and the Eagles, one behind the Rams. That's how tight the NFC is. Is that team that I just mentioned to you? That is a half game behind a second-placed team that's fifth in the standings. And a half game behind the teams that are currently two and three in the standings in the NFC that were playing each other on Friday, and one game.
in the lo win column, two in the loss behind a the top seed, it's it's tight. It's tight.
So the Niners have question marks, but they are what they are. And what they're going to do is go into Cleveland next to take on Shador Sanders and the Browns. That's some musty football viewing. Just to see how that one works out.
So, the Niners have got to be feeling good about themselves. They lost Purdy. Middle of the season, they've lost Bosa and they've lost Warner amongst many that they have. Had injuries, Purdy has come back. He throws a three-interception game, all in basically, not basically in three drives.
By the way, he's the only quarterback to have A three-interception first half of a home game in the National Football League in the last two years. two years and he's done it twice. Remember he did it on Christmas night against the Ravens. in 2023, if you remember. All of that, they're eight and four.
You are what you are. The question is now. for the 49ers in their next game. is will they have Juwan Jennings in it? Because The postgame moment.
broken to What sounds like a Nick Saban joke. Because It's a D's-nuts situation. Nothing funny about it, obviously. No. As men on the planet, we can basically say.
Oh, my goodness. Doesn't it's not a good feeling. To use the phrase that Nick Bakay, one of our favorite guests and one of my favorite humans on the planet, when he was doing stuff for a sports center back in the day when I was there in my 1.0 with Disney and ESPN. And he mentioned how Uh Andrew Galata. once hit Riddick Bow, In what he called the forbidden speed bag.
Yeah. And I will never forget that. Phraseology. Because it sure looked like last night. Javon Merig.
Hit Juwan Jennings in the forbidden speed bag with a left, with a left jab. It was hidden. And the officials who were right there didn't see it. And didn't call anything after. Uh Joanne Jennings gave the international symbol of I've been hit in the forbidden speed bag of taking both hands.
And covering said speed bag with it while bending over. Yeah, you can't take another shot. You know what I mean? No, no, no, no, no, no.
So. Nothing happened there. But after the game... Um Jennings found Merrig. And um Yeah, it's easy.
He had uh use check. And Barnes of Carolina, there's a photograph right here. Separate them. in the way that I guess Merrig tried to separate Jawan's Jennings. And when'd you come up with that?
I just did. That's a good rich. Jawanz. Elite broadcasting. I like to think you woke up in the middle of the night.
No, didn't think about that in the middle of the night, thank goodness. No. No. No. Kick kids out there, take notes.
But Jennings did hit him, Merrig, with an open hand, and we know Brian Branch did that too. Juju Smith Schuster. Earlier this um This uh um Season he got suspended. And I'd love to get the head coach first because it's very rare that you see a head coach. Step to the podium, and normally it's just like, well, something happened, we'll deal with it.
you know basically Not give you the details of what happened because again, Jennings took the shot. and didn't take his shot until after the game. He didn't do it during the moment where it could have really cost his team yardage in the situation. Which is All in all, what the head coach was was talking about afterwards. Uh yeah, the guy took a cheap shot and hit him in the balls and uh I was real proud of Joan for not losing his mind out there and Get him to the sideline.
Sound body of the year. Good answer. Jennings had this to say afterwards. Man, TV gonna tell you what happened, man. I was just uh yeah, I was just uh responding to uh to me some childish behavior.
That's all it was. Probably just like I was saying, just the history of me playing ball. I play hard. You know, I'm uh physically stronger than a lot of DBs out there. And so, you know, yeah, a lot of things happen in between the whistles.
Is that a that's not a metaphor for anything, right? A lot of things happen between the whistle? A lot of things happen. Want to make sure that's not a metaphor? Meaning the referees whistles.
Whistles? Listen, uh I I think we should just just Just uh do you suspend him for this sort of behavior? Do you do that? I would not. I would not either.
But. Yeah. I would not either. You know, let's just say who's hearing the um The case, if there is a suspension and an appeal, right? Derek Brooks, maybe?
James Thrash? I don't know. I think Jordy Nelson is doing too. I guess what I would do, if I'm Jennings, is I would show up in person. Yeah.
Hit whoever is listening to the appeal. In that forbidden speed bag and say, You suspend me? How do you like me now? What do you think? What are you going to do with that information?
And they're going to be like, why? And he's going to be like, you know what? What are you going to do now? How do you respond? Right?
Isn't that what Tomlin said after Jalen Ramsey got to say? He's like, you know, like, who am I to tell somebody how to respond after they've been spat in their face? Yep. But it's just it's just part and parcel of like, what are we doing? What do we do?
Can we just not how about this? I think this is a metaphor. And this is a message to Planet Earth, if I may, from my seat. Can we just not Hit each other in the balls. Yeah.
Can you tell my son that? That's true.
Well, he's five and a half. Yes.
So that's the behavior one understands from a five and a half. Phil. Oh, I mean, honestly, the fact that that Saturday Night Live skit that involved why am I blanking on who it was? Um it was uh Casey Affleck. The vanilla nut tap sketch got my son's.
Nut tapping everybody. Forever. But these are NFL players. They should know better. Yeah.
And just because we're on Disney Plus, we're going to stop talking about it.
Okay. And plus my coach is waiting. Ladies and gentlemen, Sharon Moore next. What a big-time contest this is. It's Michigan, Ohio State Week, and we've got the head coach of the Wolverines coming up next.
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I don't have the information here in front of me, but I believe he's the only guy in the history of this incredible rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. To win the game as an assistant head coach, an acting head coach, and a full-time head coach. He is Sharon Moore of the University of Michigan here on the Rich Eisen Show. Good to see you, Coach. Great.
I'm great. Man, I'm excited. preparation is hard at work. The guys are attacking it every single day. We've had a great Monday yesterday, great Sunday, and Tuesday has been awesome so far.
The the Intensity, the attention to details at an all-time high and just ready to go. How do you lock them in? How do you do it? Or is it just the opponent does it on its own? What do you do?
I mean, our team meeting we had on Monday, we talked about the Maryland game, where we're at. We moved on pretty quickly. And you know, if you're A player, a coach, an alumni, someone at Michigan, there's not much you have to say to get ready for this game. You know, you're preparing for this thing 365 days a year. You don't win the game this week.
Right. It's based on what you do in January through now.
So there's been a lot of preparation up to this point and preparing for this game.
So there wasn't much to say. The focus of these players is at an all-time high. The guys, the urgency is at an all-time high. And we're just going to continue to prepare like we've been preparing for these past five games. When did you, because again, you know, you're from the state of Kansas.
You played your college ball at Oklahoma with my guy, our guy, pardon me, Joe McCoy. When did you first get a taste of this rivalry where you're like, okay, I get it? When was that moment? For you? When I first got it, when I first got here in 2018, that's.
You know, you felt the difference. And then when we went down there in 2019, it was not a good result for us. That feeling that I had in my mouth, that taste that we had was something you never wanted to feel again, kind of an embarrassment. And something that as a program, as a university, that we felt like we couldn't ever have again. Obviously, the 21 year was magical, right?
And how we played and prepared and what happened. But I think every year when you go into this game, it's just different. You talk about preparing for a game one game at a time, but you're always thinking about this game, right? And it's no disrespect to any opponent we play. But whether it's January, whether it's September, and you're playing Central Michigan or Oklahoma or whoever it is, New Mexico, or if it's November.
Once you get to this month, there's an itch, there's something that starts to happen, a feeling in your body that you're getting closer to that game, and you still got to prepare to have the one-step mindset. But the theme right now for our team is starve your distractions and feed your focus. There's a lot of things, there's a lot of deterrent factors out there that can get you off of your path. And people telling you you're doing a good job or how good you are, what this is. And we can't even feed into any of that.
We've got to really reset our focus to what we're doing and go attack. I mean, if you don't mind taking a couple minutes here to just linger on this for me to share my story, my first taste, because I'm from New York City. Yeah. And I I didn't know anything about Michigan growing up. At all.
You know, the state didn't know the culture, didn't know the people, didn't know the school, didn't know the rivalry, had no earthly idea until I showed up on campus and was told by everybody, hey, these games you're going to, Notre Dame was the first one. And like, hey. Enjoy it, soak it in, Michigan State. We got to win that one too. But it all does come down to the week that we play Ohio State.
I'm like, really? They're like, really? And then the first game was in 19. 86 season, and the quarterback of the team guaranteed a win. And it pissed off the head coach at the time, Bo Schembeckler, and the quarterback's name was Jim Harbaugh.
Yeah. He did do it. They went in a horseshoe and they won it and went to the Rose Bowl. And I'm just wondering what what did Jim did Jim share anything with you when you first got there or when you were, again, taking over for him that one time a couple of years ago about this? Did he share anything with you?
I mean, at that point, we'd been in it a couple times and been in the game and rivalry. You know, the thing he just told me when I had to take over him for him 23, because we had a special team. We had a team that had been together for years. I just had Trevor Keegan text me just now and Blake Warren the other day and just text with those guys and you know Trevor's like, how are you feeling? Are you feeling dangerous?
Are you feeling confident? Nice. And it's just different, right? And the thing that Jim told me, he said, just do you. He said, do you, and you'll be just fine.
You know, you'll have success, but just trust your training, trust the players. Yesterday we talked to the team about, you know, trusting your technique and trust your coaches, but at the end of the day, you got to trust your brothers. And that's what this game is all about. It's trusting everything and all the work you put into this point and winning your one-on-ones. Sharon Moore, head coach of the University of Michigan football program.
Joining me here on the Rich Eisen Show, The Week of Ohio State at the Big House. You got a young team, too. We all know that. And, you know, spearheaded by an 18-year-old at quarterback who has just got a bazooka. In that right arm of his in Bryce Underwood.
We met him here. The whole crew could not believe how big he was and how mature he was. But, you know, he also is from the area. He's probably grown up dreaming of the moment he's going to have on Saturday. How do you get him ready?
for this one uh i mean i think that he's been getting ready for this moment all his life He's been, you know, I'll tell you this. We got done with the game on Saturday, came back. Yeah, I came to the office, started watching film. That next morning, he was already in the building watching the game with Coach Lindsay. That night, he stayed here until about 11:45 at night.
Monday, he was in there in the morning before class. After practice, he was in there last night. And I just walked around this morning, and he was in there watching film again. It's like, The kid does not get rattled, but he prepares so hard and he wants to be so good. And I can't be more proud of how he's progressed.
With all the criticism and all the things and all the attention that he has as a young man, like he just handles it with such grace. And he's such a humble kid. He's such a great teammate. And the players, you know, they've definitely surrounded him and taken care of him and brought him into the family. And he's been, he's just, he's earned the trust of everybody around him because of how hard he works, how hard he prepares.
And it's exciting to watch. And, you know, the preparation will just have to continue. You know, you can't prepare somebody for the moment that they walk on the field before the game. There's a feeling that you have. At that moment in the game, that I can tell you, I can explain to you, but I can't describe to you.
You know, last year we walked into the horseshoe and Jay Sean Barham, who'd played at Maryland. and played in the ga played in the game before you know, comes to me and said, Oh, yeah, coach, this is what you're talking about. I feel it, it's different.
So like there's a feeling in this game That you cannot describe, that you just have to feel it, and you have to let the players feel that. It's like putting on your favorite song in your earpiece, in your headset, on your AirPods before the game, or your beats. And listening to it and getting hyped up before a game. That's the feeling that you're going to get. It's something you can't describe, and you just have to let everybody handle it and feel it themselves.
Well, moments ago, Coach, you mentioned the first few games of the year, the opponents that you had. How is Bryce different now than he was then? What's he improved in? I mean, I think just he's a completely different player. Obviously, he always had the talent and the ability, and he could make the throws.
Trust in the system, trusting himself, not doing too much. He's done a really good job of converting a lot of things with his legs because he is athletic. He's done a really good job of going through his reads, but I think he's also found some connections within the plays, you know, with people as well. Because I think that's part of it. You know, him and Andrew Marsh have built a really good connection.
He's built a rhythm within the tight end room and doing different things. And he just understands everything more. And he's played more games. You know, he's 18 years old and he's played 11 college football games now.
So he's no longer a freshman. He's a starting quarterback at Michigan. He's handled it in a really great way.
So, you know, you mentioned Andrew Marsh. I'm texting all my guys. I'm on multiple text groups during games. Not to surprise you. And I'm looking.
At ham, number four. Uh on the field. And I'm texting them, and again, not to put too much pressure here, I'm saying this kid has the ability to maybe be one of the top five offensive players this school has ever sent to the next level. I'm serious. The way he's blossomed this year, and I understand everybody does focus rightfully on the receivers that Ohio State has and they're bringing into the stadium.
But this kid is really special. And I'm wondering, you know, you put him out there on punt returns now as well, kickoffs. Also, what are you seeing out of him that you think you can get out of him on Saturday? Coach. I think he can be extremely special.
He's so smart. He works so hard. He's so tough. His story is incredible. You know, he lost his dad from a very, very young age.
And it's him, his mom, his two sisters. And the kid plays like he all plays like he has a chip on his shoulder. He prepares that way. He's uber talented, but he's an outstanding human being, an outstanding kid.
So, um. Him and Bryce have always been close throughout the recruiting process, throughout just in spring. And now the talent and the things we are seeing that happen in practice are coming to fruition in games. He has special ability. He's extremely smooth, great ball catcher, just physical in all aspects.
But the sky's the limit for Andrew Marsh. And just excited about where he is and his progression as well.
Okay, in the few minutes I have left for you, to be up front, I said at the very beginning of my program before you joined that the general sense of this conversation between the two of us is do no harm.
Okay, that said. Yeah. You know, a 23-year-old and Max Bredeson, who's been there, done that. Walked out of Maryland on crutches. Are we going to see him on Saturday?
Would you be willing to share here? Yeah, we're working towards that. It's a day-to-day. He, if anybody could play in this game with the injuries he has, it's max.
So, We're working towards pushing them in that way, but we'll find out more as the week goes. What about your running back room? Right now, yeah, uh, Jordan Marshall is fully healthy, he'll be ready to go.
Okay, uh, and along with you know, we got Bryson Koosdale, who played last game and played a really good game, and Micah Capana and Jasper Parker.
So, feel good about that running back room. You know, you wish you had Justice Haynes, um, but feel good about where we are. Coach Alfred has done an outstanding job developing all those guys, and you know, the O-line is progressing exactly how you want them to. And I feel extremely proud of this offense, the defense, obviously, and how they've played, they played so physical, they played their star studded everywhere. But to start six freshmen on an offense and three redshirt freshmen on an offensive line is pretty incredible.
And to you know, be where we're at right now with those guys, it's a credit to how hard they've worked, and um, it's fun to watch, man. They keep you young. And what's really cool about this is like our starting left tackle, Blake Frazier's dad played here. And uh, you know, watching the look in his eyes when we had the team meeting yesterday and we started talking about the game, and we started, you know, we went to walk through. There's a different look in everybody's eyes, there was a different intensity, you know, it wasn't tight.
It was loose, but it was just extreme laser focus on the task because they know, like. All the things in the building, everything that they see every single day, all the times we talked about this game, it's here.
So there's no room for error, but there's no room to panic, right? Pressures are privileged. And if you're as long as you're prepared, there's no real pressure.
So we've got to continue to just attack every day like we've been doing. And I don't want you to reveal the playbook, but how about this as a general question? Have you been running an offense over the past several months? with plays in your back pocket to set up for this game. that you're about to pull out on Saturday.
Is that is that something you can uh Allow here. Yeah, I mean, I think always you've This game's different, so I think there's things you have ready for this game that you haven't ran or haven't. You know, done, but you know, at the end of the day, we gotta be using and go execute the plays that we know we can execute.
Okay, I'll take that. And in the couple minutes I have left, let's talk about the opponent, the Ohio State University. Notice, by the way, I can say the words, it's not Ichigan. We're not red Xing anything.
Okay. I can spell the letter, oh, it's not a problem. Not a problem for me. The other side, I understand. I stay away from all that.
I understand. I'm trauma. I don't mean to drag you down to my Heisman Trophy candidate, quarterback, and say in who's fantastic. Jeremiah Smith has had NFL scouts drooling since he was a high schooler. What's your game plan for these guys?
Obviously, there's more too. I don't know if you're expecting to see Carnell Tate. What's your two cents on that? Front. Yeah, we're going to prepare like they're all playing and just be ready to react if they're not.
But we expect them all to play. I have the utmost respect for Coach Day and the program and the history of the program and what they've done and how they've played this year. They've been dominant throughout the whole year. Julian Sanders are really, he's an excellent quarterback. Great timing, great precision, great job using his pocket awareness.
The skill guys are elite. Carnell and Jeremiah, along with Brandon Innes and Maxwell Claire, they're all really good. There's not a lot of weak spots on that. And then with the running back room, they're extremely good too. They're physical and all lines good.
So offensively, Coach Day is always going to have a great scheme from an offensive standpoint of what they do. And defensively, Coach Patricia's come in and just made that defense even better. They play together. They play tough. They play physical.
So we're going to have to have our game playing nice and tight and be ready to go attack. Yeah, I mean, I've known Patricia from his times just down the road. There, when he was the head coach for the Lions, and he couldn't have been nicer. He donated to my charity for St. Jude, but Saturday, I don't know him anymore.
You know what I mean? Like, that's it. That's what this is all about. And I mean, you know, coach, you know, and everybody knows that the Buckeyes are coming to the big house with their flag. They have a flag.
They probably have the pole picked out. They probably worked on that for months. They probably have the flag. It might have been stitched by somebody named Betsy Ross in Columbus. You know, like they are ready to bring one to the stadium and put it right in the middle of the 50-yard line.
You know that. I know that. Do you mention that to the players specifically and say, not Saturday, not here? Do you say those words? Have you said those words to them?
No, we haven't talked about the flag or what even what happened last year or before the year I addressed definitely just after games what our procedure was and how we're going to take care of business. But I can't Can't try to make it about vendettas or what they what they possibly could do or try to do. We know what their mindset is and their goal is, but we know what our mindset and goal is. And we've just got to go execute and play our style of football on Saturday. And do you talk about the stakes about college football playoff opportunities and things like that?
Have you voiced that? Yeah, I mean, I think usually, you know, during the season, we don't talk a lot about goals, and I don't want them to be obsessed with the goals and the outcomes. I just want them to be obsessed with the process of how we have to do things and how we have to go execute. But I thought it was important on Monday for them to come to fruition of that, guys, this is the opportunity that you put yourself in to be able to be in this position to possibly get in the college football playoff and possibly go to the Big Ten Championship, depending on what happens with the Washington, Oregon game.
So they know that and they understand the stakes, but I also don't want them to lose sight of how they've prepared to this point to go, you know, be in this position.
So we definitely talked about it and they know about it. And I'm sure they're all on their phones because they all are. You try to eliminate that as much as you can, but that's what it is. That's how college football is now. That's how this day and age is.
The gen alpha crowd, I guess they call them, or whatever it is. Like, that's how it is.
So. Our guys are completely, they have knowledge of where they're at, what they need to do. But at the end of the day, we just got to go prepare. And it starts with a great day today. All right.
I finished this interview with something that I rarely do. I don't think I've ever done it before. Is there anything I can do for you? What can I do to help? Anything?
Just keep, yeah, just keep being you, Rich. You're the man. I appreciate all your support, your continued support, your positivity, your blessings. Pray for. us pray for everybody.
Everything you do is top-notch, first, first class. And, you know, we're just excited and we're glad that you're an alumni of Michigan. Thank you. You represent us in the best way. I appreciate that.
I wasn't fishing. I literally meant anything. There's no need to fish, man. You're the man. Thank you.
I just, if there's anything I can do, you just let me know. In the meantime, I'm going to say I'm going to be writing checks that I hope you'll let me cash figuratively.
Okay. I want everyone to know that. Figuratively. I'm verbally writing checks from this seat. But I look forward to the game and I wish you the best of luck, obviously.
And we'll chat real soon. Thanks for the time. I appreciate you, Rich, man. Go Blue. Go Blue.
That's Sharon Moore, head coach of the University of Michigan football program, and a pretty big week on the Rich Eisen Show. There goes Coach Moore. All right, you did. You were good. Thank you.
I appreciate that. Uh well, I'm just trying to live up to the standard that apparently has been laid out there by the coach.
Well, we'll take a break. 844-204 Rich Number Dial. I've been informed Jim Gaffigan has just arrived in our greenhouse. Oh, lovely for his second hour appearance. Oh.
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Okay, baby. Weather in Ann Arbor, Michigan for Saturday. Low thirties, cloudy. Chance of snow. That's what this game's supposed to be played at.
And this game, as you know, will never be played under the lights ever. Both teams. I don't get that. Both teams. Keep it noon.
Straight up, high noon every year, never under the lights. Uh Ever. Is that just an unspoken thing, or is that written somewhere that it has to be? I think it's unspoken. Yeah.
Um And it's just a throwback, a tradition. Even though the game just isn't. Isn't the same stakes anymore. It just isn't. The next time where it's for all or nothing, even if Michigan was undefeated and it's one versus two.
I mean perfect example. As to why it's different now. If Indiana and Ohio State make the Big Ten championship game, I would be sitting there if I'm both teams saying, why are we doing this? Yeah. Why are we doing it?
If I'm the Big Ten, I'm also like, why are we doing this? Because we are eliminating one of the two teams from being an undefeated national champion. And for what? For what? I'm telling you, there is a scenario where Michigan beats Ohio State.
And doesn't play in the Big Ten championship game. And I know Sharon Moore would wanna play in it. I know all the kids would wanna play in that in Lucas Oil Stadium. And my question would be, why? That would be the best scenario.
Michigan beats Ohio State, doesn't play in the Big Ten championship, goes to the college football playoff committee and says, that's our body award. We lost twice. We just beat Ohio State for fifth straight year in a row. They were the clear number one team. How are you going to keep us out?
You know, how are you going to keep us out? The only reason why we didn't play for the Big Ten championship is Indiana beat Purdue, and Oregon beats Washington. You know? And that's the end of that. And Michigan gets to sit at home, they get to rest up their players, and they get to sit there.
And I'd rather them. Put Their third loss of the year on the line in a college football playoff game with all of these young kids. Let's give them that experience. More than going to Lucas Oil Stadium and play for a Big Ten championship. These championship games, these conference championship games, are antique, it's over.
Like and the sooner we realize that, the better. What? Heaven forbid. But I know there's a certain town where Mo Green does not have a plaque or a signpost, right, where that believes Ohio State is winning this game and by more than one score. Correct, Christopher?
Am I right on that front? Correct.
Okay. So let's just say that happens. And Indiana is in that same town believed to be prepared to Destroy Purdue, maybe not, you know, 66 to nothing, but something similar, right? Why would you, if you're the Big Ten, why would you have these two teams play each other? For a Big Ten championship, one of them gets, and both of them are putting, you know.
health on the line. And an undefeated season goes up in smoke for one of them. And for what? So that's why I keep saying Michigan and Ohio State means a lot, obviously. We just established that.
But the next big Ohio State Michigan game with all the marbles on the line for both. Is the time when you know in our lifetime they're going to face each other in college football playoff game. And then, oh, yeah. You know. Shut all businesses down.
I mean, that's that's gonna be A day. You know, that'll be a day. But uh and that day could potentially come, who knows, in December? January this year. If uh We are so fortunate.
Jim Gaffigan in hour number two. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
