Michigan Football: Eddie George hit harder by Wolverines than NFL players

Eddie George played against Michigan football four times while at OSU and in a recent interview, he said he was hit harder by Wolverines than NFL players.

When it comes down it, Michigan football vs Ohio State is more than just a game. It’s like a war and it’s waged once every 365 days between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes.

While there are plenty of great rivalries in sports, few match the intensity and hatred that exists between Michigan football and Ohio State. The two states don’t like each other and neither do the fans of either team.

Recently, Ohio State has dominated the rivalry. Urban Meyer just retired as head coach of the Buckeyes without a loss to Michigan. But it wasn’t always that way. In fact, in the mid-1990s, it was the exact opposite.

Michigan dominated the rivalry back then. Often times, even when Ohio State had higher ranked teams, the Wolverines found a way.

Former Ohio State running back Eddie George knows all about it because he was a Buckeye during that era. George, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1995, was one of the greatest Ohio State state players ever, rushing for 3,768 yards and 44 touchdowns.

As a senior, he ran for 1,927 yards and scored 24 touchdowns on the ground. The Buckeyes rolled into The Game undefeated but were denied a trip to the Rose Bowl and a shot at the national championship as Michigan won 31-23.

During George’s four years in Columbus, his teams went 1-2-1 against the Wolverines, which probably explains why he said in a recent interview that he was hit harder in those games against Michigan than he was during his NFL career.

It’s an interesting admission when you think about it, but when you experience the passion of the rivalry, it’s not surprising.

Those Michigan teams were tough, especially on Ohio State. When George was a sophomore, the Wolverines routed the Buckeyes 28-0. The Game ended in a tie when he was a freshman.

George did get one victory over Michigan in 1994. The Buckeyes won the game 22-6 but even then, UM held the future first-round pick to just 81 yards on 27 carries. He did score a clinching touchdown late but nothing came easy — or without a price.

Regardless of which side of the rivalry you fall on, it’s hard to argue that each November, the two teams put on one of the hardest hitting affairs in all of college football.

Actually, if you listen to Eddie George, who played against dudes like Ray Lewis, it might be the hardest-hitting rivalry period and that includes the NFL.

It certainly doesn’t feel like the football-lite version the NFL is peddling when Michigan and Ohio State get together and even though the two schools, team and fanbases despise each other, that’s something both sides can be proud of.