Derrick Moore feels Ohio State overlooked Michigan football in 2025
Somebody forgot to tell the two teams that participated in The Game.
Despite being shorthanded -- without tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson -- and not having much, if any, of a passing attack, the Wolverines went into The Shoe and beat the Buckeyes, 13-10.
Edge rusher Derrick Moore, now entering his senior season with the maize and blue, said at Big Ten media days that not only could he tell that Ohio State was overconfident, he could feel that emanating from its fanbase and even the doubt percolating from the Michigan fanbase.
"Yeah, for sure, even like that morning of the game," Moore said. "So I woke up that morning -- it's a funny story. I woke up that morning of the game, 6 a.m. And for some reason, I just turned on the news and just turned on the news and just hearing a lot of people are doubting us. Even our own fans were doubting us. So at that point in time, I feel like when it was time to go, pretty much just huddled up, had a talk. And pretty much the same, man. That's all we got. That's all we need. Everybody here. What we got on that bus with us, that's all we need right here to go out and compete."
Some of the players had said in the spring that that win helped the team also upset Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, knowing that if they could beat Ohio State, they could also best the Crimson Tide. Moore is going a step further, noting that the confidence is spilling over from last year to this upcoming one.
And now, Team 146 is ready to show the world that the end to 2024 was no fluke.
"It meant a lot to us, especially like as a team standpoint," Moore said. "Really just like the doubt of like everybody who had against us. So like going out there pretty much and dominating them in their own stadium, that pretty much showed how tough we are. And that right there is just going to give us a good lead-in to this year."
Fall camp for the maize and blue starts on July 30 with eyes on the 2025 season opener against New Mexico on August 30.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What to know about the Oregon Ducks in 2025
With Dan Lanning paving the way, Oregon is entering an era of NIL-fueled success, taking the program to new heights with strong recruiting and on-field performance. Lanning dove headfirst into the transfer portal and hit the recruiting trail hard to reload for 2024, replacing a slew of departed stars. Now, with more holes to fill from last season's roster, Lanning's banking on another group of newcomers to keep the Ducks flying high. Here's where Oregon stands as the 2025 season creeps closer. 2024 in review Lanning's third year in Eugene was special. The Ducks racked up 12 regular season wins - their best showing since 2010 - snagged a Big Ten title and punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff. They earned the No. 1 overall seed before coming up short in a rematch against Ohio State. Even with a brutal Big Ten slate, Lanning had Oregon looking like a national contender up until the end. Head coach profile Lanning's got a fiery edge, and he's built Oregon into a machine. In three years with the Ducks, he's 35-6, mixing a high-octane offense with a defense that hits like a freight train. His 'stay hungry' mantra has Eugene buzzing with dreams of a title, and he's got the financial backing from megabooster Phil Knight to get there. Before he traveled west, he was calling defenses at Georgia, helping them lock up national championships in 2021 and 2022. Top offensive players Offensive linemen Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon, who transferred in from Nevada and USC, respectively, will anchor the left side of the offensive line and both have All-Big Ten potential. World is viewed as a first-round talent and has three seasons of starting experience, while Pregnon didn't allow a sack while starting all 13 games for the Trojans last season. Top defensive players Edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei returns for his junior season after recording 38 tackles and a whopping 10.5 sacks in 2024. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Uiagalelei is a physical freak with first-round draft potential. Additionally, transfer safety Dillon Thieneman arrives from Purdue after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons to start his college career. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 1 safety transfer of the cycle and he's another player with first-round potential. 2025 schedule Aug. 30 vs. Montana State Sept. 6 vs. Oklahoma State Sept. 13 at Northwestern Sept. 20 vs. Oregon State Sept. 27 at Penn State Oct. 11 vs. Indiana Oct. 18 at Rutgers Oct. 25 vs. Wisconsin Nov. 8 at Iowa Nov. 14 (Fri.) vs. Minnesota Nov. 22 vs. USC Nov. 29 at Washington Oregon's September trip to Penn State has game-of-the-year potential, pitting two projected top-five teams against each other in a prime-time White Out. The Ducks haven't played in Beaver Stadium since 1964 (the stadium has changed quite a bit since), and with Penn State's nasty defense going up against the Ducks' explosive offense, it'll make for a highly anticipated rematch of last year's conference title game, which both teams will be trying to return to this season. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Scouting the Oregon Ducks ahead of 2025
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
James Franklin focused on Penn State's big goals, not hype, in 2025
As Penn State head coach James Franklin approached the microphone for his annual round at the podium for Big Ten football media day on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, he did so with the eyes of the college football world on him like never before. Penn State arrived at Big Ten media day with many around the nation considering the Nittany Lions a top threat in the conference, and perhaps more. That rising pressure was not lost on the head coach of the program, who is no stranger to talking about his position being under pressure in the big moments during his career at Penn State. "There's a ton of conversations that are happening nationally. We embrace that," Franklin said to the media at the annual Big Ten football media day event, referring to the offseason talk placing high expectations on Penn State. "We've earned that based on what we've been able to do and what we've got coming back. There's a lot of people that are excited on a national level talking about us." Penn State returns a roster with an experienced starting quarterback (Drew Allar), a dynamic running back duo (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen), a talented defense under a new high profile defensive coordinator, and a wide receiver unit boosted by additions form the transfer portal to help the one biggest concern on the roster coming off the 2024 season. Penn State played for a Big Ten championship and reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, and was as close to playing for a national title as they have been under Franklin to this point. "We had what a lot of people would consider a really good season last year," Franklin said. "We were a game away from playing for the National Championship, and you could actually make the argument a drive away from playing for the National Championship, but it didn't feel that way, right? Because the expectations at Penn State are really high." Penn State has been appearing at the top of many preseason rankings and polls this offseason despite not being the defending Big Ten champion (Oregon) or the reigning national champion (Ohio State). Penn State faces both of those teams in the 2025 season and lost to both last season. But Franklin is not wasting time worrying about the preseason hype train running at full steam. "It's a great conversation, but who really cares about preseason rankings? They mean nothing," Franklin said. "It's a good argument to have and everybody has fun with it, but the only rankings that matter are the ones that happen at the end of the season, and that's what we're concerned about. The only way we'll do that is by handling our business today." Penn State begins its season at home on Aug. 30 with a home game against Nevada. View the full 2025 Penn State football schedule and updated kickoff times. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads. This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: James Franklin embraces expectations on Penn State in 2025
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Where James Franklin ranks in ESPN college football coach ranking
Penn State head coach James Franklin is entering his 12th season at the helm of the program, and he may be facing the most pressure yet after bringing Penn State to the cusp of an appearance in the national championship game last season. The Nittany Lions are predicted to be a Big Ten heavyweight with a legitimate national title aspirations as they look to take the challenging next step as a program Franklin has been harping about for years. No matter what you think about Franklin entering the 2025 season, the numbers do back up the idea that he is among the best in the game. And according to Bill Connelly of ESPN, the numbers have Franklin ranked as one of the four best coaches in college football in 2025. Connelly's mathematical formulas, used to rank just about everything you can imagine in college football, have calculated Franklin to be the fourth-best active college football coach for the upcoming college football season. Two ranked ahead of him, Ohio State's Ryan Day (no. 1) and Georgia's Kirby Smart (no. 3), have national championships to their name. The other, Josh Heupel of Tennessee (no. 2), is questionable if not laughable. Even if you rank Heupel ahead of Franklin, is he really the second-best coach in the sport? Probably not. While a small handful of active head coaches currently own national title rings (Clemson's Dabo Swinney joins Day and Smart and may have the Tigers ready to roar back to the national title conversation soon enough after year's ACC championship and playoff appearance), the tenure of Franklin is a bit of a complicated one when determining his success. Penn State has consistently been one of the winningest programs in the country since his arrival, but Franklin's jarring record against top-ranked teams is an unavoidable narrative that is increasingly more difficult to combat even for Franklin's biggest defenders. Arguing that Franklin has been a bust for a head coach is ill-advised as he has taken Penn State to a Big Ten title and wins in the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl (twice), and Cotton Bowl, and has helped[d produce some incredible talent for the NFL. But it is also fair to suggest Franklin has failed to getting Penn State to the elite level the program is striving for. After so many years and shortcomings against the same hurdles in the same fashion, the case has been made. But maybe in 2025, Franklin will finally break free of that narrative once and for all. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads. This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: ESPN formula ranks James Franklin one of best college football coaches
