Wolverines Discuss Night Before, Minutes Before National Championship Game

Team movies about predators, chicken tender-eating rituals, the need for quiet, the need for 'rock-out' music all part of the plan

Photo by Derek Kornacki

Wolverine offensive guard Trevor Keegan: “I used to be a big nervous, jitters, butterflies guy – playing rap and hard-core rock. But as I’ve grown as a player, I’ve tried to go as chill as possible.”

By Steve Kornacki

HOUSTON – The hours before the biggest game of your life are a mix of anxiety, tension, joy, preparation and reflection.

I’ve always found the mindset of players and coaches entering a showdown such as Monday night – No. 1 Michigan (14-0) vs. No. 2 Washington (14-0) here at NRG Stadium – to be quite interesting.

So, I asked them two questions:

How, on the night before the game, do you deal with the great anticipation and undeniable jitters of playing for the national championship?

Can you share with readers what the final minutes are like in the locker room before you strap on your helmets, run down the tunnel amid all the fanfare, and take the field?

Here are their answers:

The Night Before

Head coach Jim Harbaugh: “I really do a lot of things the same as when I was a player. I really like to, the night before, have that meeting, be with the team, be with my teammates, get together and watch. There's still preparations to go over, a review. Rewrite all my notes. But then get with the guys and have that meeting where you really get the red blood pumping.

And then back to the room, maybe watch a movie and then go to sleep. Sometimes I say two nights before is the sleep you play on. I have no scientific evidence to present to you on that. I just know when I played and sometimes when I coached, too, just the night before a game sometimes I don't always sleep great. So, I've convinced myself that if I get [good sleep] at least two nights before…That's the night of sleep you're playing on.

And if you get a good night's sleep the night before the game, then that's a real bonus. That's the way I think of it. Someone ought to research that.”

Photo Courtesy of the Rose Bowl Game

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh raises the Rose Bowl trophy. Behind him (L to R) are ESPN’s Rece Davis, J.J. McCarthy, Mason Graham and Blake Corum.

Linebacker Junior Colson: “I try not to stay up too late. But I start thinking, and start getting excited. So, I stay up later than I want to. It’s kind of like Christmas Eve night, you know? You’re opening presents, and that’s kind of like how it is the night before a game.

“I’m very excited to go out there, and play ball with all my brothers.”

Cornerback Quinten Johnson: “The night before the game, it’s calm, peace, peaceful music, peaceful vibes. I just make sure that I have everything I need ready going into the game. I get the jitters out the night before with a good night’s sleep. I always get a good night’s sleep before the game.”

Offensive guard Trevor Keegan: “For me, personally, it’s changed as the mission has gone on. I used to be a big nervous, jitters, butterflies guy – playing rap and hard-core rock. But as I’ve grown as a player, I’ve tried to go as chill as possible, make sure that my mental health and everything is in its proper place.

“I watch a movie, watch a game. If there’s football on, I’ll watch it. Watch TikTok, something like that. I’ll go over the game plan one more time – and then shut my mind off, try not to think. As a college athlete, you’ve got school and outsiders --  things that can be distractions. But I try to limit those. Making sure my head and state of mind are [where they need to be are] super critical for me. That relaxes me, no doubt.”

Wide receiver Tyler Morris: “Honestly, it’s not so much jitters. There’s a little bit because sometimes you take a step back and really understand what you’re doing – like playing in the Rose Bowl [where he had an exciting 38-yard touchdown catch] and there are millions of people watching, it’s kind of crazy when you think about it. But for the most part, I just try to stay calm and not get myself overwhelmed, just laying down, relaxed, looking at plays, stuff like that.

“But just trying to not make it too big of a deal.”

Quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell: “For me, I’m an even-keel guy. I don’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. I don’t get too nervous. I just get into the game plan, and make sure everything is in the right play order. I just enjoy the moment and know that the preparation is never over. I trust everybody that I’m a part of.

“I’ve got my two daughters [Riley and Kinsley] in the room – a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old -- and my wife [Lauren]. My parents are going to be at the game along with my brothers and sisters. So, there’s a lot of commotion. But I’m with my family, and I love being around them. It makes it a lot easier.”

Tight end Max Bredeson: “For me, it’s pretty much relaxed. We have a pretty relaxed team. But we get guys like [offensive guard] Karsen Barnhart, Trevor Keegan, [wide receiver] Roman Wilson, [wide receiver] Joe Taylor and other guys sprinkle in. We always have chicken tenders the night before games from the hotel for a snack. And we [dip them in] Ken’s [Steak House] honey mustard [dressing]. It’s the best.”

Edge rusher Braiden McGregor: “I sit down and talk with [edge rusher] Jaylen [Harrell] – we’re roommates at road games. So, to be able to sit there and talk over last-minute things, the playbook, questions or whatever like that. That’s something that we focus on, leaning on each other.

“And it’s just about trying to stay in the moment. It’s about a football game. Obviously, it’s the natty, it’s the big stage. But not getting too high, like, ‘Oh, wow, it’s the national championship.’ It’s just another game, and we’ve played 14 of them this year.

“We watch the team movie, and usually Coach Harbaugh helps pick those out. What was the best one this year? Whew! We watched this documentary series about animals and predators on Netflix. We watched cheetahs first, then the lions and tigers. So, I think it’s awesome.”

I asked if they’ve viewed one on wolverines.

“There’s not been one,” he continued. “But if there was, that would be great. That’s kind of cool to do the night before a game – gets your predatory instincts going.”

Harbaugh touched on what goes into selecting the team movie the night before a game:

“Just a chance to be with your team is the main thing, just that gathering. The perfect fighting unit to me is a pack of wolves, wolf pack. You see them gathered together before the fight. You see them going together going to the fight. You see them together in the fight. You see them celebrating after the fight. And the active word there is ‘together.’ So, that's the picture I have. We're together. That's the night before the game.

“As far as who picks the movies and what are they? A lot of it is fight. That resonates with me because it's a football fight. That's where some of the documentaries and predators [come in]. We found one this year on predators -- tigers, cheetahs, lions, great stuff. Really seemed to resonate with the guys. I love them. Who doesn't? It gets to how the world wants to turn you into something -- but we kind of allow ourselves to devolve into a pack of wolves. That's what we want to channel -- probably nature's greatest fighting unit.”

Showing such movies to motivate teams began over half a century ago. One of Michigan coach Bo Schembechler’s early Rose Bowl teams watched “The Wild Bunch,” a 1969 shoot-‘em-up directed by Sam Peckinpah. Wolverines equipment manager Jon Falk often made selections for Schembechler such as Tom Cruise’s original “Top Gun.”

Taking the Field

Colson: “I like a good five to 10 minutes of silence. No music, no nothing, nobody talking to me. I wear noise-canceling headphones for that, and there’s usually nothing on my headphones. It’s mostly silence; I like the silence.

“You stay with your own thoughts, and it allows you to process everything.”

Johnson: “When I get on the field before the game, it’s still peaceful, but with a little more violence in my mind. But it’s still peace. I like to sit, walk the field, meditate a little, say a prayer, talk to God, talk to myself, when I get out there. I get my mind and get my head clear, and look for clarity before I go out and play to the best of my ability.”

He added that “self-reflection” is a big reason for the improvements he’s made this season – when he’s come off the bench and made key plays in many games.

Photo by Derek Kornacki

Cornerbacks Quinten Johnson (No. 28) and Mikey Sainristil (No. 0) getting ready for the game.

Keegan: “Before a game, your mind can be wandering in all sorts of places. I just think it’s super important to get my mind off it, and not even think about the game. I want to do my job, and give my very best for my teammates. I’m usually a talker – I like to talk smack. But once I get into a game, I really don’t. I’m laser-focused, cool, calm and collected. I used to be a spazz, but now my mental state of mind has been so sharp.”

Morris: “I like to listen to loud music. I try not to talk to a lot of people; I’m just quiet. I kind of try to lock in and get ready, build confidence in myself, and get ready for the game.”

Photo Courtesy of Rose Bowl Game

Wolverine receiver Tyler Morris sprints down the sideline during his 38-yard Rose Bowl touchdown reception against Alabama.

McGregor: “I get with Pastor Robbie and say a prayer, go out and stretch, and then I have to listen to music. My sister actually has a play list I listen to that has a lot of my dad’s music tastes, a lot of old rock music: Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses. We’ve got Led Zeppelin, Rob Zombie. It’s filled, top to bottom, with rock-out songs.”

Photo by Derek Kornacki

Wolverine edge rusher Braiden McGregor — tied for the team lead in tackles for losses with edge rusher and roommate Jaylen Harrell at nine — flanked by linemen Enow Etta (No. 96) and Josaiah Stewart (No. 5) at the Rutgers game.

Campbell: “I’m making sure my players are relaxed. I don’t get too nervous; I’m relaxed. I tell them I love them. I tell them how prepared they are, and how we’re the most prepared team in the country. You don’t get high-strung and start screaming on the field because that could be detrimental to the production on the field. I’m not that kind of guy.

“What I’ll tell [quarterback] J.J. [McCarthy] before this game is that he’s prepared his entire life for this. Tell everybody to get their popcorn ready because they’re about ready to watch the show of the best quarterback in the country.”

Bredeson: “When the tight ends and receivers come out, we’re pretty lively. We’re running around hitting each other [in the helmets and on shoulder pads]. Whose the fiercest? A.J. [Barner]. We’re both looking at each other, kind of like, ‘Get goin’!’ It’s just the excitement. When we come out as a team, all the energy comes out. Then in the game, it’s all about discipline, all about the game.”

Photo by Steve Kornacki

Michigan offensive guard Trevor Keegan reflects before Saturday’s practice at NRG Stadium.