The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is one of the biggest in all of American sports, and it never takes a day off. The latest beef in the ongoing drama between the two Big Ten powers involves beef between assistant coaches who aren't afraid to speak their minds.
Chris Partridge, the current safeties and special teams coach at Michigan, ripped former Wolverines assistant coaches Greg Mattison and Al Washington for leaving the program to take jobs with the Buckeyes during the offseason.
"I want to be candid. Those guys left and it was another shot. It wasn't OK," Partridge said, according to 247Sports. "That's how I feel. I'm not speaking for anyone else. I'm ultra-motivated and I make sure my guys, whenever I get in front of them, they hear it. I want to take this thing, hit it in the mouth and go get it. I just think each person is motivated in their own way, but I know my personal opinion. I'm going to coach harder than I ever imagined I could coach"
Mattison left his post as the defensive line coach of the Wolverines after eight years on the staff to take over as co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Washington -- an Ohio State alum -- took the linebackers coach position for coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes after spending one year in the same role at Michigan.
"I've got blood in my mouth," Partridge said. "I don't wake up a day and not think about it."
Ohio State has won 14 of the last 15 matchups in "The Game," including a 62-39 shellacking of the Wolverines last season in Columbus in what amounted to a de facto Big Ten East championship game. Partridge clearly didn't take that loss well.
"And we're going to try to make sure that scoreboard never looks like it did last year (again)," he said.
There's still a long way to go before the two rivals will meet on Nov. 30 in Ann Arbor.
