Former Ohio State star and Fox Sports analyst Robert Smith speaks with The Post’s Justin Terranova about Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and his unfortunate memories of the Michigan rivalry.
Q: What do you remember from your two games (1990, 1992) in this rivalry?
A: We lost my first game when we had a chance to go to the Rose Bowl on a last-second field goal. So, we ended up going to the Liberty Bowl and losing to Air Force, so it was insult to injury. We tied the second time, so I was 0-1-1, it was really disappointing to still look back and think I never did the thing that ultimately everyone who signs a Letter of Intent for one of those schools signs to do.
Q: Is it still enjoyable to hold this current streak over them?
A: It’s a different feeling for someone who has played the game and never won it. It’s not my winning streak against Michigan. I am happy for the program and the fans. All I know is I played them twice and didn’t win one, so maybe I see it a little differently than a lot of people to do.
Q: Has the Zach Smith controversy changed your opinion of Meyer?
A: What’s happened has been distorted a great deal. I don’t think there’s any question that he should have gotten rid of Zach Smith. … But there was nothing there that meant Urban Meyer should have been fired, even though he should have handled Zach Smith differently.I can see why Meyer would do those things (at the time), but that doesn’t mean they were the right things to do. But I don’t think there was a cover-up, which is the worst of the reporting.
Q: What do you think will decide this game?
A: Ohio State’s offensive line vs. Michigan’s defensive line is the determining factor here. I am not sure what the status of Chase Winovich is, but how that defense has looked all year long lies in schemes and confusion. With the pieces that they have I think it’s a determining factor and it’s not favorable for Ohio State. It’s a bad situation to be in when your main weakness is going against the strength of the opposing defense.
Q: What has Harbaugh meant for Michigan?
A: His energy and his focus on bringing in the kind of player that he wants and operating things the way he wants has been great for the program. I know he has taken a lot of criticism for the play against the rivals, but we all know a miss at the quarterback position costs coaches jobs and loses games. It was a little surprising that he didn’t have a homegrown product that would be his guy this year, but he found his guy (Shea Patterson). It’s confirmation of what we thought: If he got the quarterback answer, his team would be really dangerous. Fast forward from the second half of the Notre Dame game and it’s been a completely different team.
