Last year was a banner year for Michigan football. Not only did the Wolverines win the Big Ten for the first time since 2004, but they also were victorious over their hated rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, for the first time during the tenure of head coach Jim Harbaugh. One would think that such a productive year would leave the team feeling satisfied. One would be wrong. Wolverines starting left tackle Ryan Hayes had something to say about the team's 2021 season after practice Tuesday.
Hayes revealed the team's two biggest regrets from the 2022 season, per Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News.
Michigan LT Ryan Hayes post-practice tonight says: “Michigan State and Georgia are our biggest motivation right now. Those two games were not good for us (last season). We want those back. We won the Big Ten championship, we won Ohio State, but we want more than that right now,"
— angelique (@chengelis) August 9, 2022
Ryan Hayes said that “last year wasn't good enough” for Michigan football. The second-team all-Big Ten tackle mentioned Georgia and Michigan State by name as 2021 games the program “wants back.”
Michigan football was bested by the Spartans in October of 2021 by a score of 37-33. It was a heartbreaker, featuring a Wolverines' fourth-quarter collapse.
Then, as fans know by now, the Wolverines were defeated in the College Football Playoff semifinal by the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
So, yes, a Big Ten title and a victory over Ohio State football were nice. But it's understandable that a team who only lost twice would remember those two losses a little bit more than the success they enjoyed.
Hayes is certainly setting the tone for 2022 with these comments. Michigan football will get a chance for revenge against the Spartans in a Big Ten battle this October.
As for Georgia? That will have to wait for the College Football Playoff- if they make it that far.
Follow Us
Subscribe