*JUST NOW: Max Bredeson Details the ‘Beat Ohio’ Drill That Michigan Football Still Runs in Practice — A Gritty Tradition That Fuels The Rivalry**
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**Ann Arbor, MI | May 2, 2025 | By Daniel Marks, College Football Insider**
In a moment that both fired up Michigan fans and offered rare insight into the inner workings of college football’s fiercest rivalry, **Michigan fullback Max Bredeson** has revealed fresh details about the Wolverines’ infamous **“Beat Ohio” drill**, a tradition that continues to fuel the fire as the team eyes another run at the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.
Speaking during a team media session after spring practice, Bredeson didn’t hold back on the **physicality, emotion, and psychological warfare** that defines the drill — one Michigan coaches and players openly admit is designed with one singular target in mind: **beating Ohio State**.
> *“It’s personal,” Bredeson said. “Every rep of that drill, we’re not just hitting a guy across from us — we’re hitting that Block O. Every rep is Ohio.”*
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### THE DRILL: MORE THAN JUST A NAME
The “Beat Ohio” drill — also known internally as the **“Rivalry Gauntlet”** — is **a brutal full-contact one-on-one showdown** between offensive and defensive players. It mimics **goal-line intensity**, complete with roaring teammates on both sides of a narrow lane, adding emotional pressure to physical confrontation.
> *“It’s mano a mano,” said Bredeson. “You line up, you know what’s coming. And you know who it’s for. It’s not just another practice rep — it’s a warzone for The Game.”*
The drill isn’t new. According to team sources, **it originated under former head coach Jim Harbaugh**, and was **intensified after Michigan’s humiliating losses to Ohio State in the 2010s**. Under current head coach **Sherrone Moore**, it’s become even more symbolic — often reserved for the **end of high-intensity practices** to measure toughness, resolve, and mindset.
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### PLAYERS EMBRACE THE RIVALRY
“Beat Ohio” is emblazoned across weight room walls, player lockers, and even the indoor facility’s scoreboard. Moore, like Harbaugh before him, has made sure that **The Game is never just one week a year** — it’s every day.
> *“You walk into Schembechler Hall, and the first thing you see is the countdown clock,”* said Bredeson. *“We’re trained to think about Ohio every day. The drill is just the physical embodiment of that.”*
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### FRESHMEN INITIATION & CULTURE BUILDING
One of the most intense aspects of the drill? **Freshmen must go through it as part of their indoctrination into the Michigan culture**.
> *“When you’re a freshman, they throw you in the pit early,” Bredeson smiled. “It’s a test. Either you bring it, or you hear about it for weeks.”*
He recounted a moment during his first year when a veteran defensive lineman flattened him on the first rep.
> *“It was a wake-up call, but also the moment I realized — this rivalry isn’t just a game. It’s blood. It’s identity. It’s war.”*
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### SHERRONE MOORE: KEEPING THE EDGE
Head coach Sherrone Moore has embraced the tradition as a cornerstone of his approach. In one offseason team meeting, he reportedly told players:
> *“If you don’t hate losing to Ohio more than you love winning, you’re in the wrong locker room.”*
Moore, who served as offensive coordinator under Harbaugh before taking the helm, has made **mental toughness and rivalry readiness** top priorities.
> \*“There’s nothing symbolic about this,” Moore said last November. *“We train to dominate. Period.”*
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### RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Michigan has won **three straight against Ohio State** — a streak that has flipped the narrative of a once-lopsided rivalry. Each of those victories was marked by **dominance in the trenches**, something Bredeson and his teammates believe is no coincidence.
> *“We beat them because we’re tougher, and we’re tougher because we train for it every single day,”* he said. *“That’s not arrogance. That’s work.”*
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### THE DRILL GOES VIRAL
Following Bredeson’s remarks, clips of previous “Beat Ohio” drills surfaced on social media — showing players driving sleds with “OHIO” stenciled in scarlet, while teammates chanted “Beat Ohio!” in a deafening chorus. The clips quickly went viral, with Michigan fans celebrating the intensity and Ohio State fans calling it “obsessive.”
But Bredeson had a response:
> *“They call it obsession. We call it tradition.”*
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### LOOKING AHEAD TO THE GAME
The 2025 edition of **The Game** is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Both teams are expected to be ranked in the top 5, with CFP implications on the line once again.
And for players like Bredeson, who now enters his senior season, it represents **one final shot** to leave a legacy that will be remembered in Ann Arbor for generations.
> *“You can win every game, but if you don’t beat Ohio? You failed,” he said flatly. “And if you beat Ohio? You’ve done your job.”*
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**BEHIND EVERY WIN ON SATURDAY IS A WAR ON TUESDAY**
The “Beat Ohio” drill is more than just a practice rep. It’s a mindset. It’s a culture. And it might just be the reason Michigan football has reclaimed its spot atop the Big Ten — and isn’t looking back.
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Would you like me to create a follow-up piece on Michigan’s preparation for The Game or a fict
ional behind-the-scenes feature on how recruits are introduced to the “Beat Ohio” mentality?
