Tales from the rivalry: Michigan State quarterback Keith Nichol
Even as he headed down south, to the heart of the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma teammates asked Keith Nichol the same question.
How does the Red River Rivalry compare to Michigan-Michigan State?
"I'd be like, well, it's just like Oklahoma-Oklahoma State or Oklahoma-Texas," said Nichol, now a Michigan State quarterback. "It means everything to people in this state."
Battling for state pride is nothing new in college football. Pretty much every state in the country - save for the northeast, where major college football is further apart and the focus is on professional sports - has this type of rivalry.
In Michigan, it is the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
For Nichol, who grew up in Lowell, it was always about Michigan State. He envisioned being like Spartans' quarterback Drew Stanton in high school. His mom, Patrice, graduated from Michigan State.
"We have a Michigan State flag out in my front yard before I even thought about coming here. It's always been Michigan State," Nichol said. "I've never even wavered to the Michigan side of the ball. It's always been green and white."
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.
Comments
boyhowdy1
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 2:48 p.m.
I saw him play a couple of time at Lowell and he is a very good quarterback. I also recall being a little excited at the prospect of him playing for Michigan when he left Oklahoma. I am almost sure that he talked to the Michigan people and may have been given an offer. Regardless of the "never even wavered to the Michigan side of the ball" comment, I believe he did look Michigan's way. He is a fine QB and Michigan would have been verey happy to have him. I think that before the season is over, he will be their starter.
michboy40
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 10:41 a.m.
Does this guy even play?...
2000Blue
Fri, Oct 2, 2009 : 7:06 a.m.
While it's nice to note that he has not "even wavered to the Michigan side of the ball", he appears to not have been offered by Michigan (according to Scout). I guess that's why he never wavered.
tater
Thu, Oct 1, 2009 : 4:01 p.m.
Uh, right. It's like OK/TX except that one of the teams is usually mediocre, and it isn't the one in Ann Arbor.