Daria Smith (left), Aiden Howard (center) and Jake Schrader (right) are all students at Ohio State and grew up being connected to the rivalry between the Ohio State and Michigan football teams. Credit: Courtesy of Daria Smith, Aiden Howard, Jake Schrader
Every fall, Daria Smith wakes up at 6 a.m., her heart racing with excitement.
She quickly slips into her comfy, oversized J.T. Barrett jersey and Ohio State sweatpants, while the delicious aroma of fried chicken fills the air from the kitchen, thanks to her father’s cooking skills.
With a strong sense of purpose, she moves through the house, turning on each television. As the last one flickers on, it also lights up her parents’ Ohio State-themed basement.
Finally, she settles onto the couch, joining her four family members all decked out in Buckeye apparel, as they eagerly listen to the voices of ESPN College Gameday.
The Canton, Michigan natives are all set for “The Game.”
“That is probably the most stressed I am out of the 365 days of the year,” Smith said. “I feel anxiety from the moment I wake up.”
Smith, a first-year in journalism at Ohio State, said she now has the chance to share her passion for Ohio State football and dislike of the Wolverines alongside other Buckeye fans.
Not all Ohio State students, however, share the same experience with the well-known rivalry. For some, this may be their final opportunity to engage with The Game as undergraduates at the university.
Aiden Howard, a fourth-year in biology, said he has never experienced a Buckeyes win versus Michigan since his academic tenure began at Ohio State in 2020.
Notably, he did attend the rivalry game in 2019 — Ohio State’s latest victory against the Wolverines — and said it was a day he’ll never forget.
“The most electric I’ve ever heard the ‘Shoe was on a fourth down,” Howard said. “Michigan was punting, and Ohio State blocked it and returned it for a touchdown. That place went bananas.”
Born in Orlando, Florida, Howard said he grew up as a Buckeyes fan because his father’s side of the family resided in Ohio. Since returning back to the state as a child, all he’s known is Ohio State sports, and he now feels proud to be a third-generation Buckeyes fanatic.
Howard said his love for the team even led him to join Block O — the official student section of Ohio State Athletics — in his second year as a leader of the organization’s football committee.
Jake Schrader, a first-year in communication technology, shares a similar level of enthusiasm for the rivalry game. Like Howard, Schrader’s uncle was a student at Ohio State in the 1970s, which inevitably caused him to become a devoted fan of the university’s sports teams, he said.
Schrader said his family often gathered at a friend’s place in the small town of Waverly, Ohio, to watch The Game. It soon became a family tradition.
“As long as I can remember, Saturdays in the fall were filled with watching Ohio State football,” Schrader said.
Now that he lives in Columbus, Schrader said his family will travel to join him and partake in local festivities ahead of The Game.
Schrader said he attended dozens of Ohio State football games in his youth, but never one against Michigan. He’ll now get the chance to experience that Nov. 30, no longer in the confines of a home, but in a jam-packed stadium of 100,000-plus fans.
“I’m really excited to actually experience it in person,” Schrader said. “Because, I mean, like I said, when I was younger, I would plan my whole week around it.”
Smith said she will also be in attendance. Though this will not be her first time at a rivalry game, it will mark her first visit to Ohio Stadium for the event.
“This is really one of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Ohio State: so I could be a part of this day, be a part of the culture,” Smith said.
A love that began with her mother graduating from the university has now been passed down to Smith — a passion she holds dear. And though it may be hard for some to grasp, there is a community in Columbus that truly gets it, Smith said.
“I think that’s what makes the game so great, especially when it’s in Columbus,” Smith said. “You get to be around people who love Ohio State football just as much as you.”
Though they come from different backgrounds, these three students share a common bond that will tie them together now and always: their love for Ohio State and their excitement for the rivalry.
“I think it’ll be bittersweet and very redeeming as a senior, to just finally get them,” Howard said. “Regardless of where I go for medical school and afterwards, I’m always going to be a Buckeye.”
