CHICAGO — It’s never too early for some Ohio State-Michigan sniping.
Buckeye home game tickets on sale.
The big game is still four months away but there was some Buckeye-Wolverine give-and-take at the Big Ten Conference’s football media preview in Chicago.
Hours after Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh took a swipe at former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer’s legacy, Ohio State defensive end Jonathon Cooper played along.
Harbaugh told a podcast interviewer that Meyer has “had a winning record…But also, controversy follows everywhere he’s been.”
Cooper was asked about new co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who spent 13 seasons under different coaches at Michigan, including Harbaugh.
Cooper said Mattison is great and has a great legacy “with the team up north.”By refusing to name Michigan, Cooper was acting just like former Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes, who famously refused to mention his rival by name.
Harbaugh is winless against the Buckeyes and Meyer.
Ohio State opens its 2019 season at home against Florida Atlantic on August 31.
Michigan State and Ohio State each placed two players on the preseason all-Big Ten team announced Thursday.
Junior running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young were the Buckeyes and linebacker Joe Bachie and defensive end Kenny Willekes, two seniors, were named for the Spartans. Penn State junior defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos was the fifth player on the East Division team.
The West list included Northwestern junior linebacker Paddy Fisher, Wisconsin junior running back Jonathan Taylor, Iowa junior defensive end A.J. Epenesa, Nebraska sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez and Purdue sophomore wide receiver/return specialist Rondale Moore.
A media panel selected the 10-member list, which included six defensive players.
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The Big Ten Network announced that the Sept. 21 game against Miami will be televised. Kickoff time is to be announced.