Saturday’s game means a little bit more to Michigan defensive tackles coach Larry Black.
As an Ohio native, you might expect facing Ohio State in the end of season rivalry matchup will stir up some emotions for the first-year Michigan assistant.
But first there’s the matter of going up against his alma mater for the first time in his 12 years as an assistant coach.
Black was a four-year starter for Indiana from 2009-12. While there weren’t any memorable seasons during his time at IU playing for Bill Lynch and Kevin Wilson, he was a highly productive defensive tackle.
He finished his career with 127 tackles, 55 solo, with eight sacks (51 yards), 27.5 tackles for loss (100 yards), two fumble recoveries, four pass breakups and one blocked field goal. He started 40 games and appeared in all 48 of Indiana’s games over his career.
And there were memorable moments — including against Michigan.
Black started and had two tackles for loss against the Wolverines in 2009, the infamous Bill Lynch gum-toss game when the Hoosiers lost to No. 23 Michigan 36-33 in Ann Arbor. He also played against Michigan in 2010, another heartbreaker for the Hoosiers, who fell 42-35.
One thing Black never saw was Indiana favored against Michigan going into a game like it is this weekend, or the Hoosiers pull off a win over UM like they’ve done twice in the last six years.
Black’s phone is blowing up this week. His former IU teammates are feeling confident.
“I got like 20 teammates who were texting me,” Black said. “We’ll get with them here soon.”
The dynamics of Indiana vs. Michigan have changed dramatically since Black was a Hoosier.
“Playing at IU, being able to go against them on Saturday. I was telling the D-Line the other day, you got the national champs coming in here, so like what what better opportunity do you want?
“But it’s cool, man. I met my wife there. Like, that’s been a big part, but I’m at Michigan and it’s good to be on this side and it’s an exciting opportunity to go get after those guys.”
Black graduated from IU with a bachelor of science degree in recreational sport management in December 2012. He signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals and he’s had coaching stops at Carthage, Toledo, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt prior to arriving in Ann Arbor this year.
Below he talks about Saturday’s game and his defensive tackles group, via Michigan Athletics:
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