Thousands gather at Diag for Michigan vs. Ohio State pep rally

"Let's go, blue!"

The chants echoed loudly across the Diag on the University of Michigan's Central Campus, as thousands of students gathered for a pep rally Friday night.

Don't tell these fans their Wolverines are 12-point underdogs, have lost six consecutive Big Ten games or that Ohio State hasn't lost in Ann Arbor since 2003. Frankly, they didn't seem to care.

“I’m all in for Michigan,” said Michigan sophomore Andres Medina before boldly picking a 31-21 victory for the maize and blue.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez may have plenty of detractors on and around campus, but they stayed home on Friday. He met nothing but cheers as play-by-play announcer and the night’s emcee, Frank Beckmann, brought him to the stage.

“We will be back on top of college football very soon,” Rodriguez assured his supporters. “Even though I may have come from somewhere else, I am a Michigan man now.”

Seniors Zoltan Mesko, Brandon Graham and Stevie Brown joined Rodriguez on stage. The students threw up their hands in the shape of a “Z” when Mesko jubilantly took the microphone.

“Thanks for putting up the Z for me all these years,” Mesko said before laughingly recounting his first game at Michigan when he said he was so enamored by the fan’s reception, the first snap he took nearly bounced of his face mask.

Then it was Graham who rallied the crowd.

“We gonna need all y’all tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow, it’s goin’ down.”

Not just students turned out for the event. Paul Josephson, a 1987 graduate, brought his wife, Jodi, and their children Ethan, 5, and Mellissa, 6, all the way from New Jersey for their first pep rally.

“All in, I think it’s real exciting,” Paul said, then turned to his son and he asked, “What’s the first thing we do at the Michigan game?”

After thinking for a minute, Ethan broke into a perfect rendition of “The Victors” or, as he called it, “The Michigan song.”

Even the cynics were mostly supportive.

“It’s just a cool thing to participate in, to say that you were here,” said sophomore Jill Boc. “I mean, they kind of suck, but I have faith.”

“I don’t really have thoughts on the coach,” said Stephanie Wolbers, a junior from Grand Rapids. “But I definitely love the players, who knows why?”

Strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis made a video appearance, shades of the Ultimate Warrior, asking for a “united front" before the band led the students in one last singing of “The Victors.”

Beckmann signed off for the evening with one final message.

“Go Blue! Beat OSU!”

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com, or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.