Michigan DL Kris Jenkins Surprisingly Says He's Disappointed In Ohio State's Lackluster Cotton Bowl Showing

You'd think that few people would have enjoyed watching Ohio State lay an egg in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri more than anyone associated with the University of Michigan. However, surprisingly, it kind of bummed out Wolverines defensive lineman Kris Jenkins.

On Saturday, Jenkins, a senior, spoke to the media ahead of Michigan's Rose Bowl clash with the Alabama Crimson Tide. There, he was asked about his team's arch rivals' performance the night before in which they were embarrassed in a 14-3 loss.

“I’m a hater, but that ain’t the team we played against on the 25th of November,” Jenkins said per ESPN. “It wasn’t sad. But dang, man. You feel me? Does that make sense? Your rival, y’all hate each other, but you want them to play good. But that was tough to watch.”

You'd think watching your biggest rivals get completely embarrassed on a big stage would make you happy. However, I kind of get what he's saying.

The satisfaction of beating your rival is only there if your rival presents a challenge. If they don't then what do you get of that? You beat a crappy team.

Unfortunately for Ohio State, while it was missing some key players — including Marvin Harrison Jr. — everyone is missing guys this time of year, and that loss puts a real damper on an otherwise solid 2023 campaign.

That then takes a little bit of the shine off of Michigan's win over the Buckeyes back in November.

So, you can kind of understand why Jenkins would be a little bummed to see how things panned out in the Cotton Bowl.

Although, privately I'm sure he was loving every second of that train wreck.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle