Brady Hoke puts rivalry aside and offers condolences to Ohio State QB Braxton Miller

There’s a fierce rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, so fierce that neither school acknowledges the other by name, and instead uses terms like, “That School Up North” and “Ohio.”

But when Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending during a practice earlier this week, Michigan didn’t start gloating; it offered its condolences.

The cynic would say that Hoke was so nice because that means he doesn’t have to face the former Heisman Trophy contender, but let’s go ahead and take Hoke’s condolences at face value and applaud them for what they are.

Earlier this week, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio offered a similar sentiment upon hearing the news of Miller’s injury.

“I felt bad,” Dantonio told the Lansing State Journal. “Braxton Miller is a great football player. He is a senior, has meant a lot to their football team. He is a great leader, a great young man. You don’t want something like that to happen. It’s a tough deal.

“But I would say this — we played without Max Bullough in the Rose Bowl (because of a suspension). Usually when those things happen, people rise up. Everybody becomes a little bit better. What was a negative becomes a strength later.”

Reading the sentiments of these two coaches — coaches who want nothing more than to beat Ohio State on a yearly basis — shows just how much Miller meant to not only his team, but the league.

For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.

For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday