COLUMBUS — The Ohio State-Michigan week is a time of orchestrated civility. It is a time when the players and coaches from both sides slobber with compliments about the opposition. No jawing, no trash talking, and no calling anyone out.

But former coaches are not bound by these Marquess of Queensberry rules. They have tenure, and a healthy pension, so they are more prone to exercise free speech on hot button topics. Around the halls and locker rooms at Ohio State, that means Earle Bruce becomes a fire-and-brimstone evangelist, much to the delight of the Buckeyes.

“Hurricane Bruce rolled in last night and spoke to the team, and that brings a lot of energy,” Ohio State senior offensive lineman Jim Cordle said earlier this week, describing the fist-pounding and veins-bulging-out-of-the-neck speech delivered by the former Ohio State coach.

“He's always funny, but this year he came in and he was kind of somber. The hurricane hadn't boiled up quite yet,” Cordle said.

Bruce, who coached the Buckeyes from 1979 to 1987 and was 5-4 against Michigan, told the players he grows roses in his garden, and brought a bouquet along to signify the Rose Bowl bid that Ohio State has already secured. Then he slammed his fist on the table and reminded the players that they will be judged by the Michigan game, so they should forget the roses until after Saturday.

“I always like to talk to young people and talk about football. I don't know what good I do,” said Bruce, who went 81-26-1 at Ohio State and has remained active in the community and close to the program. “I've probably seen more Ohio State football than anyone, since 1949. I get to speak about what's been done. I love the Michigan game. It's the greatest rivalry in college football.”

The traditional Michigan week address by Bruce never grows old, according to fifth-year senior linebacker Austin Spitler. The Earle of oratory is always on his game, Spitler said.

“Coach Bruce said great players play great in the Michigan game. If you don't play great in the Michigan game, then you're not a great player here at Ohio State,” Spitler said.

Ohio State senior tight end Jake Ballard said the enthusiasm coach Bruce displays becomes contagious, no matter how many times you have heard the message.

“He tells some of the same stories, but he adds something new every year,” Ballard said. “He just talks with a passion about the game and a passion for Ohio State. It's not something that everybody gets to experience. I've been lucky to hear him speak four or five times now. It's something you never forget.”

With the Buckeyes on a five-game winning streak over the Wolverines, Bruce wants no part of parity or compassion. The 78-year-old coach, who first came to Ohio State almost 60 years ago as a freshman fullback for the Buckeyes, is banging the drum for another OSU victory on Saturday.

“We want to beat them every year, every year, every year. And that's what we're doing,” he said. “I'm all for five in a row, six in a row, seven in a row, and I'd be fine with a couple of coaches getting fired. That wouldn't be bad either.”

Punter Jon Thoma, another senior who has witnessed coach Bruce doing his William Jennings Bryan act several times, said the former Buckeye is revered by the current players.

“Every year he just shows how much this [game] means to old-time Buckeyes,” Thoma said. “He is everything in being an old-time Buckeye and current-day Buckeye. He knows everything about this place, and to get that insight from him is just unbelievable.”

Bruce said current OSU coach Jim Tressel demonstrated a good understanding of the significance of the rivalry from the day he was hired, and Tressel's 7-1 record against the Wolverines trumps anything else on his lengthy resume, including the current streak of five straight Big Ten titles.

“For me, at the top of the list would be beating Michigan. That's the feather in the cap,” Bruce said. “That's what he made important his first day on the job. And when you win that game, you usually win the conference.”

Contact Matt Markey at mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.