Michigan vs. Ohio State: Three keys to a Michigan football victory
Michigan football is attempting to do something it hasn’t done since 2000, beat Ohio State in Columbus.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes enter The Game undefeated and ranked in the top five for the first time since 2006. Michigan is still riding the wave of beating Ohio State last season in Ann Arbor, 42-27. The maize and blue were more physically dominant in the trenches last season, and Michigan was able to get the win.
Both teams enter Saturday a little banged up with a possibility of key players not being able to suit up. But both Michigan and Ohio State have been preparing for this moment all season, and the winner will be headed to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.
Here are three things that I believe Michigan will need to do in order to defeat Ohio State for the second-straight year.
Don't try and change up the offensive identity
Photo: Isaiah Hole
My gut tells me that Blake Corum is going to play, or at least attempt to play on Saturday, against Ohio State. But Michigan has been extremely coy about what’s going on with its Heisman-caliber running back.
Corum’s backup, Donovan Edwards, hasn’t played in the past two games. But there is optimism that he will be able to play against the Buckeyes. To what extent is still unknown.
Playing devil’s advocate here, if Corum and Edwards aren’t available to play Saturday and Michigan has C.J. Stokes, Isaiah Gash, and Tavierre Dunlap to shoulder the load, the Wolverines will be asking J.J. McCarthy to win them the game. We haven’t seen Michigan ask him to do that.
Obviously, if Corum and/or Edwards can play and be as close to healthy as possible things bode well for Michigan. But as the old saying goes ‘next man up’ and the maize and blue may be relying on a true freshman and a walk-on to go beat Ohio State.
Regardless of who plays on Saturday, Michigan is built to run the ball and mix in the pass. The Wolverines can’t afford to get into a shootout with Ohio State because that is the Buckeyes’ A-plus game. The maize and blue need to establish the run, get it going, and control the time of possession. If McCarthy gets hot and connects with receivers downfield then that’s playing with house money and things would be looking even better for the Wolverines.
Must get pressure on C.J. Stroud
Ohio State’s offensive line has done a good job this season not allowing the opposition to get to C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes’ Heisman contender has been sacked nine times, and Pro Football Focus has Ohio State as the 14th-best pass-blocking team in the country with an 81.2 grade.
Let’s go back to 2021 when Michigan beat Ohio State in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines’ D-line physically dominated the Buckeyes’ O-line. Michigan sacked Stroud four times in the game and was credited with eight pressures against Stroud. While he threw for nearly 400 yards on Michigan last season, the Michigan defensive line did enough to get Stroud off his game for a few drives.
Through the first 11 games this season, according to PFF, Stroud has an 82.9 overall passing grade. When he is kept clean with no pressure, his passing grade is an excellent 91.6 and he completes 70% of his throws. But when he is facing pressure, he completes 43% of his passes and his passing grade drops to a 35.1.
Michigan has racked up 31 sacks this season and is tied for second in the Big Ten. The Wolverines should return Mike Morris on Saturday against Ohio State and he leads the team with 7.5 sacks in the 10 games he’s played.
If Michigan is going to have any sort of advantage against the Ohio State offense, the Wolverines’ defense needs to create havoc against Stroud on Saturday.
Scoring touchdowns is a premium
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Michigan is the eighth-ranked red zone scoring offense in the country scoring 93.2% of the time it reaches the red zone. But the Wolverines are also ranked 59th in the country scoring touchdowns 64.4% of the time they’re in the red zone.
The Wolverines have attempted more field goals (30) than anyone in the country. Alabama is second (25). Michigan averages kicking over two field goals every game and in a game against a high-flying offense like Ohio State, touchdowns are at a premium.
The good news for Michigan is Ohio State is the 117th-ranked red zone defense. The Buckeyes allow points 90.9% of the time and Ohio State allows touchdowns 59% of the time in the red zone.
Michigan has had stretches this season where it has either been really bad in the red zone or really good. On Saturday, the Wolverines need to be creative with the play-calling and the execution needs to be at an all-time high.
