Michigan Football vs. Ohio State: Buckeyes Players to Watch

Nov 21, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus cheers on the field against the Michigan State Spartans in the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. The Spartans won 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan football could snap a three-game drought against Ohio State on Saturday. Here are the Buckeyes players who won’t be making it easy.

Before I actually start this, I would like to have a special moment of silence for the 5-year-old grandson of Lloyd Carr, Chad Carr, who passed on earlier this week in his battle with cancer. Rest in peace to the young warrior, and for the Carr family, know my thoughts are with you during these times.

This weekend will be a very special weekend indeed. The Michigan Wolverines host the Ohio State Buckeyes at noon ET on Saturday. The Buckeyes are coming off of a huge loss to Michigan State. Sparty had a game plan that seemed nearly flawless and exposed much of the Ohio State offense and just how suspect certain areas of the Buckeyes’ game really is. Maybe we were just being fooled by the Buckeyes last Saturday, but I highly doubt it.

Ohio State has had a questionable season to this point. At no point have the Buckeyes looked dominant. The scoreboard in a lot of games doesn’t tell the whole story. Ohio State’s quarterback “controversy” and the loss of receiver Devin Smith probably hindered it from being the team it was last year.

Michigan has had its problems throughout the season as well, collecting losses to Utah and Sparty. The Sparty loss was considered by many a fluke, however a loss is a loss and it will count as such. Utah was on its way to becoming the Pac-12 powerhouse, though it hasn’t played out like that lately.

Much improvement has been made since the Utah game, though. Michigan’s defense reached the status of being one of the most elite in the college game, snagging three straight shutouts at one point, and allowing less yards in three games combined than most teams give up in a single game. Michigan’s offense also started clicking in a way that I am sure nobody truly saw coming.

In a battle between the No. 2 overall defense in Michigan and the No. 9 defense that is Ohio State, I expect to see a defensive battle. With questionable offenses I don’t see a whole lot of scoring in this game; it may be as close and low scoring as the Michigan State game.

All that said, let’s take a look at the Ohio State players to watch against the Wolverines.

Next: RB Ezekiel Elliott