Michigan Football: Breaking down the Ohio State Buckeyes

Michigan football takes on Ohio State Saturday in the latest edition of The Game. Here is a breakdown of the Buckeyes.

When Michigan football hosts Ohio State Saturday, it will represent the Wolverines last chance at turning around a season that once looked so promising. Losses to ranked teams and close rivals have put a big damper on UM’s 8-3 record.

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Yet, that can all change Saturday. The Buckeyes, who will be heavily favored, have a lot on the line. They have already clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, but even at 9-2, they still are alive in the College Football Playoff race.

For Michigan football, nothing could be sweeter than spoiling that for Ohio State. Unfortunately, doing that will be much easier said than done.

Per usual, the Buckeyes come in with the most explosive offense in the Big Ten, leading the conference with an average of 44.5 points per game. Defensively, they are solid too, allowing 19.8 PPG, which ranks fifth.

Under Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes have dominated this series, winning five in a row. The last win for Michigan came back in 2011, Brady Hoke’s first season. Before that, the Wolverines last win was back in 2003, when Braylon Edwards had the game of his life.

But back to present day. When Ohio State has the football, J.T. Barrett is the guy. He’s completing 66.8 percent of his passes and has 32 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions. He also has 616 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

However, the title of best rusher for the Buckeyes goes to J.K. Dobbins, who has 1,089 yards, six touchdowns and averages 7.3 a carry. Mike Weber is a solid second option with 545 yards and 6.8 yards per carry. He also has nine rushing touchdowns.

Michigan Wolverines Football

In terms of pass catchers, Ohio State has a lot of options. Six players have more than 300 yards receiving and nine have more than 200. Paris Campbell is leading the team in yards with 504 on 34 catches. K.J. Hill leads in receptions with 49 and also has 466 yards and three touchdowns. Johnnie Dixon is another threat and leads the team in touchdown catches with eight. He also has 17 receptions for 413 yards, which equates to an amazing 24.3 yards per catch.

On defense, Ohio State ranks fifth in the conference in sacks with 29, but has only forced 17 turnovers, although the Buckeyes have only turned it over 15 times, so they have a positive turnover margin.

In terms of the pass rush, Nick Bosa is always going to be a concern, he has 11.5 TFL and five sacks, which leads the team. Tyquan Lewis is second with 4.5 sacks. Damon Webb has been a key factor in the secondary with 49 tackles, three interceptions and three passes defensed. While those few standout, the Buckeyes are loaded with talent at all three levels, although they have been banged up at linebacker for a good chunk of the season.

In terms of resume, the Buckeyes have an impressive one. They have wins over Penn State 39-38 and Michigan State 48-3, but also losses to Oklahoma 31-16 and the blowout loss to Iowa 55-24. Ohio State is 2-1 on the road and has scored 38 points or more in all nine wins.

Even with the loss by 31 points to Iowa, Ohio State is winning Big Ten games by an average of 28 points and in those games, they are scoring an average of 48. They are elite, a juggernaut and a possible playoff team.

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Michigan football will have its hands full. Crazy things happen in this rivalry and that’s all the Wolverines can hope for on Saturday.