Michigan Football: 5 predictions for the Wolverines against Ohio State

Don Brown’s defense does itself proud

Last year’s debacle against Ohio State was shocking. Not so much that Michigan football lost to Ohio State, but that the Wolverines just offered no resistance on defense. It was embarrassing.

You can bet that Don Brown hasn’t forgotten that and after some struggles earlier in the year, namely, against Wisconsin, his defense has responded in a big way.

A big help was the addition of Cameron McGrone to the starting lineup. The linebacker has been a dominant presence inside and actually, is the closest thing there is on the roster to Devin Bush Jr.

His speed in the middle and Daxton Hill‘s speed in the secondary has made a noticeable difference. The former five-star safety notched an interception in his first start last week and he will play a prominent role Saturday.

With the weather expected to be poor and the Wolverines itching to prove something on defense, I see Brown’s unit holding up better than expected.

To his credit, Brown has mixed up zone coverages a lot down the stretch and he will surely have a few tricks up his sleeve Saturday. His reputation is basically at stake in this one and while Ohio State will find a way to score points, at times, it will struggle.

And at the end of the day, I think the defense holds Ohio State under 30 points, somewhere in the range of 20-24, which would make The Game, very winnable. This game will remind of 2016 more than when J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes found a way but had a tough time moving the ball.