3 Things Michigan Football can learn from Ohio State vs Northwestern

In case you missed Ohio State’s game today, it was rather interesting to watch. The Buckeyes won 24-7 against now 1-8 Northwestern, but for most of the game, it was rather close. Between C.J. Stroud struggling to the Wildcats’ offense found some success early on, there were some really intriguing things to note. Some of these may come in handy on November 26th, and they are worth taking a look at.

1. The Weather Forecast Will be an Interesting Storyline

We are reaching a point where the biggest rivalry in sports might be Ohio State vs the weather. This, of course, was the only reason they lost to Michigan football last year and was the only reason they struggled against Northwestern today.

The Buckeyes’ passing attack was virtually nonexistent, as C.J. Stroud completed just 10 of his 26 passes for 76 yards. With the imperfect weather, OSU needed to rely on their run game. Unfortunately for them, Northwestern was largely able to shut it down. Miyan Williams got it going later in the game and finished with 111 yards, but it took a lot of struggling and failing to convert short-yardage situations to get there.

Michigan’s run defense is a step up from Northwestern’s. Their secondary isn’t perfect, but if this is all it takes for C.J. Stroud to play poorly, they will not need to be perfect. Add in OSU’s lackluster defense against the run, and Michigan could work with mother nature to get in business.

2. Blake Corum Could be in for a Big Day

Northwestern ran the ball 59 times against Ohio State and had pretty decent success with it in the first half. What really ended up limiting their run game was their lack of a passing threat. Once OSU fully committed to stopping the run, it was tough sailing for the Wildcat’s offense.

Michigan football shouldn’t have that problem. While the Wolverines’ passing offense hasn’t been consistent, it has the ability to at least make opposing defenses respect it. Northwestern lacked this and suffered mightily because of it.

The other thing Michigan football has that Northwestern does not is a guy named Blake Corum. Corum’s been the best running back in the country, and if teams are finding success with the run against Ohio State, that bodes well for him. Corum has done nothing but produce big game after big game, and based on today, that trend could continue in Columbus.

3. Northwestern May Have Laid the Blueprint for Beating the Buckeyes

Limit the passing game and win in the trenches. Ohio State’s offense has been called one-dimensional all year, and today furthered that narrative as they struggled as a whole when C.J. Stroud wasn’t at his best. Again, the run defense wasn’t elite for the Buckeyes either, and getting the ground game going and going consistently could be a path to victory.

I’m confident that Michigan football will control the trenches. We saw how last year’s game went. We’ve seen Michigan’s offensive line outperform last year’s and Blake Corum’s heralded success.

We’ve heard about how much Ohio State has talked about improving its run defense, only to see it remain largely unchanged. On the flip side, Michigan’s defensive front is still producing at an elite level. Ohio State has a great offensive line but won’t face a defense like Michigan’s until November 26th.

Limiting the passing game has had me scared. Stroud is great and has one of the best wide receiver rooms we’ve ever seen. However, today’s performance gives me hope. This team isn’t unstoppable on offense, and without a pass attack is very limited.

Michigan will likely spend the next 20 days reviewing film from this game, and find out how to replicate Northwestern’s game plan and execute it at an elite level.