Michigan Football vs. Ohio State full analysis and prediction
Michigan football offense vs Ohio State defense
There are the most question marks here. This all depends on the health of Michigan football, since the vast majority of their injuries are on the offense.
Against Illinois, we saw just how key Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, and Luke Schoonmaker are. I will say that Colston Loveland looked incredible and has the makings of a potential future All-American, but he just doesn’t have the experience, in particular blocking-wise, that Schoonmaker has.
The staff knows more about the injuries than any of us, so I am confident in saying that if those three are unavailable or limited, the game plan will allow for much more success. The plan against Illinois was to let Blake Corum dominate them. Until he got hurt, it was working. He had about 150 total yards of offense before halftime.
Had the staff planned for Corum to be out, I think Michigan football wins the game in a much less dramatic fashion. They tried to run the same game plan with Stokes, Dunlap, and Gash, but it just wasn’t the same. A game plan centered around JJ will look much different than what we saw against Illinois.
For the sake of this article, I’m going to assume everyone is active.
I think Michigan’s offense matches up well with the Ohio State defense. The greatest strength of the Ohio State defense is its pass rush. J.T. Tuimoloau is a monster off the end, and Zach Harrison is an athletic freak. Ryan Hayes and Trente Jones/Karsen Barnhart will be given all that they can handle.
With that being said, neither of them is on the level of the Bosa’s/Chase Young. Tuimoloau may be up there next season, but for the moment he is a player that should, for the most part, be handled.
Tuimoloau’s biggest impact is his ability to disrupt passes in multiple ways. He can pressure the quarterback, but his greatest skill is his ability to bat down the ball or even intercept it. He is single handily responsible for Ohio State’s victory against Penn State.
The defensive tackles are nothing to write home about. I expect that the inside zone will work well against the Buckeyes. I’m very confident, assuming Corum and Edwards play, in Michigan’s ability to run the ball. Neither of the defensive ends are elite run-stoppers from what I’ve watched. For Ohio State to stop the run, they’ll have to stack the box and leave their corners on islands.
Ohio State has good linebacker play. Yet again, nothing super elite, but they’re fundamentally solid. Tommy Eichenberg has over 100 tackles on the year and is a leader on the defense. He won’t make any mind-blowing plays, but he also probably won’t make any huge mistakes.
Steele Chambers, the other linebacker, is another solid player. He isn’t as good as Eichenberg, but he isn’t bad either. He just kind of exists and there isn’t much to say about him. Chambers has been steady all year.
The Ohio State secondary can be taken advantage of. They have good safeties but average corners. If there was ever a time for the Michigan receiving room to play as well as advertised, it’s tomorrow. If Michigan football can’t throw, the Buckeyes will be able to stack the box and dominate the game.
It’s essential that JJ plays his best game in a Wolverine uniform, and that the receivers make things easier for him. I expect to see JJ use his legs a lot more, along with more trick plays or simply better pass concepts.
Play action will be essential for the Wolverines. The Buckeyes know Michigan wants to dominate on the ground, and I think they’re willing to sell out on it. I believe Michigan can beat the Buckeyes deep on play-action. Will JJ make the throw and will the receiver catch it are two questions that could define the game.
As a whole, the Michigan offense can score on this defense. I give the offense the advantage, but how much success Michigan football will have depends on the health and success of the run game. Look for the best game plan of the year.