Saturday Spotlight
(3) Michigan Wolverines at (2) Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan: I had to rip them when I recorded Monday Evening Quarterback. Israel Rivera can attest to this, and I’ll say it here as well. Last weekend against the Illinois Fighting Illini was a trap game if I ever saw it and they overlooked them, plain and simple. So many times, teams feel they can just show up and overlook an opponent because they’re the more superior team and that won’t always work. Now that I got the bad out of the way, let’s focus on the good. They were able to escape with a win, they’re 11-0 for the first time since 2006 and have been in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings for the last three weeks. There is no surprise as to who the engine of this offense is, it’s Blake Corum. He’s been amongst one of the best Running Backs in the country this year and he’ll probably get the invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation. The identity of this Michigan football team this year is simple. Run the football, have Quarterback J.J. McCarthy control things, but most importantly, not turn the ball over and play defense. How about the Quarterback? J.J. has been solid in his first year starting. He’s thrown 14 touchdown passes and he’s completing 66.8 percent of his passes. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, he can also run to get yards as well. The one thing that’s concerned me has been their lack of a pass rush and it’s tough replacing a talent such as Aidan Hutchinson. This season, it’s been a pass rush by committee meaning whoever gets home is who gets home. They are still one of the best defenses in the country with a stout unit that can make an offense a one-dimensional group. Today, they will make their first trip to Columbus for the first time since 2018. It’s rivalry week!
Ohio State: They haven’t wowed me in the last few weeks as they were a month into the season. Penn State had given them a challenge until they started turning the football over and when you don’t take care of the ball, good things never happen. Next, they struggled for most of the game against the Northwestern Wildcats, but still found a way to escape with the victory and just last week against the Maryland Terrapins, they started off sluggish and didn’t look as dominant as they have at times this year, but still managed to win by 13 points. C.J. Stroud continues to elevate this offense and everyone around him. When I watch him play, I’m often reminded of Geno Smith because just as Geno plays, C.J. isn’t necessarily mobile. He wants to stay in that pocket and fire away. Continuing with the offense, they are one of the three best units in the country and they can strike at any time. They average 46 points per game and 7.4 per play. I had high expectations for Jaxson Smith-Njigba this year and with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave now in the NFL, they would build this offense around him. Unfortunately, Jaxson has been struggling with injuries throughout the season and the saying in football is true, the next man up! Marvin Harrison Jr has done just that and has become the Quarterback’s number one option. There’s a lot of depth within this Buckeyes offense such as Wide Receivers Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming, and Tight End Cade Stover is another weapon over the middle for Stroud. This defense has turned the page compared to a year ago and they play with more aggression and do their best to set the tone. The Game is finally here, and they’ll be at the shoe to close the season out.
Michigan X-Factor: Mike Morris– With Aidan Hutchinson in the NFL, Mike has become his “replacement”. He is a 6’6, 291-pound Defensive End that can also play Outside Linebacker. There’s only one goal when it comes to playing sound defense for this guy and that’s getting after the passer. In a year where sacks are down for the Wolverines, Mike has recorded seven sacks this year which is the team lead. If there were ever a moment in which he needed to perform his best, this is it today against one of the best Quarterbacks in the country.
Ohio State X-Factor: Tommy Eichenberg– He’s the man in the middle of this Ohio State defense. I always say there’s an energy guy on each defense and this applies to Tommy. If a lane is open for him to get to the Quarterback, he’s attacking it and rushing the passer. Tommy is a textbook open field tackler and reminds me of a hard-hitting safety playing Linebacker. I love his speed and his nose for the football. If not attended too, Tommy will burst through and ruin your play before it can even take place.
Final Analysis: Well, here we are! Many of you know I refer to this rivalry as the “North Carolina and Duke” of college football. Also, it’s always a pleasure to preview this matchup. When these two teams met a year ago, Michigan finally got over the hump and beat Ohio State, won the Big Ten East for the first time under Jim Harbaugh, won the Big Ten Championship and made the college football playoff. Michigan ran the football down Ohio State’s throat, and they did nothing to stop it. A year later, it’s on! The Buckeyes have had this game circled on their calendars. There are two matchups I’m watching in this game. The first is the Michigan secondary against these Ohio State receivers. The key to defeating Ohio State is having an active Defensive Line that can create pressure up front and collapse the pocket along with the secondary keeping everything underneath. In other words, make them earn those yards instead of getting the big play down the field. The second matchup I’ll be watching is this Michigan rushing attack against the Ohio State defense. This is EXACTLY why you hire Jim Knowles! For a game of this magnitude. It’s key for the Wolverines to win on every down. Get those stops on third down and in the redzone. For the Buckeyes, force McCarthy to make passes down the field and stuff their running game. If Ohio State can protect C.J. in the pocket and bottle up the running game, they will put this game away early on and it won’t be close. Michigan must also come away with points in the red zone. You won’t beat this team kicking field goals. Also, slow the game down. C.J. and that offense can’t do anything from the sidelines.
Prediction: Ohio State 31, Michigan 28
