Once more this season, Ohio State’s offensive line rose in a time of strife – or at the very least, did what it needed to do – in a 38-15 win over then-No. 5 Indiana last week.
Despite its third reshuffle of 2024 after losing center Seth McLaughlin for the year due to an Achilles injury, the Buckeyes allowed zero sacks against a Hoosier defensive front that was leading the Big Ten in them. While Ohio State managed only 115 rushing yards on four yards per carry against the Hoosiers, the front paved the way for TreVeyon Henderson to pick up 68 yards on nine carries (7.6 per attempt) and a touchdown.
But what lies in front of the Buckeyes’ offensive front is a Michigan defensive front that could be the best it sees all season. It’s the top strength of an otherwise downtrodden Wolverine squad. So, it’s up to Ohio State’s slobs – in the eloquent words of Donovan Jackson – to drop their nuts and rise once more.
“Our O-line knows that they have a challenge,” quarterback Will Howard said. “But, I mean, they've had challenges every single week. And people were worried about, you know, they weren't gonna be able to handle the movement up front from Indiana. They weren't gonna be able to handle moving around before Penn State. But those guys just keep rising to the challenge. And I've just been so proud of how they have responded.”
After a fantastic start to the year for the offensive line, left tackle Josh Simmons sustained a season-ending injury at Oregon in Week 7. The solution that worked was to slide Jackson out from left guard to left tackle and plug Carson Hinzman in at left guard, at least after a poor offensive line showing and an injury to second-string left tackle Zen Michalski against Nebraska.
On the road against then-No. 3 Penn State, that patchwork left side fueled a season-defining performance for the Buckeyes front five.
When McLaughlin went down before the Indiana game, the answer was to move Hinzman to center – where he started in 2023 – and plug Austin Siereveld in at left guard. Siereveld filled in for a then-injured Jackson in Weeks 1 and 2 and rotated with Tegra Tshabola at right guard for another handful of games, though Tshabola eventually became the full-time starter at the position as Siereveld’s play dipped slightly.
Combine those shuffles with the fact that Tshabola has been arguably the most inconsistent of the Buckeyes’ regular starting five linemen and Ohio State's interior offensive line is a concern. Especially as Michigan holds one of the nation’s best defensive tackle tandems in Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham. However, Ryan Day has confidence in the ability of the new-look interior to get the job done.
“You just go off what you see in practice, on the film,” Day said of Siereveld and Hinzman. “Two guys that now are getting more and more reps under their belt. Obviously, Carson has (experience) from last year, but now Austin as well. I think they both had a good week of practice last week, and I thought they had great energy out there. I thought they gave great effort. When they did miss, they swung and missed pretty hard, and it will be that way this week.
“We've got a big challenge with the two inside guys and the front that they have. But they'll be up for it. We'll have a good plan.”
Listed at 339 pounds and 320 pounds respectively, Grant and Graham have combined for 66 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2024. Grant’s also proven effective at batting down passes with five pass breakups.
Great run defense starts with great defensive tackle play, and Michigan is No. 4 nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (94) and No. 12 in yards allowed per carry (3.1). With Day saying that running the ball and stopping the run is key to Ohio State’s victory in The Game, there will be a lot of emphasis on generating movement against Grant and Graham.
“That's how you control the game on both sides of the ball,” Day said. “So that's something that has to be done, and you just look historically, that's how you win the game. But that’s not the only thing. And so, like every game we go into, we'll work hard to do what we think best helps us win the game. But, yeah, the team who runs the ball and the team who stops the run is going to win the game.”
Flanking Grant and Graham at defensive end is Josaiah Stewart, who is tied for second in the Big Ten with 8.5 sacks and fourth in the conference with 13 tackles for loss. While not a starter, defensive end TJ Guy is another weapon to watch on passing downs with 5.5 sacks this season.
“Those guys just keep rising to the challenge. And I've just been so proud of how they have responded.”– Will Howard on Ohio State's offensive line
It’s a benefit for Jackson that he’s already seen and improved against elite defensive ends since sliding from guard to tackle. He allowed two sacks to Penn State’s Abdul Carter in Week 10 but overpowered him in the ground game, especially on the Buckeyes’ game-clinching drive of 10 straight running plays and a quarterback kneel-down. Jackson and right tackle Josh Fryar turned Big Ten sack leader Mikhail Kamara of Indiana into a non-factor as he finished with just three tackles against Ohio State, all assisted and none for a loss.
This week’s challenge is arguably the toughest yet for Ohio State’s offensive line, but the Buckeyes’ quarterback is confident the players in front of him will get the job done.
“(Our offensive linemen) know that these are probably two of the best that they've played, those interior guys (for Michigan),” Howard said. “They’ve got those two guys on the edge, I think, really good players, too. I think this is one of the best defenses, if not the best defense we're gonna play. We know the challenge that's on the line and we know they're gonna bring their best. So, we're gonna be working our tails off this week.”
As a team, Michigan is tied with Indiana for second in the Big Ten with 31 sacks, trailing only Ohio State’s 35. The Wolverines are third in the conference in tackles for loss with 69. But even on its third-string left guard with a second-string center and left tackle, the Buckeyes have shown they can hold their own against top defensive lines. The question is whether the front five will rise to yet another challenge.
“They haven't listened to the outside noise,” Howard said. “They've stuck together. And when those guys are on, when those guys are hot, they're the lifeblood of this team, this offense, man. When we can get our run game going and we can get those O-linemen chugging and going, man, like that really makes a difference for us.”
