Ohio State vs. Michigan Preview: Buckeyes Ready for War, Hope for a Reckoning in The Game

Michigan

Wolverines

6 - 5 (4-4)

roster  |  schedule

NOV. 30, 2024 - NOON

Ohio Stadium

Columbus, OH

FOXOSU -19.5

All week, players and coaches have equated Ohio State's yearly bitter reunion with Michigan to a war. Ryan Day, Will Howard, Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka and Cody Simon all made that analogy in some form or another. It holds true for anyone who holds either the Buckeyes or Wolverines dear.

Put bluntly, Michigan is not the same caliber of team that won a national championship in 2023. After losing their head coach, defensive coordinator, quarterback, all five starting offensive linemen and many, many other stars from that squad, the Wolverines have lost five games, including one to a currently unranked Washington team.

There is too much scar tissue for No. 2 Ohio State to care. Three consecutive losses in The Game that all robbed the Buckeyes of Big Ten Championship Game appearances and a massive advanced scouting and sign-stealing scandal have OSU wanting to see the field turn scarlet with blood when it plays Michigan. And the storied history of this rivalry says that each team is capable of knocking off the other, even when one is in an up year and the other is in a down year.

For all the challenges Ohio State has overcome in 2024, charging through doubters and injuries to collect two top-five wins and all but lock up a College Football Playoff berth, none of its three stated goals has been achieved. Those goals are still to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and win a national title. Goal one is at the doorstep this Saturday; a win would set up a rematch with No. 1 Oregon to try and attain goal two.

"Everything that we do in the offseason, every decision that's made in terms of the coaching staff, the roster, how we practice, schematics is all working towards this moment right here," Ryan Day said on Tuesday.

The Headlines

Dictate on Defense

There's an opportunity for Ohio State's defense to control the game against a Michigan offense that ranks 107th nationally in scoring (23.1 points per game) and 128th out of 134 FBS schools in total offense (299.7 yards per game).

The key will be stopping the Wolverines' ground game. Michigan's offense has long been predicated on running the football, and Kalel Mullings has gained steam as the team's top running back, with 153 carries for 832 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns this year. Donovan Edwards – who graced the cover of EA Sports College Football 25 this past offseason – works in tandem, with 124 carries for 578 yards (4.7 per attempt) and four touchdowns.

Michigan ranks 71st nationally in rushing yards per game (159.6) and 62nd in yards per carry (4.5). The Wolverines racked up 201 yards on the ground at a clip of 5.7 per carry in last week's 50-6 win over Northwestern, but its completely new offensive line hasn't clicked to start moving bodies the way it has in years past. That could bode well for Ohio State's starting defensive line of Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.

And if the Buckeyes can shut down Michigan’s running game, it’s hard to see the maize and blue doing much through the air. The Wolverines are 128th in passing yards per game (140.1) and tied for 132nd in passing yards per attempt (5.6). Tight end Colston Loveland is the only Michigan player with more than 234 receiving yards (234 receiving yards is 21.3 per game at this stage of the season), and he's questionable to play with a shoulder injury he sustained last week.

Ohio State holds the No. 1 scoring and No. 1 total defense in the FBS. If the Buckeyes play to that standard on Saturday, they could take over the game on that side of the ball.

The Somme

If you know a little bit about the Battle of the Somme, this headline probably makes sense to you. If you don't, the Battle of the Somme in World War I was one of the biggest and bloodiest collisions of trench combat in human history. You can probably see where this is going.

Big games are won and lost in the trenches. As Ohio State has played three big games already this year, this is a fact that's been repeated several times already before Buckeye games, and it's no less true now than it was before the Oregon, Penn State or Indiana contests.

No Ohio State position group faces a bigger challenge than its offensive line this Saturday. Michigan has one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the country with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, who weigh 320 and 340 pounds, respectively. The Wolverines flank them with defensive end Josaiah Stewart, who is tied for second in the Big Ten with 8.5 sacks in 2024.

At the same time, no Buckeye position room is more battle-tested than its offensive line. Two of its best original starters, left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, have been lost to season-ending injuries. A fresh starting five had to be rolled out against both the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers. But the offensive line did what needed to be done to win the game on both occasions.

“Our O-line knows that they have a challenge,” Howard said on Tuesday. “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.”

RELATED Offensive Line Aims to Rise to Another Challenge Against Michigan

Wounded Warriors

The tenor around Ryan Day has changed dramatically since the Buckeyes fell 32-31 at now-No. 1 Oregon in Week 7.

Day's poor record against top-five opponents got some traction in that time. He's since beaten two top-five opponents. Day cast any ego aside to bring in Chip Kelly to run Ohio State's offense this season, and his further involvement in defensive and special teams meetings helped address concerns for those units that evolved during the year. 

All that can go by the wayside with a loss at home to a Michigan team Ohio State should absolutely beat. Fair or unfair, Day's three consecutive losses have drummed up concerns about his ability to handle the Wolverines.

But no man wants to win this game more than Day, and more than he ever has in his career, he understands the rivalry and the consequences of losing. 

“We felt what it's like to not win this game, and it's bad. It's one of the worst things that's happened to me in my life, quite honestly,” Day said on 10TV's Game Time with Ryan Day. “Other than losing my father and a few other things, like it's quite honestly, for my family, the worst thing that's happened. So we can never have that happen again ever. And that's been the approach all season.”

If Day can remove the 800-pound silverback gorilla from his back this Saturday, Ohio State can move on to much loftier ambitions. But for now, it's only about The Game.

Watch Out For These Guys

Michigan TE Colston Loveland

Loveland doubles up Michigan's next-leading pass catcher in each of the three main receiving categories with 56 receptions for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Ohio State has a lot of experience against weapons at the tight end position, having seen Oregon's Terrance Ferguson, Penn State's Tyler Warren and even Purdue's Max Klare this season. The latter duo combined for just five receptions for 60 yards against the Buckeyes.

Michigan DT Mason Graham

Mason Graham forms one half of an elite defensive tackle duo for Michigan. (Credit: Eric Seals/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

It's tough to chose between Graham and Grant to highlight here, but Graham has been the more productive of the duo this season. He's piled up 38 tackles with seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks from his 3-technique position. 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). 

Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer

It's too fitting not to list Sawyer in this section. This is a through-and-through Buckeye from the Columbus area who came back to beat Michigan and spearheaded the return of a bunch of his fellow seniors also, at least in part, to beat Michigan. Sawyer has 42 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season, but surged down the stretch of the 2023 campaign and has a combined 16 tackles with two sacks and a scoop-and-score in his last three games.

"Every year it doesn't matter what the record is, our record or their record," Sawyer said. "It's going to be a war no matter what."

Game Week Talk

“I’m excited. I’m excited about this game. I’m excited about this team. I love the look in their eye.”– Ryan Day in response to whether he’s more anxious or excited for The Game

The pressure of beating Michigan has clearly weighed on Day as Ohio State has lost to the Wolverines for the past three years, but he’s exhibited full confidence in his team entering this week’s game.

“Nope. Not at all.”– Emeka Egbuka on whether Michigan’s 6-5 record takes anything away from The Game

One of the shortest quotes by an Ohio State player this week was also one of the most powerful. Any suggestions that this year’s rivalry game means less because the Wolverines are having a down year have been quickly shot down by the Buckeyes.

“They got three werewolves out there that we got to try to cover, and it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”– Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale on Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate

Ohio State’s star-studded trio of wide receivers has made a big impression on Michigan’s coaches. Sherrone Moore also praised the Buckeyes’ wideouts this week, calling them “as good of a wide receiver crew as you’ll see in the country.”

Get Smart

• Michigan has a 61-52-6 all-time record against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 28-28-2 in games against the Wolverines in Columbus.
• Former Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford is in his first season as the running backs coach at Michigan.
• Ohio State linebacker Joey Velazquez, who has played in every game this season on special teams, played at Michigan from 2019-23 before transferring to Ohio State this offseason.
• The Buckeyes have two players from Michigan: Freshman offensive lineman Gabe VanSickle and walk-on punter Hadi Jawad. Neither has appeared in a game for Ohio State.
• Michigan’s roster includes eight players from Ohio. The only one who has seen regular playing time this season is wide receiver C.J. Charleston, a Cleveland native who transferred to Michigan from Youngstown State. Dayton native Rod Moore, who made the game-sealing interception in Michigan’s 2023 win over Ohio State, has not played this year due to a torn ACL.
• FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will be at Ohio State for the fourth time this season for The Game, which will be the sixth and final Buckeye game televised by FOX this season.
• Ohio State will recognize its seniors with a Senior Day ceremony before Saturday’s game, which will be the last of eight home games – barring a possible first-round home playoff game if the Buckeyes don’t win the Big Ten championship to earn a first-round bye – at Ohio Stadium this season.

How it Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -19.5, O/U 42.5

Rivalry semantics aside, Ohio State is categorically a better team than Michigan this year. Rivalry semantics included, the Buckeyes will bring their A-game this Saturday. If gains aren't there to be had on the ground, OSU has a precise quarterback in Howard and elite weapons on the outside to go to for offense. The Wolverines do not have that luxury.

Every Eleven Warriors staff member is projecting a multi-score win for the Buckeyes. But after the last three results of The Game, fans will assuredly take a win of any kind – though everyone would love to see a beatdown.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
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