Ohio State’s offensive line is on a roll.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line has quietly excelled all season, but been particularly great in recent weeks. The Buckeyes have run for 325 yards or more and four touchdowns in each of their last two games, efforts that have led by their big bodies clearing lanes up front. The Buckeyes’ starting offensive linemen – left tackle Jamarco Jones, left guard Michael Jordan, center Billy Price, right guard Demetrius Knox and right tackle Isaiah Prince – have not given up a quarterback sack in their last three games.
That offensive line will be put to the test on Saturday, however, when it will face what might be the most talented defensive line it has faced all season.
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8-3, 5-3 B1G ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, NOV. 25 MICHIGAN STADIUM ANN ARBOR, MICH. |
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Michigan’s defensive line, featuring a front four of players who are likely to end up playing in the NFL, is one of the most talented defensive lines in the entire country.
The star of the unit is fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, who was ranked earlier this month by Pro Football Focus as the highest-graded defensive player in all of college football. While he will have a significant size disadvantage against Ohio State’s interior offensive linemen, at only 6-foot-2 and 282 pounds, he has tremendous explosiveness for an interior defensive lineman, which enables him to be a disruptive force and is why he is widely projected to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
The other star of Michigan’s defensive line is true sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary, who was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2016. While he hasn’t quite performed up to his hype out of high school yet, he remains a 6-foot-5, 287-pound, athletic freak of nature who is both a presence on the edge against the run and a tough matchup on the line as a pass-rusher.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has taken notice of and been impressed with both of them.
"They're very good players," Meyer said of Hurst and Gary. "Both very highly draftable NFL players, too."
Rashan Gary has 51 total tackles, with 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, as a sophomore. Brad Mills – USA TODAY Sports
Statistically, neither Hurst nor Gary has been Michigan’s most productive defensive lineman this season. That distinction goes to Chase Winovich, who leads all Big Ten players with 16 tackles for loss, is tied for second in the conference with 7.5 sacks and is second among conference defensive linemen with 61 total tackles.
The fourth starter on Michigan’s defensive line, Aubrey Solomon, is no slouch either. A five-star recruit in his own right, the true freshman is another highly gifted defensive tackle who has earned increased playing time for the Wolverines over the course of the season and has started to show his own ability to be disruptive up front.
The defensive line’s ability to excel is elevated by having a productive group of playmakers at linebacker behind them. Devin Bush, one of five finalists for this year’s Butkus Award as one of college football’s best linebackers, has made plays all over the field for the Wolverines in his first season as a starter. Khaleke Hudson, who plays a similar role to that which Jabrill Peppers played for the Wolverines last season, has also been highly productive, tied for the team lead with seven sacks and second on the team in tackles for loss (15.5) and total tackles (66). The other starting linebacker, Mike McCray, is Michigan’s most experienced defensive player and only returning starter from 2016.
Meyer expects the Michigan defensive line to give the Buckeyes a serious challenge on Saturday. The significantly improved play of his offensive line this season, however, gives him confidence that unit will be up for the challenge.
"Right now they are one of the strengths of our team," Meyer said of his offensive line. "This D-line is the real deal, but knowing that you have a very stable and very strong group up front … that's the foundation of a great offense."
Ohio State’s offensive line has proven capable of fending off most pass-rushers this season, while it’s also shown the ability to dominate in the ground game since the Buckeyes have started committing to their power running game. The Buckeyes are tied for sixth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with only 42 tackles for loss allowed and are tied for seventh in the FBS with an average of more than six yards per rushing attempt. Michigan should present a significant test in both areas, though, considering that the Wolverines are tied for third in the FBS with 93 tackles for loss and 17th in the FBS with only 3.4 yards allowed per carry.
That said, there’s also reason to believe Ohio State’s offensive line is capable of stepping up to the task. After all, the Buckeyes practice against one of the nation’s best defensive lines on a daily basis. The Wolverines also don’t rotate up front the way the Buckeyes do, which means they can be susceptible to getting worn down over the course of a game if they are forced to stay on the field. That was evident in the Wolverines’ game against Penn State earlier this season – the only game this season in which Michigan has allowed more than 24 points – in which the Wolverines allowed the Nittany Lions to run for 224 yards en route to scoring 42 points.
Isaiah Prince and the Ohio State offensive line have positive momentum on their side entering Saturday's game.
Jones is preparing for a hard battle on Saturday, but he says that’s nothing new when it comes time to play the Wolverines in the final game of the regular season.
"They have a really good front, so we know we going to have to come prepared. That’s a battle every year in the trenches, every year they come out ready," Jones said after Ohio State's 52-14 win over Illinois on Saturday. "It’s going to take all five of us on the same page every play to get this job against this defensive front that they have."
