Ohio State doesn’t know, and probably won’t know until Saturday, who Michigan’s starting quarterback will be in Saturday’s game.
The Buckeyes say that hasn’t changed the way they’re preparing for Michigan’s offense.
Brandon Peters, Michigan’s starting quarterback for its last three games, has been in concussion protocol since suffering a head injury on Saturday against Wisconsin and is questionable to play against Ohio State.
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If Peters is unable to play, it’s expected that John O’Korn, who started the Wolverines’ previous four games before Peters took over, will start against the Buckeyes. But the possibility also hasn’t been ruled out that Wilton Speight, who started the Wolverines’ first four games of the season before suffering three cracked vertebrae against Purdue, could return to start in Saturday’s game. Speight has returned to practice but has not yet been cleared for contact, according to Nick Baumgardner of the Detroit Free Press.
None of those quarterbacks have been great this season, but a healthy Peters or Speight would seemingly give the Wolverines a better shot at winning Saturday’s game than O’Korn, who has the lowest completion percentage (53.2), passing yards per attempt (6.1) and passer rating (99.4) of the trio while throwing the least touchdowns (one) on the most attempts (124) and throwing the most interceptions (five).
From a preparation standpoint, however, the Buckeyes aren’t concerned about having to prepare for multiple quarterbacks because they say the Wolverines’ offensive identity doesn’t change much based on who their quarterback is.
"I think they’re all similar," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said of Michigan’s quarterbacks during Tuesday's Big Ten teleconference. "They’re very good players. It’s not like they drastically change their system with whoever’s in there."
Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley said there aren’t many differences between the quarterbacks’ tendencies.
"They don't get away from their offense. They won't get away from their offense, regardless of who's in," Worley said. "We watched film on all of them. They pretty much run the same offense with all the quarterbacks. They're really good at what they do and they stick to it."
What the Buckeyes expect the Wolverines offense to do on Saturday, regardless of who their quarterback is, is try to wear Ohio State’s defense out in the running game.
"They’re going to try to set the tone by running the ball, and we’ve got to come ready for that and we’ve got to come prepared to stop the run, because no matter who the quarterback is, they’re going to try to run the ball," said Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes.
Michigan’s passing offense has been a major weakness this season, ranking 112th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in both passing yards per game (166.2) and overall passer rating (116.4), but its running game has been solid, ranking 35th in the FBS in rushing yards per game (194.2).
The Wolverines have been led on the ground by Karan Higdon, who has 136 carries for 874 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, but have also had regular contributions from Chris Evans, who had 115 carries for 594 yards and six touchdowns. Ty Isaac has not had a carry in any of the Wolverines’ last three games due to injuries, but had 88 carries for 548 yards and two touchdowns in Michigan’s first eight games.
Karan Higdon is Michigan's leading rusher. Raj Mehta – USA TODAY Sports
Meyer says the Wolverines’ running game presents a real challenge for Ohio State’s defense.
"I think their tailback is an outstanding player, and their interior offensive line is really, really good," Meyer said. "And I think they do a very good job of moving and shifting and trying to create gap issues for you. So we’re spending an incredible amount of time (on preparing to stop the run)."
“No matter who the quarterback is, they’re going to try to run the ball.” – Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes on Michigan
Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard expects Saturday’s game to ultimately be determined by whether the Buckeyes, who have held five of their last six opponents to less than 100 rushing yards, can stop Michigan’s running game.
"They run the ball downhill, get in a lot of tight end and running back sets. They try and out-tough you – that’s what they do. That’s their M.O.," Hubbard said. "When you go into someone’s house, you got to run the ball and stop the run, especially in this game. Historically, it’s been run the ball downhill, whoever’s tougher, and who can stop the opponent from running the ball is going to have the upper hand. We’re focusing on stopping the run, getting them into third-down situations."
With the possibility of seeing any of three different quarterbacks and the Wolverines having three running backs who all see regular playing time when healthy, Ohio State’s defense has to prepare for many different personnel groupings this week. Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis said he doesn’t worry much about which specific players he might face, however, because the Buckeyes’ ability to make plays against Michigan’s backfield will ultimately come down to whether the Buckeyes do their jobs effectively.
"Playing football, playing defensive line, your job is to dominate the offensive lineman and then make the tackle," Lewis said. "At the end of the day you have to hold your gap, defend your gap and destroy a blocker and then make the tackle."
