Welcome to the Skull Session.
Make it back-to-back 100-point games for the Buckeyes!
LOUD AND PROUD #Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/3Va3DaOs2e
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 26, 2024
Have a good Tuesday.
WIN THE RUN GAME, WIN THE GAME. Ryan Day mentioned it last fall, and Sherrone Moore mentioned it this fall: Whoever wins the run game wins The Game.
"It's extremely important. There are a lot of things that are important, but that's extremely high on the list," Day said in 2023.
“The biggest key is the rushing battle. The team that wins the rushing battle wins this game," Moore said Monday.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore doesn't think records or point spreads matter when it comes to facing Ohio State in The Game: I think this game is all bets are off. https://t.co/q7oky0nD4h
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 25, 2024
Day and Moore's statements could seem like a matter of coachspeak – like placeholders to communicate that the tougher team wins the battle between Ohio State and Michigan. That could be true. But more than that, the statements are a matter of fact.
According to Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, Ohio State is 17-1 vs. Michigan when the Buckeyes have run for more yards than the Wolverines since 2000. When the Wolverines have run for more yards than the Buckeyes, Ohio State is 0-5 (2003, 2011, 2021, 2022 and 2023).
Looking at Ohio State and Michigan's running back depth charts, the combination of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins is far superior to Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings. However, running the football is about much more than talented ballcarriers. It's also about the talent and execution of the offensive line. That position room is on its third iteration for the Buckeyes following the losses of Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin.
I'll discuss Donovan Jackson, Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman, Tegra Tshabola and Josh Fryar's performances against Indiana in the next section, but for now, I will share this: Those five linemen must prepare themselves for war this weekend, as Michigan's defensive line — in particular, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant – has the chance to wreck Ohio State's plans for a reckoning in Columbus.
CHAPTER 3, ACT 1. Before this past weekend, Indiana ranked in the top 10 in yards and points allowed per game – heck, even now, it ranks No. 5 (275 yards allowed) and No. 9 (17.3) in both categories. The Hoosiers' strength came (and comes) from an impressive front seven, which had 73 tackles for loss, 31 sacks and over 50 quarterback hurries before it faced the Buckeyes.
With Simmons and McLaughlin sidelined, Ohio State didn't allow a sack, a stat for which Justin Frye and the offensive line deserve tremendous credit. However, the Buckeyes did have some issues running the football. Yes, Henderson, Judkins, Jeremiah Smith and Will Howard combined for 115 yards on 29 carries (4 YPC), but most of that production came in the final 30 minutes, as Ohio State had 22 yards on 13 carries (1.69 YPC) in the first half and 93 yards on 16 carries (5.81 YPC) in the second half. Pro Football Focus revealed that the Buckeyes averaged 0.50 yards before contact and 3.08 yards after contact against the Hoosiers.
Save for the second-half production, those numbers concern me before Saturday. In fact, Ohio State's run game is the lone concern I have before Saturday.
Over the past two weeks, Michigan held Northwestern to 0.5 yards per attempt (11 yards on 24 carries) and Indiana to 1.4 yards per attempt (40 yards on 28 carries). With momentum in that area, the Wolverines will look to make Ohio State one-dimensional this weekend. If that happens, and the Buckeyes allow Graham and Grant to take over, it could be a much closer game than we all want to see at Ohio Stadium.
UNDER PRESSURE! Jim Knowles had me after the first drive – I'm not gonna lie.
After Ohio State's quick three-and-out, Indiana marched 70 yards down the field in six minutes and 12 seconds to score a touchdown and silence the Horseshoe. When the Hoosiers reached the end zone, it felt like we could be in store for another Knowles Disasterclass in a top-five matchup. But then Knowles activated the Silver Bullets. On the Hoosiers' final 10 drives, the Buckeyes held them to 104 yards and eight points on 48 plays. Quick math tells me that's 2.16 yards per play and 0.17 points per play.
... Is that good?
Part of the reason Ohio State's defense responded well was because Knowles called some well-timed, well-executed blitzes that made Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke familiar with Ohio Stadium's turf. According to PFF, the Buckeyes blitzed Rourke on 10 of 23 dropbacks, a 43.5 percent rate. Four of those blitzes resulted in sacks and another resulted in a quarterback hit.
Of those blitzes and sacks, Cody Simon was often the one who drove Rourke into the ground. The captain and Block O winner has been a weapon for Ohio State's defense in recent weeks, as Simon has recorded 40 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and one forced fumble in the team's past six games.
I'd love to see Knowles continue to be aggressive this week against Michigan. If I could make one recommendation to him, it would be to send Simon up the middle, send Simon off the edge, send Simon over the top – whatever he has to do to get Simon in the backfield, he needs to do it!
NOT GREAT, BOB! While I'm on the defense, I'd also love to see Davidson Igbinosun not commit a pass interference penalty (or two!) this weekend. In 2024, the third-year cornerback has 11 pass interference penalties in 11 appearances. He also has a personal foul and a few holds to boot.
Davison Igbinosun - 11 pass interference penalties in 11 games pic.twitter.com/WKUqAh34pV
— Brodie (@BrodieKnowsBall) November 24, 2024
If Igbinosun continues to be wreckless in coverage, his penalties could cost the Buckeyes in The Game, the Big Ten Championship Game or the College Football Playoff. That can't happen. Not in a time where it's survive and advance.
While I like IGB and his physical nature at cornerback, Knowles and Tim Walton may need to keep him on a short leash for the next few weeks – especially when you have a competitive dude like Jermaine Mathews Jr. barking to get in the game while on the sidelines.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Under Pressure" - Queen.
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