OHIO STATE PREVIEW 2016

The 10-1 #3 Michigan Wolverines travel to Columbus to meet the 10-1 #2 Ohio State Buckeyes for the 113th meeting between the two schools in the biggest rivalry in college football. Michigan is a 7.5 point underdog. Michigan leads the series against the two rivals, 58-48-6 with a record of 27-26-2 in Columbus and 24-22-1 at Ohio Stadium. Urban Meyer is 4-0 against Michigan and 60-5 overall since taking the Buckeye Head Coaching Job; Jim Harbaugh is 0-1 against the Buckeyes, and 20-5 since taking the Wolverine Head Job. The Wolverines last shut out Ohio in Columbus in 1976. Michigan Games Notes for Ohio State Ohio State Game Notes for Michigan Jim Harbaugh Press Conference on November 21 for Ohio State Urban Meyer Press Conference on November 21 for Michigan

Charles Woodson led Michigan over Ohio State in 1997; it was the last year Michigan won a National Title, Ohio has won two recently in 2002 & 2014 under the BCS System

On offense, Ohio State is led by Senior Quarterback J.T. Barrett; he has 722 net yards on the ground with 8 TDs this season, and has accounted for 99 touchdowns in his Buckeye career, 69 passing including 24 this season and 30 running. In the 2015 game, Barrett scored 3 TDs while piling up 139 rushing yards on us; he was also 9 of 15 for 113 and another TD. The key to any possibility of a Michigan win starts with stopping Barrett, and making the Buckeye offense one dimensional with constant pressure and punishing tackling. Barrett's favorite target is Junior H-Back Curtis Samuel; he has run for 650 yards and caught 61 passes for 790 yards while scoring 14 TDs for Ohio State this season. Redshirt Freshman Mike Weber has run for 1046 yards so far this season, and scored 8 TDs; Weber almost signed with Michigan, and played high school football at Detroit Cass Tech. Senior Dontre Wilson backs up both Samuel and Weber along with Freshman Demario McCall. It will be difficult to contain all three backs so the best defense for Michigan will be to gain time of possession advantage to limit the Buckeye offense's access to the football; this group has fumbled the ball 15 times in 11 games, but only lost the football 4 times. When Barrett throws downfield, he will be looking for Sophomore wideouts, Noah Brown and Terry McLaurin, Freshman K.J. Hill, Junior James Clark, and Junior Tight End Marcus Baugh. Sophomores Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon may also contribute at wideout. Most Wolverine fans believe that All-American Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling will be able to cover and shut down the Buckeye wideouts in this matchup, but are unsure we can throttle the Ohio State ground game. The Buckeye Offensive Line is led by Outland Trophy Finalist, Senior Pat Efflein; he will be matched up for much of the game with Wolverine Nose Tackle Ryan Glasgow. The Buckeye Guards are Junior Billy Price and Freshman Michael Jordan from Plymouth, another Michigander. The tackles are Junior Jemarco Jones and Sophomore Isaiah Prince. Sophomore Evan Lisle is one of the top backup linemen, and Redshirt Freshman A.J. Alexander is the second Tight End. This group is better in the run game than it is for protection; in order for us to stop the Buckeyes, we must not let Samuel or Barrett get to the edge, and force the Ohio State offense into 3rd and long situations where they have to pass. Our defensive line will need to outplay the Buckeye offensive line, and our linebackers will need to contain the edge and the middle to stop the Ohio State ground game. Last season, the score was 14-10 at the half, but the Buckeye ground game wore us down in the 3rd quarter for a 42-13 loss; we will need to show early in this game that we can stop their ground game all four quarters. Ben Gedeon, Michael McCray and Jabrill Peppers will need to "fly around," and have their best games as Wolverines if we are to stop the Ohio State ground game.

Ohio State torn down the Michigan Banner in the 1973 game by order of Woody Hayes; the banner tradition began at Michigan in 1962

On defense, the Buckeyes are led by Junior MIKE Linebacker, Raekwon McMillan; he has 71 tackles, 4.5 for loss with a sack, 2 forced fumbles and a quarterback hit. Sophomore WILL Linebacker, Jerome Baker, is the team's second leading tackler with 64 stops in 11 games. The SAM Outside Linebacker is Junior Chris Worley; he has 49 tackles. Junior Michael Hill anchors one tackle and Freshmen Dre'Mont Jones and Davon Hamilton share the other tackle while Sophomore Sam Hubbard and Junior TyQuan Lewis start at the Defensive Ends. Lewis leads the team with 7.5 sacks while Freshman Backup Defensive End Nick Bosa has 4 sacks. Junior Backup Jaylin Holmes and Freshman Backup Tackle Robert Landers are second and third on the team in tackles for loss with 8 and 7.5 respectively. Our experienced offensive line with Seniors Kalis, Magnuson and Braden will need to handle this group so we can run the ball, and maintain a time of possession advantage if we are to prevail in Columbus. Where the Buckeyes really stand out is in the defensive backfield with Sophomore Marshon Lattimore and Junior Gareon Conley at the corners; they will be matched up on Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson, and those promise to be some of the top best to watch especially on the 3rd and long situations. One big reason why lost at Iowa was the blanket coverage that the Hawkeyes had on our receiver tandem, and they must find a way to make plays in Columbus if we are to be successful offensively. Lattimore has 9 pass deflections and 4 interceptions while Conley has 10 pass deflections with 3 inerceptions. Sophomore Malik Hooker and Junior Damon Webb are the safeties; Webb also played at Detroit Cass Tech. Hooker has 60 tackles with 9 pass deflections and 5 interceptions while Webb has 48 tackles, 4 pass deflections and an interception. Jake Butt will need to manuever through coverage most of the time with Hooker following him. Junior Erick Smith, Freshman Jordan Fuller, Redshirt Freshman Damon Arnette and Sophomore Denzel Ward may also contribute at in the backfield, and on special teams; Ward has 8 pass deflections in a reserve role. Will Eddie McDoom be able to convert a Jet Sweep for a big play?

Bo and Woody brought the rivalry to new heights during the "10 Year War" following the 50-14 game in 1968 where Woody went for 2

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On special teams, the Buckeyes are a great tradition of superb specialist, and this year is no different. Grad student Cameron Johnston is an outstanding punter; the Aussie has a 46.3 yard average on 43 punts with 21 downed inside the 20, and the chances are good he'll be offered the opportunity to punt in the NFL as he is the nation's 5th leading punter. Johnston is the holder for Senior placekicker Tyler Durbin who is 16 of 17 in field goal attempts with a 45 yarder, and 60 of 62 extra points. The Buckeyes have always been stingy on kickoff returns, and this year's group averages only 18.42 yards per return, and they are 5th in the nation in net punting while allowing only 3.09 yards per punt return. Jabrill Peppers will need to be especially good in the return game as we will definitely need to win on special teams in Columbus. The return specialists for Ohio State include Senior Dontre Wilson and Parris Campbell for kickoff returns, and Curtis Samuel on punt returns. Will Michigan go for the punt block? Last year, Tyree Kinnel took a bad penalty on a punt block attempt that cost Michigan. Michael Jocz, Khaleke Hudson and Kinnel have done a great job pressuring the punter this season, will they pressure Johnston on Saturday? Kenny Allen is peaking at a great time, his kickoffs, punts and field goal kicking has been great in the past few games. Allen will need to help the Wolverines keep solid field position advantage throughout this game. Harbaugh claims we need to win two of the three phases: offense, defense and special teams to win a game so we really need to win special teams in Columbus.

In the 2013 game at Ann Arbor, Michigan's Delano Hill and Ohio State's Dontre Wilson square off, will they go at it again in 2016?

In order for the Wolverines to "steal" one in Columbus, they will need to execute an offensive game plan with a questionable quarterback. Wilton Speight will play at Columbus, the questions will be how much will he play and how effective will he be? Both John O'Korn and Jabrill Peppers are likely to also play at quarterback. Can Michigan's offensive line help the Wolverines to establish a running game? Who will run for the most yards: DeVeon Smith, Chris Evans, Ty Isaac or Karan Higdon? Will we be able to establish a balanced offense with Jake Butt, Amara Darboh, and Jehu Chesson involved in making plays? For Michigan to win, its Seniors and special players will need to make big plays. Our leading scorers: Kenny Allen, DeVeon Smith, Khalid Hill, Amara Darboh and Karan Hidgdon will all need to assert themselves in Columbus

On Defense, Michigan has its best defense since 1997 when we won the National Championship; however, can this defense stop the Buckeye offense in Columbus? Our Seniors on the defensive line, Chris Wormley, Ryan Glasgow, Taco Charlton and Matt Godin have never beaten Ohio State so this is their last shot. Ditto with our linebacking corps with Senior Ben Gedeon and NFL bound Jabrill Peppers. Our backfield also has 4 Senior Starters with Jourdan Lewis, Channing Stribling, Delano Hill and Dymonte Thomas. They will need to control the game for us to leave Columbus with a win.

I've watched this rivalry now for over 55 years, and can remember the 1961 game when Woody Hayes came to Ann Arbor to bully the Wolverines, 20-50. Ohio State has had their way with Michigan defenses over the last 10 years by scoring over 40 points five times; well, it isn't going to happen in 2016 or in the future under Coach Harbaugh. Expect Michigan to play a great game, and expect to see a determined Wolverine squad execute a tough defense from early on and wear down the Buckeyes. Michigan wins the turnover battle, and converts a defensive score for a touchdown. Ohio State manages two touchdowns, but the Wolverine defense holds them to 3 field goals in their red zone trips. The Michigan offense scores enough to give the defense a chance to hold off the Buckeyes. Take Michigan and the points! Hail to the Victors!!!

Michigan 24 Ohio State 23

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The Maniacal Hayes tried to tear down the banner again in 1977, but Wolverine Dave Gallagher held him off

This is the greatest rivalry in all of sports in the United States. They have played every year since 1918, and the game was moved to the last Saturday of the season in 1935. Even though Michigan holds an advantage with 58 wins in 112 games; since 1918, the series is 46 wins and 48 losses with 4 ties. The Buckeyes began calling this series the "Gold Pants" which began in 1934, and hold a 41-36-4 advantage. Ohio State also takes pride in their record against Michigan since the Snow Bowl in 1950 when the Woody Hayes era began, they are 28-34-2 since 1951 (2010 Buckeye win removed). Harbaugh crushes Buckeye Nut with Hammer on Bo's Grave

Chris Spielman has 29 tackles against Michigan, but it wasn't enough to defeat a Jim Harbaugh guaranteed win, 26-24

No NCAA Football Team has been #1 more times than Ohio State since the AP Poll was created in 1936; the Buckeyes have been #1 105 times with 867 appearances, and Michigan is second with 820 appearances

Chic Harley led the Buckeyes to their first win over Michigan in 1919; Former Wisconsin Fullback John Wilce coached the Buckeyes, 1913-1928, with a 4-7 record

2011 Michigan 40 Ohio State 34

2003 Michigan 31 Ohio State 23 Part I Part II

2000 Michigan 38 Ohio State 26 Part I Part II

1999 Michigan 24 Ohio State 17 Part I Part II Part III

1997 Michigan 20 Ohio State 14 Part I Part II

1996 Michigan 13 Ohio State 9 Part I Part II

1995 Michigan 31 Ohio State 23 Part I Part II

1993 Michigan 28 Ohio State 0 Part I Part II

1991 Michigan 31 Ohio State 3 Part I Part II

1990 Michigan 16 Ohio State 13

1989 Michigan 28 Ohio State 18

1988 Michigan 34 Ohio State 31 Part I Part II

1986 Michigan 26 Ohio State 24

1985 Michigan 27 Ohio State 17

1983 Michigan 24 Ohio State 21

1980 Michigan 9 Ohio State 3

1978 Michigan 14 Ohio State 3

1977 Michigan 14 Ohio State 6

1976 Michigan 22 Ohio State 0

1973 Michigan 10 Ohio State 10

1971 Michigan 10 Ohio State 7

Bob Ufer Poem: Burying Michigan

1969 Michigan 24 Ohio State 12

1964 Michigan 10 Ohio State 0

1959 Michigan 23 Ohio State 14

1950 Michigan 9 Ohio State 3 (The Snow Bowl)

Michigan gained no first downs in 1950, but still came up with a win at Columbus; Chuck Ortmann punted 24 times for 723 yards

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