Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore reacts to a video replay during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Hail to the Victors! For the third season in a row, Michigan proved to be superior to Ohio State. It was a tight game from start to finish, but ultimately, Michigan’s defense sealed the victory with a good pass rush by Jaylen Harrell and an interception by Ohio native Rod Moore. This was perhaps the most satisfying win of the three straight wins vs. the Buckeyes, because all the excuses for Ohio State were stripped away – there was no snow, there was no Connor Stalions, and there wasn’t even a Jim Harbaugh. Both teams were (relatively) healthy. And Michigan came out on top.
Ohio State players recruited by Michigan are too numerous to list. A huge chunk of the Buckeyes’ roster was targeted by Michigan.
Ohio State players from the State of Michigan include: S Cameron Martinez (Muskegon), RB Cayden Saunders (Northville), WR Kai Saunders (Northville), OT Grant Toutant (Warren De La Salle)
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED…
On November 26, 2022, Michigan beat Ohio State 45-23 at Ohio Stadium
Michigan established a 60-51-6 lead in the rivalry
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud completed 31/48 passes for 349 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions
RB Donovan Edwards ran 22 times for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 85- and 75-yarders
WR Cornelius Johnson caught 4 passes for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 75- and 69-yarders
Converted LB Kalel Mullings completed a jump pass from the RB position for a 15-yard gain to Luke Schoonmaker
RUSH DEFENSE vs. OHIO STATE RUSH OFFENSE Michigan is #9 in the country, allowing just 90 yards/game on the ground. That includes allowing 2.96 yards/carry, which is also #9 nationally. Last week Maryland managed just 15 yards on 33 attempts (including sacks), though they did score 3 touchdowns from the 1-yard line on quarterback sneaks. Linebacker Junior Colson leads the team with 60 tackles, followed by 42 from LB Michael Barrett and 32 from Ernest Hausmann. (Side note: The gap from #1 to #2 to #3 in tackles is ridiculous; the #3 tackler is averaging fewer than 3 tackles per game.) At this point everyone knows about Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant on the defensive line, but #4 defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny has quietly been coming on and now has 23 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss on the season, including 4.5 TFL in the past six games. Ohio State is #85 in rushing offense (145.6 yards/game) and #69 in yards per carry (4.33). Junior RB TreVeyon Henderson (5’10”, 212 lbs.) was not healthy early in the year, but he has 74 carries for 499 yards and 5 touchdowns in the past four games. Backup RB Deamonte “Chip” Trayanum (5’11”, 233) is the Arizona State transfer who had a solid game against Michigan last year, and he has 79 carries for 336 yards and 3 TD so far this year. Quarterback Kyle McCord (6’3″, 215) is not a threat on the ground, with 31 attempts for -62 yards on the year. Up front the Buckeyes don’t have a dominant offensive line like they have had in some years, but LG Donovan Jackson (6’4″, 320) is the best of the bunch. Redshirt sophomore LT Josh Simmons (6’5″, 310) was playing for Brady Hoke at SDSU at this time last year, and redshirt freshman C Carson Hinzman (6’4″, 300) has also struggled at times. Henderson is a potential breakaway threat at running back, and Michigan needs to slow him up at the line of scrimmage. Advantage: Michigan
PASS DEFENSE vs. OHIO STATE PASS OFFENSE Michigan is #2 in pass defense (144.8 yards allowed/game) and #3 in passing efficiency defense. They’re #7 in yards allowed per attempt (5.7). This all comes despite being just so-so at getting after the QB, with 2.46 sacks per game, which is #40 nationally. OLB Jaylen Harrell leads the team with 6.5 sacks, followed closely by fellow OLB Josaiah Stewart with 5.5 quarterback takedowns. On the back end, it will be interesting to see what Michigan does to combat Ohio State junior WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. (6’4″, 205), who has 62 catches for 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, despite teams scheming non-stop to shut him down. Michigan could choose to shadow him with #1 CB Will Johnson, but I don’t think Johnson can cover him one-on-one. Harrison will require safety help, whether it’s Johnson or Josh Wallace covering him. Senior TE Cade Stover (6’4″, 251) is the #2 target with 38 catches for 534 yards and 5 scores, followed by junior WR Emeka Egbuka (6’1″, 206), who has 32 catches, 427 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The Buckeyes are #42 in the country in sacks allowed (1.64 per game). McCord’s immobility will be a factor if Michigan can get after him, and he can’t be allowed to sit back and wait for Harrison to come open, because Harrison is the best player in the country, in my opinion. Advantage: Michigan
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RUSH OFFENSE vs. OHIO STATE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #50 in rush offense (171 yards/game) and #54 in yards per carry (4.48). However, Michigan is tied for #31 – with Rich Rodriguez’s Jackonsville State – in rushing touchdowns with 31. Blake Corum has 180 carries for 888 yards and 20 touchdowns, the last of which leads the nation. Backup Donovan Edwards is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, which is dead last among qualifying running backs in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have suffered a couple blows in recent weeks, first losing left tackle La’Darius Henderson and then losing his backup, Myles Hinton. Last week that forced right tackle Karsen Barnhart to the left side, moving Trente Jones from his “extra OL” spot to right tackle. Michigan averaged just 3.33 yards/carry against Maryland last week, but stand-in head coach Sherrone Moore said he expects Hinton and Henderson to be ready for The Game. Ohio State is #21 in rush defense (108.6 yards allowed/game) and a matching #21 in yards allowed per carry (3.32). They have allowed just 3 rushing touchdowns all season, the last of which came against Maryland on October 7. Of all teams, Rutgers managed the biggest day running against the Buckeyes, going for 232 yards on 43 carries. Senior inside linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (6’2″, 239 lbs.) leads the team in tackles with 75, followed by senior LB Steele Chambers (6’1″, 232) and sophomore CB Davison Igbinosun (6’2″, 190) with 62 and 48, respectively. Ohio State is tied for #71 in tackles for loss with 5.64 per game, led by junior DT Tyleik Williams (6’2″, 290) with 10.0 and junior DE Jack Sawyer (6’4″, 265) with 6.0. Williams has been outstanding on the interior. Advantage: Ohio State
PASS OFFENSE vs. OHIO STATE PASS DEFENSE Michigan is #64 in passing offense (228.6 yards/game) and #4 in passing efficiency. They’re #7 in yards per attempt with 9.5. J.J. McCarthy had an off week last week when he went 12/23 for 141 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception, and he has not thrown a touchdown pass since October 21, when he threw for 4 scores against a terrible Michigan State squad. His Heisman hopes have dwindled with his numbers paling in comparison to some other players, but he’s still one of the better QBs in the nation. He seemed to get banged up a couple weeks ago and looked off against Maryland. The bigger concern is the health of WR Roman Wilson, who was hit hard on a catch over the middle against the Terps (on which Maryland’s safety should have been ejected for targeting) and left the game. There are some who say that was only for precautionary reasons, but basically, he was taken out because of a possible concussion and his status is unknown. Otherwise, Michigan doesn’t have great speed at the receiver position, and Wilson’s absence could be a problem. At one time he led the country in receiving touchdowns, although now he’s tied for 11th. Michigan also had a lot of problems protecting McCarthy the past two weeks. Barnhart has been a turnstile against both Penn State and Maryland, and things don’t get a ton easier against Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau of the Buckeyes. Ohio State has the #1 pass defense in the nation, giving up just 144.3 yards/game, 4.7 yards/attempt, and a 92.71 passing efficiency. They’re #15 in pass breakups (49) but they’re tied for 97th in interceptions (7). Junior CB Denzel Burke (6’1″, 190) has 9 PBU and 1 INT, while senior safety Josh Proctor (6’2″, 205) has 8 PBU and 1 INT. The only player with multiple interceptions is junior CB Jordan Hancock (6’1″, 185), who has 2 picks and 5 PBU. Senior safety Lathan Ransom (6’1″, 210) has missed the last three games, allowing Hancock to play more. Ohio State is tied for #86 in sacks (1.91 per game), led by Tuimoloau (4.0), Williams (3.0), and Sawyer (2.5). Advantage: Ohio State
Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge was fired toward the end of last week, ending his short second tenure in Ann Arbor. He coached an array of squads – special teams, linebackers, and safeties – from 2015-2019 under both D.J. Durkin (2015) and Don Brown (2016-2019) and was also an ace recruiter. He coached both Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary in high school, the former of whom signed with Michigan when Partridge was a high school coach and the latter of whom came to the Wolverines after Partridge was already a Wolverine.
From 2020-2022, Partridge worked under Durkin at Ole Miss, and he returned to Ann Arbor this past off-season when Durkin moved on to Texas A&M.
Despite being a great recruiter and generally considered to be an awesome guy, he was let go in the wake of “Sign-gate.” Word leaking out from underground is that he attempted to interfere with the investigation into stealing signs, which largely centered around Connor Stalions. Partridge and Stalions were supposedly pretty tight and knew each other from back when Stalions was volunteering during Partridge’s first stint with the Wolverines.
The loss of Partridge is significant from a recruiting standpoint. It’s unclear whether there will be further punishment coming down from the NCAA. It seems as if impeding an NCAA investigation might warrant some kind of “show cause” for any program trying to hire him, but perhaps they’ll deem the firing a sufficient punishment. Of course, the NCAA moves very slowly, so it may be a while before we find out what they think should be done.
Rick Minter is the new linebackers coach. He was hired as a defensive analyst in the off-season and is the father of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, along with being a former head coach at Cincinnati.
