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
RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #52 in rushing offense (167.1 yards/game) after struggling on the ground a little bit against Purdue. They’re #47 in yards per carry (4.57 yards/carry) but #5 in rushing touchdowns (25). Blake Corum (126 carries, 649 yards) leads the country in rushing touchdowns with 16. Donovan Edwards has the lowest rushing average in the conference, though, at 3.14, so it will be interesting to see how much run Kalel Mullings (27 carries, 167 yards, 1 TD) gets. Edwards had an explosive game against the Nittany Lions in 2022, but he hasn’t been playing up to the same level so far this season. Penn State has the #2 rush defense (60.6 yards allowed/game) and their 2.0 yards allowed per carry ranks #2 also. Junior LB Curtis Jacobs (6’1″, 235 lbs.) leads the team with 36 tackles, followed closely by sophomore LB Abdul Carter (6’3″, 249) with 34, junior S Jaylen Reed (6’0″, 205) with 32, and junior LB Kobe King (6’1″, 242) with 30. Reed and King are both Detroit products, from MLK and Cass Tech, respectively. Up front is fifth year senior Hakeem Beamon (6’3″, 290) and sophomore Zane Durant (6’1″, 285), both of whom are solid tackles. Overall, the team’s worst performance was week one against WVU when they gave up 146 yards and 2 touchdowns to the Mountaineers. Last week they held Maryland to -49 yards on the ground (including sacks). Advantage: Penn State
RUSH OFFENSE vs. PURDUE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #45 in rushing (174.3 yards/game) after entering last season’s Big Ten Championship game against the Boilermakers at #5 in running the ball. The Wolverines are #40 in yards per carry at 4.73. Blake Corum (111 carries, 605 yards, 11 TD) leads the way, and backup Donovan Edwards (66 carries, 211 yards, 1 TD) is following behind. Kalel Mullings (23 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) has missed time due to injury, but reports indicate he should be back this week. Purdue is #83 in rushing defense (153.8 yards allowed/game) and #70 in yards per carry allowed (4.07). They’re tied with Michigan at tackles for loss per game (6.75), led by senior OLB Kydran Jenkins (6’1″, 260 lbs.) with 11.5 tackles for loss and sophomore OLB Nic Scourton (6’4″, 280) with 10.0. Freshman S Dillon Thieneman (6’0″, 205) leads the team and is #3 in the conference in tackles with 74, followed by sophomore S Sanoussi Kane (6’0″, 215) with 58. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters earned the head job after being a standout defensive coordinator at Illinois, but it might take a couple years to get the right guys in place and get them reacting instead of thinking. Advantage: Michigan
