The picture above is a reminder that Chase Young should not be participating in this game. He missed two games because he took money as an amateur athlete. Say what you want about what the rules should be, but the rules are what they are and he broke them.
Hit the jump for the preview.
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Zach Harrison
It was announced today that Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is “retiring” after the Rose Bowl. (Afterward, he will probably take off a year, let people forget how he housed a domestic abuser, and then take a job as the head coach at Penn State or Florida State.)
Regardless, OSU will be led by 39-year-old offensive coordinator Ryan Day going forward. Day was 3-0 as the interim head coach during the beginning of the 2018 season, when Meyer was suspended for being a big jerk.
On the recruiting front, I doubt many committed prospects will start to jump ship, because the continuity is going to be there. I would imagine Day will keep most of the staff, even if the ax falls on defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. But since this is a site so heavily centered on recruiting, it’s worth taking a look at the Buckeye commits with Michigan offers:
Of those prospects, Michigan was only highly involved with Chambers. For a while it looked like Chambers, a Georgia native, might be a Michigan lean. I really like Cade Stover (a Ben Gedeon clone) and Ronnie Hickman, too, but Stover is a native Ohioan and Hickman never paid Michigan a ton of attention.
Most significantly, the departure of Meyer may push defensive end Zach Harrison harder toward Michigan. There have been varying rumors in the past couple weeks, some that he was leaning toward Michigan and some that he was leaning toward the home-state Buckeyes. Harrison is a 5-star prospect and a top-notch athlete. Of course, the possibility has been out there for a while that Meyer might be on his last legs at Ohio State, but the slight uncertainty of a first-time head coach might be enough to settle the issue once and for all in Harrison’s mind that he wants to pick Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh (image via Wolverines Wire
)
That wasn’t close. Las Vegas picked Michigan. Virtually all the experts picked Michigan. I picked Michigan. We were all wrong, and it wasn’t close. That was an extremely disappointing performance in all three phases of the game. I’m sure I won’t cover every disappointment, but I’ll get it started.
Hit the jump for the rest of the preview.
ROSTER NOTES
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED . . .Â
PREDICTION
Dwayne Haskins (image via SB Nation)
Previously:Â M Rush Offense vs. OSU Rush Defense, M Pass Offense vs. OSU Pass Defense, M Rush Defense vs. OSU Rush Offense
MICHIGAN
Michigan is the #1 passing defense in the country (123 yards allowed/game) by a wide margin (#2 is Miami at 142 yards allowed/game). The Wolverines are #1 in opponent completing percentage (47.1), #1 in yards per attempt (4.9), and #1 in passer rating defense. Only one time this season has Michigan allowed more than one touchdown pass in a game, and that was an anomaly against SMU in the non-conference season.
It starts up front for Michigan, where the Wolverines have several effective pass rushers. One of the best pass rushers is hurt, though, in the form of Chase Winovich (4 sacks); it’s unclear if he will play this weekend or not. The leading sacker is pass rush specialist Josh Uche (8 sacks), and linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. has 5. If Winovich doesn’t play, Michigan will need a big day from Rashan Gary, who has 3.5 sacks but has been underwhelming at times. Michigan is #3 in overall Sack Rate, including #1 overall on passing downs.
The secondary has improved since last year, and starting cornerbacks David Long and Lavert Hill have been two of the toughest guys to throw against in the whole country. Long was beaten for a TD for the first time against Indiana, and Hill has been called for several pass interference penalties. Third corner Brandon Watson has been very good but got burned last week by Indiana when he missed a jam at the line of scrimmage, but that’s nitpicking. Overall, it’s been a very good group. The safeties have improved their coverage on wheel routes and slot fades, but they will be tested against the Buckeyes.
Hit the jump for the rest.