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You’re Nuts: Biggest matchups to watch in The Game
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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The Buckeyes and Wolverines meet for the 120th time.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

This week’s topic: Biggest matchup to watch in The Game​

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Josh’s Take​

Well, it’s here, folks. *ichigan Week has descended upon us. The Game, The Rivalry, The opportunity for Ohio State to right some wrongs. On paper, it seems like the Buckeyes are destined to do so.

The Wolverines are down (temporarily?) as a program, likely down their best player, and certainly down a functioning offense. But games are played and outcomes are determined on the field. And because The Game is unlike any other, I am not taking anything – or any outcome – for granted.

I don’t care if TTUN is 6-5 or 11-0, records are or should be thrown out the window when these two teams play. Especially this year, when we’ve watched chaos ensue on a weekly basis.

But even if most CFB results had gone according to plan or betting line, the Wolverines would (or should) still be considered a threat to the Buckeyes. Because despite a lack of overall talent on the offensive side of the ball, Sherrone Moore’s team boasts tons of experience and one of the best defensive cores in the country... Oh, and hatred in their hearts (for OSU), which can be a hell of a motivator.

Part of that defensive core mentioned above is what I will be focusing on today. Gene and I decided to look at matchups for this installment of You’re Nuts, and after careful consideration and deliberation (several cups of coffee), I realized that my most intriguing matchup is actually between two groups of players: TTUN’s interior defensive line comprised of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and OSU’s interior offensive line of Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman, and Tegra Tshabola.

Simply put, Graham and Grant are one of the best (if not the best) defensive duos in the entire country. Tipping the scale(s) at a combined weight of 660 pounds, these guys throw off opponents’ timing up front, clog run lanes, and occasionally get after the quarterback — all while moving like athletes half their size. And this weekend, they get to go up against a trio of interior offensive linemen who have played all of one game together.

While Siereveld, Hinzman, and Tshabola have all started games and played well in spurts, they have rarely done so together. Saturday will be just their second game as an interior unit, where chemistry is very important. Not helping matters is the fact that the latter’s performance has seemingly dipped or regressed as of late. Tshabola was beaten and abused by Indiana’s inferior interior, likely giving Graham and/or Grant reason to salivate.

However, Tshabola is not the only Buckeye iOL with a maize and blue target on his chest. Hinzman was Ohio State’s center last year, when Graham and Grant helped limit TreVeyon Henderson to 60 yards on 19 carries, “good” for a 3.2 YPC average. Back then, Hinzman had Donovan Jackson and Matthew Jones flanking him. Now it’s Siereveld and Tshabola...

On top of TTUN having the considerable experience advantage here, OSU also just sort of hasn’t run the ball well lately. Henderson has broken a few big ones, but Quinshon Judkins has been grounded for about a month. The latter tends to get a lot of carries between the tackles and guards, which is right where the Wolverines want you (opponents) to run.

If the Buckeyes can’t break through that interior defensive line on Saturday, then Will Howard and Co.’s job(s) will be made much more difficult. And given the weather forecast, we don’t need Howard’s job to be made any more difficult! Temperatures are expected to be near freezing; something that is not typically conducive to airing the ball out.

If Saturday’s game becomes a smash-mouth affair, I have some concerns about Ohio State’s ability to grind out tough yards against TTUN’s defense. Graham and Grant are the real deal, and that duo will be going up against an inexperienced, inconsistent (as of late) trio.

But at the same time, I have faith in Chip Kelly and Ryan Day to devise a game plan which will put their guys in a position to succeed. I also have faith in Hinzman and others to rise to the occasion, like they’ve done since Josh Simmons went down against Oregon. OSU’s new/old center has really stepped up over the last few weeks, and I’m hopeful that his peers will do the same in The Game.

Saturday’s matchup between big men will almost certainly be an intriguing one. I am just hopeful that it is ultimately deemed a tie, because I believe the Buckeyes have an advantage everywhere else. As long as they don’t let G&G wreck shop, the Scarlet and Gray should be in good shape.

Go Bucks!

Gene’s Take​

Ohio State’s defensive game plan against Michigan is certainly going to look a lot different than it did against Indiana. The Buckeyes were able to effectively shut down the Hoosiers’ passing attack by getting consistent pressure with well-designed blitz packages, resulting in five sacks compared to only eight completed passes for Kurtis Rourke. The Wolverines, however, would be content with never throwing the football if they don’t have to.

Even after a poor showing against Ohio State, Indiana ranks fifth in the Big Ten and No. 37 nationally in passing offense. Compare that to Michigan, which ranks second-to-last in the B1G — ahead of only Iowa — and 127th in the country in passing offense, and you understand why adjustments will have to be made in Jim Knowles’ approach to Saturday.

The Wolverines are not exactly an elite rushing team either, sitting at eighth in the conference and No. 70 in FBS in rushing offense (compared to 5th and 60th, respectively, for Indiana’s run game), but they do have a pair of talented backs that could cause problems for the Buckeyes on Saturday in Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. For that reason, my matchup to watch in The Game is Ohio State’s linebacker duo of Cody Simon and Sonny Styles vs. the pairing of Mullings and Edwards.

Following his huge performance in the national title game against Washington, rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, it was expected that Donovan Edwards would take over as the starter in 2024 with Blake Corum off to the NFL. While Edwards has still been a big part of Michigan’s rushing attack this season, it has actually be Kalel Mullings that has turned into the feature back for the Wolverines. Mullings leads the team with 832 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Edwards has totaled 578 yards and four scores.

Edwards has always been more of a boom-or-bust type of back, but he has saved some of his best career performances for his team’s biggest games, including Ohio State. The senior’s top collegiate performance by far came in the 2022 rendition of The Game, rushing for 216 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-23 win over the Buckeyes. His last meeting against the scarlet and gray was far less fruitful, with just 31 yards on 10 carries last season, but Knowles knows that a lapse in focus can quickly lead to a long touchdown if his defense isn’t up to the task.

The efforts to slow down the Michigan rushing attack will be led by the Ohio State defensive front, but most importantly its starting linebacker duo of Sonny Styles and Cody Simon. The latter is coming off likely the best game of his career, recording a team-high 10 total tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Styles, meanwhile, was a bit shaky to start the season having moved down from his original position at safety, but has gotten better and better as the year has gone along, finishing second on the team with eight tackles and a TFL against the Hoosiers.

This will be a very different game than most that the Buckeyes have played this season, both in terms of intensity and animosity as well as the style of play of the opponent. Ohio State has mostly stuck with its base 4-2-5 for the majority of the year, mixing it up in different packages and situations, but it would not be at all surprising to see an extra linebacker on the field a lot on Saturday — especially on early downs. We have also seen Knowles move safety Caleb Downs into the box like an extra linebacker against more run-heavy teams, and I’m sure we will see some of that too.

Ohio State is currently the No. 1 scoring defense in the country, allowing less than 11 points per game. The Buckeyes have also been among the nation’s best in stopping the run, ranking third in FBS holding opponents to 90 yards per game on the ground and a 2.7 yards-per-carry average. On paper, Knowles’ group should have little trouble getting stops against this Michigan offense, but we know that records and statistics heading into The Game can get thrown out the window, cliché or not.

Simon and Styles will have to be at their very best for Ryan Day’s team to finally stop the skid against TTUN and get back on the ride side of the ledger against their biggest rival. If the Silver Bullets can keep the Wolverines contained on the ground, it will go a long way in determining the final result.

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