Matt Tamanini
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LGHL staffers predict the outcome of The Game, and some of them need to be fired!
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who do you think has the closest prediction to what will actually happen today?
It’s almost time for all of the talking to end as the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will take to the field in the Big House to face the No. 3 Ann Arbor Astros at 12:14 p.m. ET. At this point, I almost certainly don’t have to tell you what is at stake in this matchup today. Not only are there the obvious postseason implications, but in many ways this installment of The Game is a referendum on both programs.
If That Team Up North wins, at least in their eyes, it would vindicate them from all of the slings and arrows associated with their multi-year sign-stealing operation. However, if the Buckeyes win, in many people’s eyes, that would prove that the losses in this rivalry over the last two years were tainted by the desperate act of cheating that — at least temporarily — saved Jim Harbaugh’s job.
So, with just two hours until kickoff, we wanted to check in with the Land-Grant Holy Land staff to see just how they see the game shaking out, and note to Chuck and Connor, your employment status will be put under review starting on Monday... lol, just kidding... or am I?
I think this is an old-school Big Ten battle. I think both teams make an effort to lean on their respective ground games — yes, even Ohio State — and don’t ask too much of their quarterback(s). Both defenses will come to play, but the game will be won by stars, of which I believe OSU boasts more. On offense, TreVeyon Henderson will produce, and Marvin Harrison Jr. will get as much as Kyle McCord can give him. On the other side of the ball, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tommy Eichenberg will be all over the place, and Denzel Burke will snag an interception.
TTUN gets into the red zone a number of times, but Jim Knowles’ defense executes a bend-but-don’t-break gameplan and forces the Wolverines to kick multiple field goals and the big plays will go in favor of Ohio State this time around. McCord comes up with a big fourth-quarter drive, and the Buckeyes win 24-23... also, Jim Harbaugh takes the Chicago Bears job on Sunday. Go Bucks!
I think the Buckeyes will win 28-17. The mix of everyone getting healthy and Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson will be what is needed to get the Buckeyes in the endzone enough times for the defense to get the necessary stops to win. One team has No. 18, and one team doesn’t. That’s the difference.
Red zone offense breakdowns force OSU to kick field goals, and a special teams issue leads to a cheap TTUN score at some point.
I believe that Ohio State will emerge victorious over TTUN, in a close game. The last time a game in this rivalry was within three points was back in 2016, and I see that happening again this year. I think TreVeyon Henderson is going to be the MVP today, rushing for AT LEAST 150 yards, as he and Blake Corum will battle it out.
I also see the Silver Bullets showing out, limiting J.J. McCarthy to under 200 yards passing. Marvin Harrison Jr. will have a performance like he did last year against TTUN, where he put up 120 receiving yards.
Along with several other LGHL staff writers, I picked Michigan to win The Game and the Big Ten back in August before the season began. After back-to-back thorough beatings, it looks like Michigan has turned the tables on Ohio State and has firmly established itself as the top dog in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, I have not seen enough from Ohio State or Michigan to make me change my mind from what I thought in August.
Michigan still has the best defense in the country, and I still have reservations about Kyle McCord. Ninety-five percent of the teams in college football would love to trade their current quarterback for McCord, but I’m not convinced he can march up to Ann Arbor and slay that dragon on their turf. I’m confident that Ohio State will not get blown out this year, but I am not confident that they will win The Game.
I believe Ryan Day and Jim Knowles have learned their respective lessons from a year ago. Day learned in the painful aftermath of last year’s loss that he needed to be true to himself and be aggressive on offense, and we saw that versus Georgia when Ohio State played much better than when they lost to That Team Up North. And for Knowles, I believe he has learned not to put the secondary in challenging situations like a year ago and will be able to make things very difficult for the Wolverines on offense.
I am feeling cautiously optimistic about The Game this year, although that being said I will still be filled with existential dread come 12:01 on Saturday. Ohio State is playing its best football of the season, while the Wolverines have not looked sharp without Jim Harbaugh and stolen signals. I think this is a very low-scoring game with two good defenses, but I like TreVeyon Henderson to break off a big run and Marvin Harrison Jr. to show out like he did against Penn State. I have it 21-17 Ohio State
I think that the OSU defense bends a bit — perhaps even by design — but doesn’t often break, holding their rivals to field goals far more often than they would like. I think that McCarthy will be under 150 yards passing and running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards will combine for less than that total as well.
On offense, I think the Buckeyes will have just too much firepower for a good — but not nearly as good as the last two years — defense. McCord will throw for a modest, but well-timed 225 yards with a pair of TDs, while Henderson will go for 150 all-purpose yards.
Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the focus of the Corn and Blue defense, but will still eclipse 100 yards and will have a pair of scores.
Hear Matt’s full thoughts, analysis, and predictions for the game in today’s ”Tailgate” podcast:
I believe that Ohio State is the better team. The best way I can say it is that Michigan reminds me of Ohio State in 2021. They have holes in the roster and bad moments that are being glossed over because of their recent success. Fairly or unfairly Michigan has earned the benefit of the doubt and no one they’ve played has been able to capitalize on their weaknesses.
Just like Michigan was the team that could capitalize on Ohio State’s weaknesses in 2021, the Buckeyes are the team. Michigan’s offensive line is not great, it may still be better than Ohio State but it is not in contention for the Joe Moore Award like it has been in the years it won. Their running game hasn’t been as effective and it seems as though Sherrone Moore does not trust McCarthy to win them a game in the air. Harbaugh might but he is not on the sideline making those decisions.
Michigan has the best defense in the country, ranking No. One in-stop rate for the entire season. Kyle McCord will need to take a step up if the Buckeyes want to win the game but they have the best player in the country on their team in Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State has the second-best defense in the country according to to stop rate and they have one of the better run-stopping defenses in the country. Ohio State has stepped back on offense but their defense has taken a massive jump forward. I believe Ohio State has arguably the three best players in the game with Marvin Harrison Jr., JT Tuimoloua, and Sonny Styles. That hasn’t stopped them from losing the past two years though.
Ultimately, this game will be won in the trenches. If Ohio State wins this game it means their offensive line has improved enough to withstand Michigan’s incredible interior defensive line. Michigan wins this game by bullying Ohio State up front and making McCord uncomfortable. Ohio State is better in every area on defense from last year and their offense is starting to click. Ohio State will win this game and win the Big Ten.
What are you predicting in this game? Let us know in the comments below.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who do you think has the closest prediction to what will actually happen today?
It’s almost time for all of the talking to end as the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will take to the field in the Big House to face the No. 3 Ann Arbor Astros at 12:14 p.m. ET. At this point, I almost certainly don’t have to tell you what is at stake in this matchup today. Not only are there the obvious postseason implications, but in many ways this installment of The Game is a referendum on both programs.
If That Team Up North wins, at least in their eyes, it would vindicate them from all of the slings and arrows associated with their multi-year sign-stealing operation. However, if the Buckeyes win, in many people’s eyes, that would prove that the losses in this rivalry over the last two years were tainted by the desperate act of cheating that — at least temporarily — saved Jim Harbaugh’s job.
So, with just two hours until kickoff, we wanted to check in with the Land-Grant Holy Land staff to see just how they see the game shaking out, and note to Chuck and Connor, your employment status will be put under review starting on Monday... lol, just kidding... or am I?
Josh Dooley | OSU 24, TTUN 23
I think this is an old-school Big Ten battle. I think both teams make an effort to lean on their respective ground games — yes, even Ohio State — and don’t ask too much of their quarterback(s). Both defenses will come to play, but the game will be won by stars, of which I believe OSU boasts more. On offense, TreVeyon Henderson will produce, and Marvin Harrison Jr. will get as much as Kyle McCord can give him. On the other side of the ball, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tommy Eichenberg will be all over the place, and Denzel Burke will snag an interception.
TTUN gets into the red zone a number of times, but Jim Knowles’ defense executes a bend-but-don’t-break gameplan and forces the Wolverines to kick multiple field goals and the big plays will go in favor of Ohio State this time around. McCord comes up with a big fourth-quarter drive, and the Buckeyes win 24-23... also, Jim Harbaugh takes the Chicago Bears job on Sunday. Go Bucks!
Justin Golba | OSU 28, TTUN 17
I think the Buckeyes will win 28-17. The mix of everyone getting healthy and Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson will be what is needed to get the Buckeyes in the endzone enough times for the defense to get the necessary stops to win. One team has No. 18, and one team doesn’t. That’s the difference.
Chuck Holmes | TTUN 20, OSU 16
Red zone offense breakdowns force OSU to kick field goals, and a special teams issue leads to a cheap TTUN score at some point.
Megan Husslein | OSU 24, TTUN 21
I believe that Ohio State will emerge victorious over TTUN, in a close game. The last time a game in this rivalry was within three points was back in 2016, and I see that happening again this year. I think TreVeyon Henderson is going to be the MVP today, rushing for AT LEAST 150 yards, as he and Blake Corum will battle it out.
I also see the Silver Bullets showing out, limiting J.J. McCarthy to under 200 yards passing. Marvin Harrison Jr. will have a performance like he did last year against TTUN, where he put up 120 receiving yards.
Connor Lemons | TTUN 24, OSU 17
Along with several other LGHL staff writers, I picked Michigan to win The Game and the Big Ten back in August before the season began. After back-to-back thorough beatings, it looks like Michigan has turned the tables on Ohio State and has firmly established itself as the top dog in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, I have not seen enough from Ohio State or Michigan to make me change my mind from what I thought in August.
Michigan still has the best defense in the country, and I still have reservations about Kyle McCord. Ninety-five percent of the teams in college football would love to trade their current quarterback for McCord, but I’m not convinced he can march up to Ann Arbor and slay that dragon on their turf. I’m confident that Ohio State will not get blown out this year, but I am not confident that they will win The Game.
Chip Minnich | OSU 28, TTUN 21
I believe Ryan Day and Jim Knowles have learned their respective lessons from a year ago. Day learned in the painful aftermath of last year’s loss that he needed to be true to himself and be aggressive on offense, and we saw that versus Georgia when Ohio State played much better than when they lost to That Team Up North. And for Knowles, I believe he has learned not to put the secondary in challenging situations like a year ago and will be able to make things very difficult for the Wolverines on offense.
Gene Ross | OSU 21, TTUN 17
I am feeling cautiously optimistic about The Game this year, although that being said I will still be filled with existential dread come 12:01 on Saturday. Ohio State is playing its best football of the season, while the Wolverines have not looked sharp without Jim Harbaugh and stolen signals. I think this is a very low-scoring game with two good defenses, but I like TreVeyon Henderson to break off a big run and Marvin Harrison Jr. to show out like he did against Penn State. I have it 21-17 Ohio State
Matt Tamanini | OSU 31, TTUN 16
I think that the OSU defense bends a bit — perhaps even by design — but doesn’t often break, holding their rivals to field goals far more often than they would like. I think that McCarthy will be under 150 yards passing and running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards will combine for less than that total as well.
On offense, I think the Buckeyes will have just too much firepower for a good — but not nearly as good as the last two years — defense. McCord will throw for a modest, but well-timed 225 yards with a pair of TDs, while Henderson will go for 150 all-purpose yards.
Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the focus of the Corn and Blue defense, but will still eclipse 100 yards and will have a pair of scores.
Hear Matt’s full thoughts, analysis, and predictions for the game in today’s ”Tailgate” podcast:
Jordan Williams | OSU 30, TTUN 20
I believe that Ohio State is the better team. The best way I can say it is that Michigan reminds me of Ohio State in 2021. They have holes in the roster and bad moments that are being glossed over because of their recent success. Fairly or unfairly Michigan has earned the benefit of the doubt and no one they’ve played has been able to capitalize on their weaknesses.
Just like Michigan was the team that could capitalize on Ohio State’s weaknesses in 2021, the Buckeyes are the team. Michigan’s offensive line is not great, it may still be better than Ohio State but it is not in contention for the Joe Moore Award like it has been in the years it won. Their running game hasn’t been as effective and it seems as though Sherrone Moore does not trust McCarthy to win them a game in the air. Harbaugh might but he is not on the sideline making those decisions.
Michigan has the best defense in the country, ranking No. One in-stop rate for the entire season. Kyle McCord will need to take a step up if the Buckeyes want to win the game but they have the best player in the country on their team in Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State has the second-best defense in the country according to to stop rate and they have one of the better run-stopping defenses in the country. Ohio State has stepped back on offense but their defense has taken a massive jump forward. I believe Ohio State has arguably the three best players in the game with Marvin Harrison Jr., JT Tuimoloua, and Sonny Styles. That hasn’t stopped them from losing the past two years though.
Ultimately, this game will be won in the trenches. If Ohio State wins this game it means their offensive line has improved enough to withstand Michigan’s incredible interior defensive line. Michigan wins this game by bullying Ohio State up front and making McCord uncomfortable. Ohio State is better in every area on defense from last year and their offense is starting to click. Ohio State will win this game and win the Big Ten.
What are you predicting in this game? Let us know in the comments below.
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