Michigan vs. Ohio State, 2010

Ken — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:22:50 +0000

Well. It's Michigan-OSU week once again.

Last week, we saw Michigan's defense get pounded by Wisconsin's huge offensive line. Playing just three defensive linemen and three undersized linebackers against seven 300-pound blockers proved to be not such a good idea. Michigan's offense was turnover-prone, and Denard Robinson's accuracy has suffered lately, perhaps because of nagging injuries.

Meanwhile, Ohio State boasts home field advantage, more size and experience on both sides of the ball, and a coach who is 8-1 against Michigan. Ohio State is favored by 18 points.

Fans from both sides seem to be less interested in this game than usual. Ohio State has plenty to play for, as they need to win to gain a share of the Big Ten championship and perhaps go to a BCS bowl game. But it seems like most are assuming that an Ohio State win is just inevitable.

So, why bother to play, right?

But you know... this is college football. Funny things happen. Michigan has shown flashes of brilliance this year. And I don't think Ohio State is the best team in the league this year. Actually, I think they're the third best team. So while they're still clearly a better team than Michigan and I'm not going so far as predicting a Michigan win... I'm still hopeful. There's always a chance.

Here are three things Michigan must do to win:

1. Start quickly on offense. Both Michigan and Ohio State have had games where it's taken a quarter or two for the offense to find its rhythm. A couple of quick strikes by the Michigan offense means Michigan will be able to stay balanced and run its spread offense to its fullest potential. That will be troublesome for Ohio State; Michigan's not the top offense in the Big Ten for nothing. If Michigan falls behind early, though, they'll become more one-dimensional, and that will be a problem.

2. Play bigger on defense. Mike Martin will need to beat double teams; the other offensive linemen will need to shed blocks. And if Michigan sticks to its 3-3-5 and doesn't play four down linemen, then the linebackers will need to able to step up and take on offensive guards or tackles who are releasing downfield. The inability of the Michigan's front six to match up with Wisconsin's offensive line was the primary reason Wisconsin won.

3. Figure out how to play zone coverage. Michigan actually hasn't been awful in man-to-man coverage, but zone has been comically bad. Receivers have been ten yards open at times. It's not exactly something that can be fixed in a week's time, but hopefully it will be a point of emphasis in practice.

Here's to college football. Go blue.