We look at the pertinent info, the depth charts and have a prediction for the 106th rendition of The Game. No. 9 Ohio State visits Michigan with the outright Big Ten championship at stake for OSU (noon, ABC national telecast). Click this free link for all the details.
Ohio State at Michigan
* Date, Time: Sat., Nov. 21, 12:07 p.m. (Eastern)
* Location: Michigan Stadium
* TV: ABC national telecast (Announcers: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Holly Rowe)
* Records, Rankings: Ohio State, 9-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten, ranked eighth in USA Today coaches poll, ninth in Associated Press poll and 10th in the BCS standings; Michigan, 5-6 overall, 1-6 Big Ten, unranked.
* Coaches: Ohio State, Jim Tressel (ninth year at OSU, 92-21; 24th year overall, 227-78-2; vs. Michigan, 7-1); Michigan, Rich Rodriguez (second year at UM, 8-15; 17th year overall, 113-77-2; vs. OSU, 0-1).
* Series History: This will be the 106th meeting all-time between the schools. Michigan leads the all-time series (since 1897 and every year since 1918) at 57-42-6. Michigan owns a 30-19-4 edge in Ann Arbor.
For the first time in the history of the rivalry, Ohio State has won five games in a row against Michigan. That includes a 14-3 win at Ann Arbor in 2007 and a 42-7 win last year in Columbus. OSU is going for a third straight win in Ann Arbor for the first time since winning four in a row there between 1961-67.
Click here for a look at the history of this great rivalry, including one-of-a-kind photos.
* Michigan Schedule: Sept. 5, Western Michigan, W 31-7; Sept. 12, Notre Dame, W 38-34; Sept. 19, Eastern Michigan, W 45-17; Sept. 26, Indiana, W 36-33; Oct. 3, at Michigan State, L 26-20 (OT); Oct. 10, at Iowa, L 30-28; Oct. 17, Delaware State, W 63-6; Oct. 24, Penn State, L 35-10; Oct. 31, at Illinois, L 38-13; Nov. 7, Purdue, L 38-36; Nov. 14, at Wisconsin, L 45-24; Nov. 21, Ohio State.
* Michigan Fast Facts: Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.; Enrollment, 38,820; Conference: Big Ten Conference; Nickname, Wolverines; Colors, Maize and Blue; Stadium, Michigan Stadium (surface, FieldTurf; capacity, 106,201).
* Ohio State Schedule: Sept. 5, Navy, W 31-27; Sept. 12, USC, L 18-15; Sept. 19, vs. Toledo (at Cleveland), W 38-0; Sept. 26, Illinois, W 30-0; Oct. 3, at Indiana, W 33-14; Oct. 10, Wisconsin, W 31-13; Oct. 17, at Purdue, L 26-18; Oct. 24, Minnesota, W 38-7; Oct. 31, New Mexico State, W 45-0; Nov. 7, at Penn State, W 24-7; Nov. 14, Iowa, W 27-24 (OT); Nov. 21, at Michigan.
* Ohio State Key Players (2009 Stats): QB Terrelle Pryor (135 of 241 passing, 1,761 yards, 15 TDs, 9 INTs; 123 carries, 633 yards, 7 TDs), RB Brandon Saine (119 carries, 610 yards, 3 TDs), RB Dan Herron (120 carries, 462 yards, 7 TDs), WR DeVier Posey (47 catches, 689 yards, 7 TDs), WR Dane Sanzenbacher (26 catches, 495 yards, 6 TDs), LB Brian Rolle (82 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 INT), LB Ross Homan (84 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 4 INTs), DB Kurt Coleman (60 tackles, 3 INTs), DE Cameron Heyward (40 tackles, 5 sacks, 7-1/2 TFLs), DE Thaddeus Gibson (37 tackles, 4 sacks, 11 TFLs).
Depth Charts
Ohio State Offense
WR 8 DeVier Posey, 6-3, 205, So.
9 Duron Carter, 6-2, 190, Fr.
LT 64 Jim Cordle, 6-4, 297, Sr.
55 Andrew Miller, 6-7, 295, Jr.
LG 56 Justin Boren, 6-3, 315, Jr.
55 Andrew Miller, 6-7, 295, Jr.
C 50 Mike Brewster, 6-5, 296, So.
66 Andrew Moses, 6-3, 280, Sr.
RG 70 Bryant Browning, 6-4, 312, Jr.
66 Andrew Moses, 6-3, 280, Sr.
RT 76 J.B. Shugarts, 6-8, 298, So.
79 Marcus Hall, 6-5, 300, Fr.
TE 86 Jake Ballard, 6-6, 256, Sr.
11 Jake Stoneburner, 6-5, 230, R-Fr.
QB 2 Terrelle Pryor, 6-6, 235, So.
14 Joe Bauserman, 6-2, 220, So.
TB 3 Brandon Saine, 6-1, 217, Jr.
1 Dan Herron, 5-10, 193, So.
29 Jordan Hall, 5-10, 190, Fr.
41 Jermil Martin, 6-0, 227, R-Fr.
FB 44 Zach Boren, 6-1, 255, Fr.
49 Adam Homan, 6-4, 235, Fr.
WR 12 Dane Sanzenbacher, 5-11, 175, Jr.
82 Ray Small, 5-11, 180, Sr.
K 12 Devin Barclay, 5-11, 195, Jr.
or 17 Ben Buchanan, 6-0, 200, R-Fr.
Ohio State Defense
DE 90 Thaddeus Gibson, 6-2, 240, Jr.
43 Nathan Williams, 6-4, 245, So.
98 Solomon Thomas, 6-5, 240, So.
DT 84 Doug Worthington, 6-6, 276, Sr
9 Robert Rose, 6-5, 285, Sr.
53 Garrett Goebel, 6-5, 280, R-Fr.
DT 92 Todd Denlinger, 6-2, 292, Sr.
72 Dexter Larimore, 6-2, 300, Jr.
54 John Simon, 6-3, 265, Fr.
DE 97 Cameron Heyward, 6-6, 287, Jr.
87 Lawrence Wilson, 6-4, 274, Sr.
WLB 51 Ross Homan, 6-0, 229, Jr.
41 Tony Jackson, 5-11, 227, So.
or 55 Jonathan Newsome, 6-3, 230, Fr.
MLB 36 Brian Rolle, 5-11, 221, Jr.
32 Storm Klein, 6-3, 225, Fr.
SLB 38 Austin Spitler, 6-3, 234, Sr.
6 Etienne Sabino, 6-3, 232, So.
CB 10 Devon Torrence, 6-1, 193, Jr.
13 Andre Amos, 6-1, 183, Sr.
SS 4 Kurt Coleman, 5-11, 188, Sr.
19 Orhian Johnson, 6-2, 178, R-Fr.
FS 21 Anderson Russell, 6-0, 205, Sr.
7 Jermale Hines, 6-2, 210, Jr.
CB 5 Chimdi Chekwa, 6-0, 188, Jr.
18 Travis Howard, 6-1, 180, R-Fr.
P 48 Jon Thoma, 6-2, 201, Sr.
17 Ben Buchanan, 6-0, 200, R-Fr.
Michigan Offense
X 13 Greg Mathews, 6-3, 209, Sr.
22 Darryl Stonum, 6-2, 196, So.
6 Je’Ron Stokes, 6-0, 181, Fr.
LT 71 Mark Ortmann, 6-7, 284, 5th Sr.
79 Perry Dorrestein, 6-7, 306, Sr./Jr.
LG 52 Stephen Schilling, 6-5, 304, Sr./Jr.
57 Elliott Mealer, 6-6, 299, So./Fr.
or 56 Ricky Barnum, 6-2, 275, So./Fr.
C 60 David Moosman, 6-5, 293, 5th Sr.
62 Tim McAvoy, 6-6, 291, 5th Sr.
RG 65 Patrick Omameh, 6-4, 276, So./Fr.
74 John Ferrara, 6-4, 279, Sr./Jr.
RT 79 Perry Dorrestein, 6-7, 306, Sr./Jr.
72 Mark Huyge, 6-6, 288, Jr./So.
TE 86 Kevin Koger, 6-4, 249, So.
80 Martell Webb, 6-4, 245, Jr.
88 Brandon Moore, 6-6, 243, So./Fr.
Y 12 Roy Roundtree, 6-0, 170, So./Fr.
or 9 Martavious Odoms, 5-9, 172, So.
19 Kelvin Grady, 5-9, 168, Jr./So.
7 Terrence Robinson, 5-9, 171, So./Fr.
Z 21 Junior Hemingway, 6-1, 220, Jr./So.
82 LaTerryal Savoy, 6-3, 214, 5th Sr.
QB 5 Tate Forcier, 6-1, 188, Fr.
or 16 Denard Robinson, 6-0, 185, Fr.
or 8 Nick Sheridan, 6-1, 218, Sr./Jr.
FB 24 Kevin Grady, 5-9, 230, 5th Sr.
or 44 Mark Moundros, 6-1, 233, Sr./Jr.
SB 4 Brandon Minor, 6-1, 218, Sr.
23 Carlos Brown, 6-0, 210, Sr.
20 Michael Shaw, 6-0, 178, So.
2 Vincent Smith, 5-6, 168, Fr.
PK 92 Jason Olesnavage, 6-5, 213, 5th Sr.
34 Brendan Gibbons, 6-0, 229, Fr.
Michigan Defense
DE 55 Brandon Graham, 6-2, 263, Sr.
39 Will Heininger, 6-6, 261, Jr./So.
99 Adam Patterson, 6-3, 263, Sr./Jr.
DT 53 Ryan Van Bergen, 6-6, 271, Jr./So.
92 Greg Banks, 6-4, 266, Jr.
NT 68 Mike Martin, 6-2, 292, So.
73 William Campbell, 6-5, 318, Fr.
or 95 Renaldo Sagesse, 6-4, 279, Jr.
OLB 88 Craig Roh, 6-4, 238, Fr.
58 Brandon Herron, 6-2, 220, Jr./So.
81 Steve Watson, 6-4, 257, Jr./So.
MLB 45 Obi Ezeh, 6-2, 243, Sr./Jr.
42 J.B. Fitzgerald, 6-3, 232, So.
25 Kenny Demens, 6-1, 236, So./Fr.
WLB 8 Jonas Mouton, 6-2, 228, Sr./Jr.
52 Kevin Leach, 6-1, 206, Jr./So.
4 Brandon Smith, 6-3, 209, So./Fr.
SLB 3 Stevie Brown, 6-0, 211, Sr.
23 Floyd Simmons, 5-10, 190, So./Fr.
27 Mike Jones, 6-2, 203, Fr.
LCB 6 Donovan Warren, 6-0, 185, Jr.
14 Teric Jones, 5-8, 193, Fr.
or 2 J.T. Turner, 6-2, 187, Fr.
SS 32 Jordan Kovacs, 5-10, 194, So./Fr.
31 Jared Van Slyke, 6-3, 197, Jr./So.
FS 40 Mike Williams, 5-11, 188, Jr./So.
5 Vladimir Emilien, 6-1, 198, Fr.
RCB 29 Troy Woolfolk, 6-0, 193, Jr.
12 J.T. Floyd, 6-0, 183, So./Fr.
P 41 Zoltan Mesko, 6-5, 231, 5th Sr.
43 Bryan Wright, 6-1, 217, Sr./Jr.
Breaking It Down
* When Ohio State Has The Ball: The last two weeks, Ohio State has leaned on its running game by committee to move the ball offensively. Other than the bomb to DeVier Posey, the Buckeyes have not asked Terrelle Pryor to beat teams through the air.
I think diversity will be the key against Michigan. The Wolverines are 84th nationally in scoring defense (28.09 points per game), 89th in total defense (400.2 yards per game), 84th in rushing defense (164.7 ypg) and 82nd in pass defense (235.5 ypg). You can kind of pick your poison. Purdue threw for 367 yards against UM two weeks ago. Last week, Wisconsin had great balance, rushing for 229 yards and throwing for 240 in its win over Michigan. UM has given up 230 or more yards passing to seven of their 11 opponents.
I think you will see a steady diet of Boom Herron and Brandon Saine as the Buckeyes get warmed up. Like last week, they could each push the 100-yard mark. But this could be a game where Pryor also throws for 200-plus yards and gets the ball to Posey and others in the open field.
Michigan has had four defensive coordinators in five years. Beyond DE Brandon Graham and maybe CB Donovan Warren, there aren’t many difference makers on this defense. The OSU offensive line has played well the last two weeks. They need to keep that going against Michigan’s defensive front four.
* When Michigan Has The Ball: The Wolverines have made a quantum leap offensively since Ohio State last saw them a year ago. QB Tate Forcier has energized the spread option attack and helped UM put some points on the board. Michigan is first in the Big Ten and 27th nationally in scoring offense (31.3 points per game).
Forcier is dangerous as he breaks contain. He’s had a pretty good year, throwing for 1,824 yards and 12 touchdowns against just six interceptions. I like his three main receivers, Roy Roundtree, Greg Mathews and Martavious Odoms.
Michigan will be hurt by playing without RB Brandon Minor, who is reportedly out with a shoulder injury. That leaves the running game in the hands of 210-pounder Carlos Brown and scat back Vincent Smith. UM may also employ change-up QB Denard Robinson in what is basically a Wildcat look.
The Ohio State defense is among the best nationally, ranking fourth nationally in rushing defense (83.7 yards per game), fifth in total defense (258.3 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (12.4 points per game).
This should be a fun match-up to watch. The Buckeyes need to get after Forcier and pressure him. As noted, he doesn’t make many mistakes. But if OSU can get in his face, it would be huge.
* How It Will Go: These are the salad daysof the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry from the Ohio State perspective. The Buckeyes are riding an unprecedented five-game winning streak in the series and can make it six games in a row with a win at Michigan on Saturday.
You might ask what Ohio State has to play for. The Buckeyes already have the Rose Bowl bid in their hip pocket. But they can clinch an outright Big Ten championship and this is Michigan. If they can’t get up to play in this game and beat this team, then that would say a lot about them.
Michigan needs this win for so many reasons. One, the Wolverines need it just to restore pride in their program. Two, they need it to get to 6-6 and qualify for a bowl berth. A loss would give Michigan back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1963-64. Finally, everybody knows how star-crossed the first two years have gone for UM coach Rich Rodriguez. A win over rival Ohio State would give Rodriguez something he can build off of as he moves toward 2010. He would solidify his hold on that job with a win.
The problem is Michigan just doesn’t seem to have the depth or experience to pull this off. Michigan hasn’t beaten a I-A team since its win – such as it was – over Indiana on Sept. 26. The only win since then was a 63-6 drubbing of I-AA Delaware State. In the six Big Ten games UM has lost since that Indiana game, Michigan has been outscored roughly 21-7 in the second half of those games. That shows they can’t finish games.
Maybe that will change next year as Rodriguez continues to establish his program, but you can’t assume they will flip a light switch and make it happen suddenly on one day.
Like last year, Michigan will be in this game for two or maybe even three quarters. But Ohio State is going to finish it off and claim the outright Big Ten championship with another big win in Ann Arbor. I’ve got it: Ohio State 31-13
* For The Record: I am 8-3 straight-up and 4-7 against-the-spread with Ohio State. (OSU is a 12-point favorite over Ohio State.)
* Other Picks: On this week’s Bucknuts Radio Hour (click here to listen to this great show), everybody picked Ohio State. Mr. Bucknuts picked OSU 30-17. Bill Kurelic said OSU 30-17. Dave Biddle said OSU 31-17. Kirk Larrabee said OSU 27-17. Jeff Rapp had OSU 23-14. We had Sam Webb of GoBlueWolverine.com on our live radio show on Friday. He picked Ohio State 34-23. ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg also picked OSU to win 30-17.
-- Steve Helwagen
Bucknuts TV: Scouting Michigan
Bucknuts staff members Steve Helwagen, Jeff Rapp and Dave Biddle add their two cents on OSU-Michigan.
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