Stay aggressive

Ryan Day played it safe at times in The Game last year. As the Buckeyes suffered a third straight loss to their archrivals, he twice opted not to attempt to move the chains when they faced fourth-and-short situations during the first half, a contrast to the aggressiveness from Sherrone Moore. Day has been more willing to go for it this season, looking to pick up a first down on 38.7% of their fourth downs, nearly twice as often as the average from his previous five seasons at the helm. Continuing the approach should instill confidence in a group of players seeking to prevail in the rivalry for the first time.  

Stop the run

Michigan has one of the lowest scoring offenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision due to its instability at quarterback, but it has a capable backfield duo of Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. Among Big Ten running backs, Mullings’ 832 rushing yards rank seventh. He’s a physical runner who grinds out yards, gaining 554 yards after contact, per Pro Football Focus. Edwards has previously burned Ohio State as well with touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards in the Wolverines’ win in Columbus in 2022. If the Buckeyes bottle up the run, Michigan is too limited to counter by beating them through the air.

Take shots

There should be opportunities for quarterback Will Howard to find holes in Michigan’s secondary, which has been without All-America cornerback Will Johnson for the past month due to turf toe. The Wolverines allow 6.6 yards per pass attempt, an average that ranks ninth in the Big Ten, and have given up 33 passes of at least 20 yards. Only Maryland and Purdue have surrendered more deep passes in the conference. Though Ohio State’s passing game has not been as explosive as in previous years, playing at a slower pace, it should have opportunities to exploit gaps in the coverage in this matchup.

Key matchup

Ohio State offensive line vs. Michigan defensive line

Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant form one of the nation’s more disruptive tandems of defensive tackles. Both are potential first-round selections in next year’s NFL draft and present a significant challenge for the Buckeyes, who reshuffled the interior of their offensive line last week following center Seth McLaughlin’s season-ending Achilles injury. With a stout defensive line, the Wolverines surrender only 3.1 yards per run play, an average fewer than 122 out of the 134 FBS teams. If the Buckeyes are to move the ball on the ground, they will need to hold up on the line of scrimmage against the strength of Michigan’s defense.