The rushing battle almost always decides The Game. Both teams know it, so every year ahead of the matchup, the Michigan football team and Ohio State key in on the trenches and emphasize the importance of outmuscling each other up front.
“I think the biggest piece of this game is the rushing battle,” Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said Monday. “And I think you’ve seen that every year, the team that wins the rushing battle wins the game. I know they’ll be focused on the same thing, so that’s got to be an emphasis for us to do.”
In the past three iterations of The Game, Michigan has soundly won the rushing battle, and with it, the contest. Not only that, the differential of yards gained on the ground in each matchup directly correlates with how — and how dominantly — the Wolverines ran to victory.
In 2021, Michigan had 297 rushing yards to the Buckeyes’ 64. That was also the year in which the Wolverines’ passing attack was middling with former quarterback Cade McNamara primarily under center and their running game was their primary source of offense. Essentially, Michigan’s only chance to win was to obliterate Ohio State on the ground, and it did so, 42-27.
Then in 2022, quarterback J.J. McCarthy took over under center, creating a slightly more balanced offense but one that still relied heavily on the running game. As a result, the Wolverines won the rushing battle 252-143, a more modest amount than the year prior, although their margin of victory in the 45-23 win was slightly wider. Last year, Michigan’s 156 rushing yards to the Buckeyes’ 107 spelled out a much tighter, six-point win.
Beyond the Wolverines’ success in the last three years, Ohio State’s stretch of dominance before that showed a similar correlation. So both teams know exactly what they need to prepare for this week.
“We gotta win the trenches up front,” junior defensive lineman Kenneth Grant said Tuesday. “It starts with us first — D-line and O-line. We gotta come out there and hit people in the mouth.”
Michigan’s defensive line has been its strongest unit this season, but its offensive line has been one of its weakest. This past week against Northwestern, though, the O-line found a bit of a groove, and the Wolverines’ running game reignited as a result. For the first time since Sept. 21 against Southern California, Michigan surpassed 200 rushing yards, providing the Wolverines a swell of momentum in the ground game as they prepare to take on the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has put up fairly consistent rushing numbers all season, averaging 178 rushing yards per game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreyVeyon Henderson have each put up over 700 rushing yards, giving the Buckeyes options out of the backfield. Those are options the Wolverines are hoping to mitigate, however.
“We like to keep teams one dimensional,” senior edge rusher Josaiah Stewart said Tuesday. “Once we stop the run, they can’t get into a flow as an offense and give their players the ball in space, play action, things like that. Once we stop the run, we know what to expect.”
Michigan wants to get its pass rushers involved. To do that, it first needs to stop the run on early downs and force Ohio State into passing situations.
Both teams know the game is likely to be won or lost in the trenches. And whichever team wins that battle Saturday will be well-equipped to win the war.
The post Michigan keyed in on the battle in the trenches ahead of The Game appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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