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College GameDay crew breaks down keys for Michigan to take down Ohio State
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“The Game” is set for a huge matchup in Ann Arbor between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan that will decide the B1G East Divisional title and a great potential spot for the College Football Playoff. A game of this magnitude will have plenty of factors from both teams and both sides of the ball.
Ohio State comes into this game with the top-ranked scoring offense (47.2 points per game) and the top-ranked total offense (549.9 total yards per game) in the nation. Michigan comes into this game with seventh-ranked scoring defense (16.3 points allowed per game) and ninth-ranked total defense (291.3 total yards allowed per game) in the nation.
On College GameDay, each of the analysts gave their keys to the game as well as certain takes that could the matchup go one way or the other.
Former Ohio State quarterback and ESPN CFB analyst Kirk Herbstreit gave his key to the game.
“No matter who is playing Ohio State right now — especially Michigan, with a great defense — the biggest thing they have to do is take away the explosives and keep the safeties back,” Herbstreit said. “Make Ohio State run the football. Give up 6, give up 8. That’s OK. When Ohio State gets in the red zone, that’s when you tighten up. Ohio State has had a couple of games where they haven’t done well in the red zone. I think that’s the key to the game.”
Former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard believes this game comes down to playing complementary football.
“When you think about Jim Harbaugh, his teams aren’t built for shootouts, they just aren’t. That’s not what they’re about,” Howard said. “But if you have a defensive coordinator who’s gonna take a lot of risks and play a lot of schemes that leaves his cornerbacks on islands and they’re giving up big plays, then that’s not what we would call complementary football to the offense. Defensively, I think this team is better equipped to complement the style of offense they have.”
ESPN CFB analyst David Pollack gave his take as a neutral analyst.
“I just love being a Georgia boy who comes up north and see the hate and disdain for each other. I love it,” Pollack said. “I love rivalries. … I love that they hate each other so much. And listen, when you have a rivalry where you’ve been beaten down, you can’t play tight. You gotta find a way to make your guys play loose.”
It should be a fun one in Ann Arbor.