There’s a lot at stake for the Michigan Wolverines, as a College Football Playoff spot is potentially on the line with a victory on Saturday. For the Wolverines to extend their winning streak over Ohio State, here are the three guys that will likely be the focus for the Michigan coaching staff.
WR Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith was one of the guys in this game Michigan had to focus on last year, and it’s the exact same story this year. Ohio State has had several legends come through at the wide receiver position, and Smith might
be better than all of them.
At 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, Smith is a target hog. He has 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns, and has seven games with six or more receptions. Even though he sat out last week, he expected to play in this game.
Quarterback Julian Sayin loves taking shots down the field to Smith, and the Michigan secondary has been banged up for most of the year. Veteran safety Rod Moore is confirmed to be out, leaving Brandyn Hillman, TJ Metcalf and Mason Curtis in some really big spots to help the Wolverines avoid some of these downfield plays.
Smith’s size is a problem for everyone, but it could be especially true for the Michigan corners. Zeke Berry has been the Wolverines’ most consistent corner, and he is only 5-foot-11. That could leave Jyaire Hill (6-foot-2) — who has remained a concern in coverage — shadowing Smith.
Either way, I don’t expect Wink Martindale to leave either of these two boundary corners on an island. There will almost surely be a safety over the top to help, as Michigan will attempt to find unique ways to disguise coverage.
Ryan Day’s game plan in 2024 was to pound the rock and out-tough Michigan. It didn’t work, and Smith was not utilized down the field the way many thought he should have been. I expect Day to find more ways to get his best player involved, including being more aggressive down the field.
DE Caden Curry
Caden Curry is going to be a significant test for Michigan’s offensive line. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound senior has challenged opposing offenses all season and is up to nine sacks, including two a week ago.
It’s not just the pressure he puts on quarterbacks, though. Curry is an all-around defensive end. He’s tied for third on the team with 49 tackles, which has played a major in in the Buckeyes’ defense only allowing 80 rushing yards and only 206.6 total yards per game.
Michigan’s offensive line has really started to come together over the last few weeks, especially last week at Maryland when they helped running back Bryson Kuzdzal have a 100-yard game. Winning the battle up front has defined this winning streak for the Wolverines, and that must remain the constant for Michigan to win this game.
QB Julian Sayin
There’s clamoring among Buckeye fans for Sayin to win the Heisman Trophy. Some of that is justified because he has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football, leading the country with a 79.4 percent completion to go along with 2,832 yards and 27 touchdowns.
That said, Sayin is carried by a impressive offensive line and the best receiving corps in the country. A lot of the praise goes to Smith, Carnell Tate and former All-Big Ten tight end Max Klare. Smith and Tate combine for two thirds of Sayin’s overall yards and 17 of his 27 touchdowns. Without the two of them last week against Rutgers, Sayin was a more humbling 13-for-19 (68.4 percent) for 157 yards. Still a strong performance, but not anywhere near his averages this year.
The key to this game is Michigan stopping the run and getting pressure on Sayin. He has far too many weapons to play with to not be successful. It starts with slowing the run, and then limiting Smith. That’s what Texas did in The Shoe earlier this year, keeping the best win for Ohio State this season close throughout. The Buckeyes had just 77 rushing yards on 34 attempts in that game, and Smith was held to only 43 yards. Sayin only went 13-of-20 for 126 yards and a touchdown. That stat line is what the Wolverines must be aiming for because this team is not built for a shootout.
A win for Michigan means limiting possessions for Ohio State’s offense, winning the line of scrimmage and knocking Sayin off that efficiency marker that his receivers (and mostly Smith) skew. Sayin’s a good college quarterback that looks great because of his playmakers, mainly Smith. Proving that thesis by shutting down Smith means Michigan keeps this game closer than many think.
