3 keys for Michigan football to beat Ohio State
Control the clock
One way to limit Stroud and the Ohio State offense is to play keep away. The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten in rushing yards and while Ohio State is second in the conference in run defense and is quite stingy, U-M has found some success in every game on the ground.
It hasn’t always been hundreds of yards, but it’s been effective. Penn State has a stellar defense and Hassan Haskins went over 150 yards. A big reason for that was getting more than 100 yards after contact. He will do some of that Saturday but if Michigan is going to win, the Wolverines are going to need to find success on the ground.
Win the turnover battle by two
On paper, Ohio State is the better team. Michigan is talented. There is no doubt about that, but the Buckeyes are loaded — on both sides of the ball.
The defense isn’t perfect for Ohio State but the front seven is legit and Michigan fans need to know the name of Zach Harrison. They probably already do because his recruitment came down to Michigan and Ohio State.
At any rate, the Wolverines can’t let Harrison ruin the game and on the other side of things, Hutchinson and Ojabo need to ruin the game for Stroud. They need to pressure and sack him and force at least two turnovers.
Michigan needs to be plus two by the end of the game to have a shot to win.
Execute in the red zone
Michigan has struggled all year to score touchdowns in the red zone and that can’t happen Saturday. The Wolverines were nearly perfect last week against Maryland and make no mistake, U-M will get chances but has to convert. Red-zone failures were crucial in the 2019 loss to Ohio State.
Michigan football also had to try and hold Ohio State to field goals when it gets to the red zone. The gameplan has to be limit to the big plays, force Ohio State to run and throw underneath, then hope for three instead of six.