Michigan-Ohio State: The Game, v. 104

The seemingly-resurgent Michigan defense was shredded by quarterback Tyler Donovan, tight end Travis Beckum, and third-string tailback Zach Brown. The offense’s only bright spot was junior receiver Mario Manningham, who had three catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns—one of them a school-record 97 yards.

The line struggled to run or pass block, while true freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett sandwiched some nice throws in between a lot of really poor ones in a 37-21 loss.

But all that's in the past now, as the Wolverines prepare to tangle with the Buckeyes in what may be coach Lloyd Carr’s last regular season game. What better way to send Carr home than with a win over Jim Tressel and Co.?

Onto the matchups...

Michigan Run Offense vs. Ohio State Run Defense

When healthy, Mike Hart has proven without exception to be the best running back in college football. His vision, burst, cuts, and hard-nosed running all coordinate to make him a formidable back. The Buckeyes saw last year just how dangerous the 5-9, 190-pounder can be when Hart ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. The other Michigan backs, Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, have shown flashes, but don’t expect them to do anything of much notice tomorrow afternoon.

The Ohio State run defense has appeared susceptible at times this year, and this is probably attributed to the fact that Ohio State’s defensive tackles are not really that good. The linebackers are great, but it is hard for Laurinitis, Grant, and Freeman to make plays when they are getting pancaked by 300-pound linemen. If Hart is healthy, the Buckeye defensive tackles will have to learn how to eat blocks, or it could be a long day for the Ohio State defense. Still, we have no guarantee that Hart will be able to play, let alone be effective.

Advantage: Ohio State...unless it’s Michigan

Key Matchup: Mike Hart against his own ankle.

The rumors around the program suggest that Hart’s ankle isn’t really improving well enough for him to be all that useful tomorrow for running the ball. The reports from various websites are rather pessimistic, so don’t expect a whole lot from Hart tomorrow.

Michigan Pass Offense vs. Ohio State Pass Defense

Chad Henne has had an interesting senior season. He was the primary target for Michigan fan’s blame following the Appalachian State loss on September 1st, and was even attacked by fans in the Oregon game who chanted “We want Mallett” before Henne had to limp off after a knee injury. Oh, if only those fans knew what they were asking for.

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