Why Ohio State Is Better Suited to Stop Devin Gardner, Michigan This Year

When Ohio State and Michigan met last year, Devin Gardner and the Wolverines offense looked unstoppable as they piled up 603 total yards and 41 points. 

On Saturday, the two teams are set to reunite for another chapter in one of college football's greatest rivalries. And this time around, the Buckeyes are primed to shut the Wolverines down.

Michigan, which needs a victory over Ohio State just to become bowl eligible, has struggled immensely this season. In their first year under offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, the Wolverines rank 114th in total offense and 112th in scoring. They've failed to reach 17 points in six of their 11 games and rank dead last in the Big Ten (and 119th nationally) in turnover margin. 

Gardner has regressed this season as well, which has been a big factor in the meager rankings listed above. The fifth-year senior has thrown for just 1,663 yards with eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In his last two starts against Northwestern and Maryland—teams that rank outside of the top 50 in passing yards allowed—Gardner completed just 50 percent of his throws for 215 yards and three interceptions.

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But a projection of Ohio State's dominance this Saturday isn't based solely on Michigan's offensive woes. In fact, the Wolverines went into last year's game riding a historically poor stretch of offensive performances—yet against the Buckeyes, they rolled.

Why will this year be different? 

After Ohio State's 2013 season ended with a trio of horrendous defensive performances (against Michigan, Michigan State and Clemson), Urban Meyer made some changes.

The first adjustment came in the coaching staff when the Buckeyes brought in Chris Ash from Arkansas to be the co-defensive coordinator alongside Luke Fickell. Ash installed his aggressive 4-3 scheme, eliminating the zone coverages that offenses picked apart in favor of more man-to-man looks and press packages from the secondary.

That transition has paid off favorably for Ohio State. While the Buckeyes won't be confused for Alabama anytime soon, they've made drastic improvements defensively—especially against the pass. Last year's team ranked 110th in pass defense, allowing opposing teams to throw for 260 yards per game. This year's squad is only surrendering 182.5 yards through the air, which ranks 15th nationally. 

Young players such as Eli Apple, Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell, combined with the savvy leadership and playmaking ability of senior cornerback Doran Grant, have the Buckeyes operating at a high level. And with Bednarik Award finalist Joey Bosa coming off the edge, opposing offenses have had a much tougher time moving the ball against Ohio State this year.

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That's bad news for Gardner and the Wolverines. The Michigan quarterback dissected the Buckeyes' leaky pass defense last year, throwing for 451 yards and four touchdowns (and no interceptions). But Gardner's top pass-catcher in that game—Jeremy Gallon—has graduated, and top running back Derrick Green is out for the year with a broken clavicle. 

All of that added up suggests Michigan is walking into a bad matchup against Ohio State this Saturday. But to the Buckeyes' credit, their taking this Wolverines offense very seriously. 

“We don’t wanna have something like what happened last year happen again, so I think we’re going to prepare really well for this game,” linebacker Joshua Perry said, according to Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors. “Guys are going to take it really seriously."

All stats via NCAA.com.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.