Ohio State: Will They Be Able to Slow Down Michigan's Denard Robsinson?

In terms of actually winning the football game, Ohio State should be able to handle arch-rival Michigan with ease at home on Saturday.

Well, that's what it would seem like based on talent.  Ohio State as a whole is much better than Michigan.

However, rivalry games as fierce as this one are almost always down to the wire.

One man holds Michigan's hopes of pulling the upset.  

That is Denard Robinson.

If Ohio State can slow Robinson, this game could get ugly for Michigan, but that task is a lot easier said than done.

Robinson has thrown for over 2200 yards and rushed for over 1500, despite battling injuries.  Those 1500 rushing yards in one season are the most for a quarterback in NCAA football history.

Unfortunately for this breakdown, Ohio State never played Rich Rodriguez during his time at West Virginia when Pat White was running the offense.

In the Big Ten, where pro-style offenses prosper, there aren't many scrambling quarterbacks.

Last year, however, Ohio State did face two high profile scrambling quarterbacks and shut them down with ease.

Penn State's Daryll Clark and Illinois' Juice Williams each had their worst games of 2009 against the Buckeyes.

Clark finished with a 73.21 passer rating, while only contributing 20 yards on the ground.

Williams only rushed for 18 yards and finished against Ohio State with a 61.97 quarterback rating.

Of course, Denard Robinson has done more than Clark and Williams have ever done on the ground this season, but their past success against athletic passers still bodes well for Ohio State.

Look for Ohio State to be able to at least slow down Robinson just enough to be able to pull out the victory Saturday.