Know the Opposition: Michigan (105th Meeting)

Dave and Drew Thurman (12:54 pm)

Mascot: Wolverines

Stadium: Michigan Stadium (106,201)

Coach: Rich Rodriguez (16 years overall 108-70-2)

2007 Record: 9-4 (Defeated Florida 41-35 in Capitol One Bowl)

2008 Record: 3-8

Base Offense: Ace (three wide receivers)

Base Defense: 4-3

Lettermen: Returning—45; Lost—23

Returning Starters: Offense—3; Defense—7; Specialists—2

Returning Stars: WR Greg Mathews; LB Obi Ezeh

Notable Alumni

•Ann Coulter: Conservative political commentator and author
•Mike Wallace: Longtime host of 60 Minutes
•William James Mayo: Co-founder of Mayo Clinic
•Dan Dierdorf: Pro football hall of famer/MNF Commentator
•Jim Abbot: One-handed MLB pitcher
•Gilda Radner: Actress best known for work on Saturday Night Live
•Edward Wright: Astronaut; first American to walk in space
•Michael Phelps: Olympic swimmer with 14 career gold medals
•Gerald Ford: 38th President of the United States
•Theodore Kaczynski: The Unabomber 

Michigan Overview

Offense

The Wolverine offense has struggled in almost every way possible this season averaging just 21.5 points and 299 yards a game. What has hurt them the most, though, has been the passing game, averaging just 148 yards per game.

A lot of this has been due to the poor play the Wolverines have received from their quarterbacks. For the majority of the season that man was Steven Threet. On the season, Threet has 1,105 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions, but this would obviously prove not to be enough for Michigan. 

Two games ago against Minnesota, sophomore Nick Sheridan became the starter at quarterback. Sheridan's numbers have been even less impressive (526 yards, two TD, five INT), but he did lead the Wolverines past the Gophers 29-6 with 206 passing yards and one touchdown. He will also be the starter when Michigan takes the field at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

Sheridan is only completing 48 percent of his passes, and his accuracy will have to improve if the Wolverines want a victory.

Due to the poor play at quarterback, the wideouts have been used a lot less than in normal years. With that said, they still have two very dangerous weapons for Sheridan to throw to.

The first has to be junior Greg Mathews who is listed at 6'3", 207 pounds. Mathews has used that large frame to bring in 409 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which both lead the team.

The other man to keep a close eye on is freshman Martavious Odoms. He leads the team with 44 receptions, and has 406 receiving yards. Besides these two young men, the Wolverines do not have many primary targets in the passing game. In this game you can almost guarantee they will use a lot of quick-hitting passes and throw to the running backs a ton.

The running back position is also a very interesting one for the Wolverines. The two main ball carriers have been Sam McGuffie (486 yards, three TD) and Brandon Minor (466 yards, eight TD).

McGuffie, who leads the team with 118 carries, may not even play on Saturday, though. In Rodriguez's press conference this week he made it clear the McGuffie may be missing Saturday due to a death in the family.

Besides these two young men, the Wolverines also like to use Michael Shaw (174 yards, zero TD) and Carlos Brown (119 yards, zero TD). Brown actually picked up 23 of 26 rushing attempts on the season last week against Northwestern, and gained 115 yards in the game.

Defense

The Michigan defense has not been any better than the offense for most of the season. They have given up more than 35 points five times this season, and opponents are averaging 27.7 points a game. They also have given up 362 yards a game, with 234 yards of that coming through the passing game.

Yes, it has been a big struggle for the Wolverine secondary.

The man to watch on defense is linebacker Obi Ezeh. He has done a little bit of everything for Michigan this season with 96 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and an interception.

Besides him, the only other guy to keep an eye on is junior defensive end Brandon Graham. He has caused all sorts of problems for opposing offensive linemen with 43 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and nine sacks.

How It Will Go

Throw the record book out, it is the Ohio State-Michigan game. Even with a 3-8 record overall, you better believe the Wolverines are going to come out with a lot of pride on Saturday. That kind of emotion, though, can end very suddenly if Ohio State comes out and puts together some quality drives.

On offense, expect to see a lot of running. Typically, Tressel comes out with a lot of new plays against Michigan, but this year is a little different. Tressel knows the Buckeyes are far superior in the trenches, and like many times this season, he is going to use that to his advantage. Sure there will be a few new looks from the Buckeyes, but don't think the run will not come first against the Wolverines.

With this established, expect some big throws down the field. Pryor could very easily have a game like he did against Northwestern where the big pass play is available. Robiskie, Hartline, and Sanzenbacher will all have their fair share of balls on Saturday.

On defense, the Buckeyes will probably shut down the Wolverines' passing game. The Buckeyes' back seven should have complete command against Sheridan and the wideouts. On the other hand, the Buckeyes could struggle with the rushing attack of Michigan.

As they showed against Illinois, when spread out, the defense can get gashed by quarterback reads and running back draws. The Buckeyes will have to adjust, but making the Wolverines one-diminsional should help this.

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle

Dave has it: Ohio State 27 Michigan 13
Drew has it: Ohio State 34 Michigan 14