Day, “the team up north” is the Buckeyes’ main concern.
“Last year, they had a lot of exciting plays. The secondary is that everyone will be watching movies. For the next week, that will be our only focus, according to cornerback Jordan Hancock.
We’ve viewed a significant amount of last year’s game film. We need to improve our defense this season by making those adjustments, the player stated.
When Ryan Day’s press conference came to a close following Ohio State’s 37-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday, someone asked him if he had seen Michigan’s 31-24 victory over Maryland earlier in the day.
Day grinned and said, “I might have.”
Ohio State’s players, particularly those on the defensive end of the ball, made it apparent that they have been watching film of Michigan and other opponents for the past year in an effort to eliminate the explosive plays that were the focal point of the Wolverines’ 45-23 victory over the Buckeyes in the previous season. Their coach offered a vague response to the question.
Last year, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy connected with Colston Loveland for a 45-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. He also threw touchdown passes of 69 and 75 yards in the first half. Then, with seven minutes remaining and the score still tied, Donovan Edwards broke through OSU’s defense virtually unnoticed, scoring touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards.
The longest plays Ohio State’s defense has given up this season are a 36-yard pass play by Youngstown State and a 45-yard trick running play by Rutgers.
At 9.0 points per game, Michigan leads FBS teams in scoring defense; OSU is in second place with 9.27.
Building a defense that has so far contained explosive plays has been a “long, arduous, and grinding but extremely rewarding” process, according to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on Tuesday.
But there can’t be any disappointment, he said. “I never think we’ve got it figured out. Defending explosive plays is an ongoing endeavor. You have to be extremely vigilant since you never know where they might appear from. It must be given top priority.
For the second straight year, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan will enter their games at Michigan Stadium on Saturday with perfect records of 11-0.
After Ohio State won 17 of 19 in the rivalry between 2001 and 2019, the Wolverines have won the last two meetings. They won 42–27 against the Buckeyes in 2021 to snap an 8–game losing streak. When Michigan canceled its final three games due to COVID, no games were played in 2020.
As the East Division champion, Michigan will be vying for its third straight trip to the Big Ten championship game, and it may also make its third straight trip to the College Football Playoffs. In the previous season’s playoff semifinal, TCU defeated Michigan 51-45.
Ever since their 2020 season was cut short, Ohio State has not participated in a Big Ten championship game. The other playoff semifinal from the previous season saw the Buckeyes fall to Georgia 42-41.
An already intense rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan has intensified due to Ohio State’s desire for revenge, Michigan’s allegations of using illegal methods of sign stealing, and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s second suspension of the year.
Day stated on Tuesday, “You have to play with emotion, but you can’t let emotions play with you.” “You need to control your feelings. We must enter, perform at a high standard, and manage the surroundings.
We cannot allow emotion and everything to get in the way. We’re not going to allow distractions from any of that to get in the way. All we’ll be thinking about is this team and this season. We have spent the entire season getting ready for this, as I mentioned to the guys on Sunday.
Ohio State’s quarterback Kyle McCord stated that getting ready for Michigan is a year-round effort.
McCord stated, “We say we prepare for it 365 days a year, and I truly believe it.” The guys on the team consider it frequently, particularly in light of the events of the past two years. I believe that everyone is eager to be able to right the ship now that we are essentially back where we were last year.
“There are always story lines and you try to stay focused,” said linebacker Cody Simon. I believe that our team has done a great job of focusing on the present, and this weekend is what we have left to do. It’s the biggest weekend of all the games we’ve played, and it’s enormous. Everyone is aware of how serious the situation is.
