Ohio State Football: Special time of year, ‘Michigan Week’
The Ohio State football team heads up north to take on Michigan next Saturday afternoon. Let’s get ready for the big game Buckeye nation!
The best rivalry in all of American sports is going to take place later this week in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Uniting this great state of Ohio from Toledo to Marietta and from Cleveland to Cincinnati. The citizens of Ohio will be brought together for a singular cause in rooting for the Scarlet and Gray.
Political agendas will be put aside, differences will not matter. For three and half hours on Saturday afternoon this state will be one. It’s crazy to think about how a football game can unite a state of 88 counties together but that’s how amazing this game is and why we love Buckeye football.
Ohio State took care of business last Saturday as they defeated Penn State 28-17. Michigan, after losing to Penn State on October 19th, have won five games in a row to help set up a possible top 10 showdown on Saturday afternoon in the Big House.
The Buckeyes are coming into this contest having won 14 of the last 15 rivalry games from the Wolverines. Jim Harbaugh desperately needs this win as he is 0-4 against Ohio State and going 0-5 will most certainly put his feet over the fire in Ann Arbor.
For Ohio State, quarterback Justin Fields gets his first taste of The Game. Playing in big games against Wisconsin and Penn State will help Fields’ understanding of playing in prime-time.
Also, playing in Lincoln versus Nebraska at night will be a good reminder of what a raucous crowd will look like. However, the Cornhuskers never stood a chance, this Wolverine defense can play.
Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson got an understanding of this game last year. He did throw for three touchdowns and 187 yards in the contest although we all know that the Buckeye defense is much different this season than last.
Patterson is coming into this game red-hot. Throwing for 366 yards and five touchdowns against Indiana last week, Shea will look to translate that performance into this game.
For the Buckeye defense, Patterson will be the best quarterback they’ve seen all season.
Can Ohio State’s defense and Chase Young put pressure on Patterson and keep him in the pocket? What will Michigan’s defensive coordinator Don Brown do to slow down this high-octane Ohio State offense? How will Ryan Day do coaching in his first rivalry game?
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These are all the questions that will be dissected throughout the week as we get closer to game time. Keep it locked into Scarlet and Game for the big week ahead.