Ohio State Football: Once again, stop the run vs. TTUN

The biggest game of the year for Ohio State football is here. The Game: the greatest rivalry in all of sport. The Buckeyes sit at No. 2 while TTUN comes in at No. 5; both teams have everything on the line.

OSU has steadily formed into a national title contender. While the Wolverines want to win the Big Ten and grab their first playoff berth. This is exactly what you want in The Game, two 10-1 teams clashing with national implications.

Jim Harbaugh has one of his best teams during his tenure in Ann Arbor. Their offense is operating at a higher level than past seasons and the defense comes in playing at a high level, like usual. Meanwhile, the Bucks are coming off two blowout wins over ranked opponents (Purdue and MSU), as their wicked offense leads the way.

The Game will get chippy and it will be ferociously competitive. The Bucks will be challenged going into a hostile environment and will need to be disciplined to take care of business.

Just like any year vs. Harbaugh and TTUN, the Buckeye defense needs to stop the run.

Ohio State football must stop TTUN’s effective rushing attack

The Wolverines’ offense has been a bit more explosive than usual and Cade McNamara has produced solid quarterback play. But still, not much is new with TTUN. Their offense starts and ends with the run game. They have a talented backfield with Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum, and Donovan Edwards. Each back presents a different skill set and challenge.

TTUN has another solid offensive line as they are one of 13 semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in college football. The Wolverines are 13th averaging over 218 rushing yards per game. They average over five yards per carry (27th), however, TTUN runs the ball quite a bit with 43 rushes per game (16th).

It truly is more of the same for the Wolverine offense. If the run is stopped, Ohio State’s defense should have a good day. TTUN relies on the run heavily, throwing only 40.35% of the time (110th). The defensive game plan for OSU will be to make the QB McNamara win the game. And with the Bucks’ pass rushers and cornerbacks, that is easier said than done.

Remember when Ohio State’s defense could not stop the run? Now they are limiting Heisman contenders — MSU’s Kenneth Walker ran for only 25 yards last week — and the Buckeyes are holding opponents to 3.1 yards per carry (11th) and 103.5 rushing yards per contest (10th).

Considering how bad the run defense was to begin the year, OSU’s run defense had to be sheer dominant for months to reach these rankings. What a turnaround the run defense has gone through, they are now legitimately one of the best run defenses in America.

Of course, the Buckeyes want to blow out the Wolverines yet again. Don’t forget Ryan Day said he will hang up 100 vs. TTUN the next time they played after Harbaugh couldn’t stay in his own lane. There is bad blood as always, Day will not hesitate to run the score up if the opportunity presents itself.

Stopping the run will not only make a win likely, but another comfortable win over TTUN could be on the table. McNamara’s comments about having no worries about the Silver Bullets only adds more fuel to the fire. As mentioned, there has not been a drastic change in the TTUN offense; halting the run is the biggest key of the game for Ohio State football.

The Buckeyes will be on their way to nine straight over the Wolverines if TTUN’s run is kept in check.