Three keys to the Ohio State football team beating Michigan

The Ohio State football team hasn't beaten Michigan this decade. It's a sad stat that they have to deal with. These seniors also don't have a pair of gold pants because of that. This year, they have the best chance they have ever had to beat TTUN because of the talent disparity.

Ohio State is the number-two team in the country and has just one loss. That one loss came to the number-one team in the country, on the road, by one. They have two wins against top-five teams. Clearly, the Ohio State Buckeyes are a very good team who can beat anyone on any given day.

Michigan, on the other hand, is a 6-5 team. They are just 4-4 in the Big Ten. They don't really have a good win on their resume, but they have a few bad losses. The talent disparity between them and the Buckeyes is very wide. That doesn't mean they still can't win this game.

Ohio State was the more talented team in this matchup in 2021 and 2022. There was no reason why they shouldn't have won either of those games. Yet, they came out with a loss. In order for them to finally clear this mental block, they have to follow three keys to win the game.

The first key has to deal with the defensive side of the ball.

1. The Ohio State football team must stop the run

This is something the Buckeyes have had issues with in each of the last three matchups. The defensive line has gotten blown up at the point of attack. Because of that, Michigan has been able to run the ball down Ohio State's throat and control the clock.

That clock control is the one way in which the Buckeyes lose this game. Keeping the ball out of the hands of Will Howard and the Ohio State offense is what TTUN wants to do. Controlling the time of possession is the best way to beat this team, especially in a game with cold weather.

That means the Buckeyes will need to get push from the defensive line. Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton have to push the middle backward during these run plays. Allow Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau to set the edge and funnel everyone back towards the middle.

Jim Knowles has been sending more blitzes from the linebackers, which has also helped stop the run. That evolution in the defense has allowed the team to be one of the best teams in the country at stopping the run. In fact, they are the third-best team in the country at stopping the run.

If Ohio State is able to stop the run and make Michigan throw the ball, this game won't be a contest. Michigan is horrendous at passing the ball. Ohio State's defense is the best team in the country in points per game, total yards per game, and passing yards. It's time they show that.

The second key to the game has to do with Ohio State's offensive philosophy.