The general consensus is that one of the premier rivalries in all of college sports won’t look like much of a rivalry at all on Saturday.
Usually a contest with massive Big Ten or national-championship implications (because of the IMPLICATIONS), Ohio State vs. Michigan is expected to resemble Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios. The Buckeyes, per Covers.com, are favored by more than two touchdowns, and experts are giving the Wolverines “no shot.”
Sprinkle in the facts that No. 3 OSU is still trying to impress those darn BCS computers by embarrassing opponents and Michigan is an awful 1-3 in its past four, and it’s hard to even dream up a scenario where an upset might occur.
So, how can the Wolverines turn The Game into, you know, a game?
The broad, simple recipe to most upsets, especially when the favorite boasts such an explosive offense (the Buckeyes average 46 points and 524.7 yards per game, both top-10 marks in the country), is to take the air out of the ball, control the time-of-possession battle and force some turnovers.
Brady Hoke seemed to suggest a similar feeling, not exactly expressing confidence in his team’s chances should the game turn into a shootout:
Establishing the run game is good way to avoid high-scoring games.
Of course, that may be easier said than done for the Wolverines, who, according to TeamRankings.com, are averaging a meager 3.2 yards per carry—good (bad) enough for 112th in America.
Still, with Devin…
Continue Reading: Ohio State vs. Michigan: Running Games Will Be Key During Saturday’s Rivalry
