ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In terms of passing offense, Michigan football just faced Maryland, ranked No. 26 in the country — the best unit it’s seen to date. But Ohio State is ranked two spots ahead of the Terrapins, and it has a lot more volatile weapons at its disposal.
Whether it’s the cadre of explosive, once five-star receivers, the tight end, or running back TreVeyon Henderson, there are multiple players who could burn you if you’re not careful.
While Sherrone Moore is usually only concerned with the offensive side of the ball in Ann Arbor, he’s now more invested in the defensive side (for Michigan), as well, since he’ll be in his third straight game as acting head coach in relief of the suspended Jim Harbaugh. What he sees on that side for Ohio State is a lineup of talented playmakers who can punish you if your keys are off, even a little.
“Yeah, they’re electric. They’re balanced. TreVeyon obviously gives them the ability to run the football very effectively,” Moore said. “O-line’s doing a really good job of jelling at the right time. And then, obviously, skill-player wise, Marvin, and Emeka, Cade Stover, and those guys, guys make plays on the outside and feel like the quarterback’s playing his best football. So definitely a challenge that our defense is gonna be up for.”
While running back TreVeyon Henderson will likely be a big focal point given his emergence of late, the most obvious player to be on the watch for is Marvin Harrison Jr., a Heisman Trophy candidate who is arguably the best player on the field no matter who else is out there.
Jim Harbaugh says that there’s one former teammate that he had at the NFL level who the junior Harrison reminds him of, and notes the best way to stymy his progress is likely through other means.
“He reminds me a lot of his dad,” Harbaugh said. “Great player, gotta be covered. You got to — slow him down probably the better word. Do our best to do that and everything works together. Pass rush — the faster the more pressure they can put on the quarterback, the better the coverage is going to be. Same with the coverage — the better the coverage is going to be then that allows the the pass rush to get home.
“Like any game, anytime you play a team, team defense is going to be critical and it all works together.”
Those are the coaches, but players like team captain and cornerback Mike Sainristil will have to actually contend with Harrison as well as the other weapons OSU has.
Sainristil says that it’s crucial that the secondary plays flawless football if it is to slow down Harrison, because any mistake could end up being costly.
“He has great ball skills, great speed, great size,” Sainristil said. “He’s your prototype receiver. The offense, they find a great way, lots of different ways to get him the ball. But for us, we just have to lock in on small details in our assignments, just don’t allow him to create explosive plays.”
The Wolverines and Buckeyes will kick off on Saturday at noon EST at The Big House.