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The truth is gonna hurt, Ohio State, perhaps just as much as 42-27. OK, maybe not that much.
Michigan football eviscerated OSU on Saturday, not just beating the Buckeyes, but dominating them. The Wolverines battered, bruised, and bullied Ohio State, with the offensive line making Zach Harrison and the defensive line look pedestrian, while the maize and blue defensive line with Aidan Hutchinson wreaked havoc on a vaunted offensive line.
And one of the coaches had a really good feeling that the team’s game plan would work. Why? Because Ohio State would not be able to stand up to Michigan’s physicality.
This is why Jim Harbaugh renamed the team’s most physical drill the ‘Beat Ohio’ drill. This is why he emphasized ‘blocking and tackling’ last Monday. This is why Michigan won the game.
And the Wolverines knew it be true on the first drive.
Speaking with Jon Jansen on the ‘Inside Michigan Football’ radio show on Learfield IMG, Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis called Ohio State a good team, but a finesse team. Most hurtful of all? Not a tough team.
“Started fast in setting the tone for the game and really creating the identity of the game that we were going to dominate on both fronts, not just offensive line but defensive line as well, just being able to smash them however we could and really set the tone,” Gattis said. “They’re a good team.They’re a good team. They’re a finesse team, they’re not a tough team. And we knew that going into the game that we can out-physical them, we can out-tough and that was gonna be the key to the game, and that’s what we prepared for all year long. You saw earlier this year in the game they lost to Oregon, Oregon was the most physical team on the field. That’s the way they lost, and we committed to that recipe, and it paid off.”
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Again, based on the results of the game, he’s not wrong. Ohio State failed to register a single tackle for loss since 2005. The Buckeyes were beaten on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They rely on their talent and their skill players, but when it came to lining up and beating the team in front of them, OSU couldn’t do it. Ryan Day’s squad is all about out-scheming his competition, not beating the man across the line of scrimmage.
Look no further to Michigan’s four sacks and eight tackles for loss on one side and 297 rushing yards on the other.
Certainly, this won’t be popular in Columbus or in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and it will likely be a call to arms. But Michigan has established itself as the new bully, and for one year at least, it has the right to talk its talk.
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