The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 139 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE For a second straight season, Ohio State breezed through the Big Ten and posted an unde- feated regular-season record. Indiana, who lost by seven to the Buckeyes, was the only confer- ence team to give them a real fight in 2020. OSU, who didn't play archrival Michigan for the first time since 1917 due to COVID-19 concerns within the Wolverines' program, was able to squeak into the Big Ten Championship thanks to a rule change (teams were origi- nally mandated to play in at least six games to qualify; the Buck- eyes played five). Ohio State took on Northwestern and came away victorious. That propelled them into their second straight College Football Playoff appearance, where they beat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl before falling to Alabama in the title game. The top storyline of the offseason in Co- lumbus surrounds the quarterback position. There are three signal-callers in the room — second-year freshmen C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller, and freshman Kyle McCord — who were highly ranked out of high school and have the opportunity to compete for the starting job now that former Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns in 22 games over the last two years, is off to the NFL as a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears. Stroud appears to be the favorite after tak- ing the majority of the first-team reps in the spring, though head coach Ryan Day didn't name a starter. Whoever winds up with the job will have some dangerous weapons to work with. Seven offensive starters are returning, including a pair of elite wideouts in junior Chris Olave and sophomore Garrett Wilson. Olave posted 729 yards and seven scores, and Wilson ac- cumulated 723 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. Those two were the team's leading receivers, and the Buckeyes also return the man who checked in third — junior tight end Jeremy Ruckert (151 yards and five scores). Junior running back Master Teague III was second on the team in rushing yards last sea- son — behind only Trey Sermon (897 yards), who was a third-round NFL Draft pick this spring — with 540, but he was the go-to ball carrier to punch it into the end zone, lead- ing the team with eight rushing scores. The Buckeyes ranked eighth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 256.9 yards per game. The Buckeyes return three starters along the offensive line, headlined by junior left tackle Thayer Munford, who is a three-time All-Big Ten standout (first team in 2020). While quarterback is on the list of question marks, the defense as a whole is a full-blown concern, though there's plenty of high-end talent on the unit. Ohio State ranked first na- tionally in total defense in 2019, but dropped to No. 59 in the country last season. The back end of the defense struggled mightily, giving up 304.0 yards per game, which ranked 122nd (out of 127 teams) in the land. Shoring that up will be an empha- sis for Day and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs heading into the 2021 campaign. The secondary is highlighted by junior corner Sevyn Banks, who was inconsistent last season — allowing 39 recep- tions and four touchdowns on 61 targets, per Pro Football Fo- cus — but notched seven passes broken up and one interception. While there is concern about the corners and safeties, the Buck- eye front seven should be strong, despite losing key pieces in line- backers Tuf Borland and Pete Werner — the Buckeyes' two leading tacklers a year ago — with the strength this season likely to be at the line of scrimmage. The defensive line will be an- chored by fifth-year senior tackle Haskell Garrett, who notched 20 tackles, four stops for loss and two sacks last season. He will have two outstanding bookend edge defenders — junior Zach Harrison and junior Tyreke Smith — outside of him. Harrison made 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season, while Smith posted one of each. Notes Ohio State's front seven struggled to tackle opposing ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage last season, generating just 5.8 stops for loss per contest, which ranked 76th nationally … The Buckeyes still allowed just 97.6 yards per game on the ground a year ago, which checked in second in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation. ❏ Buckeyes Reload Once Again After National Runner-Up Finish 2021 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2020 Result Sept. 2 at Minnesota — Sept. 11 Oregon — Sept. 18 Tulsa — Sept. 25 Akron — Oct. 2 at Rutgers W, 49-27 Oct. 9 Maryland — Oct. 23 at Indiana W, 42-35 Oct. 30 Penn State W, 38-25 Nov. 6 at Nebraska W, 52-17 Nov. 13 Purdue — Nov. 20 Michigan State W, 52-12 Nov. 27 at Michigan — PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Chris Olave, Jr., WR The 6-1, 189-pounder was named a preseason first- team All-American by Athlon … Has accumulated 111 receptions for 1,775 yards and 22 touchdowns during his career. Defense: Haskell Garrett, 5th-Sr., DT The 6-2, 300-pounder has totaled 40 tackles, 6.5 stops for loss and two sacks in his career … Named to Athlon's preseason All-Big Ten second team … The No. 1 DT for the 2022 NFL Draft per ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. GAME 12 • OHIO STATE BUCKEYES • NOV. 27 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 58-51-6 First Meeting: U-M 34, OSU 0 (Oct. 16, 1897 at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: OSU 56, U-M 27 (Nov. 30, 2019 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Ryan Day, 23-2 at Ohio State and overall (3rd full year) 2020 In Review: 7-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten (1st East) Final 2020 Ranking: No. 2 in Associated Press and coaches' polls Returning Starters: 11 (7 offense, 4 defense, 0 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2020 (Allstate Sugar Bowl vs. Clemson, W 49-28) Returning Leaders Passing: None Rushing: Master Teague III (514 yards, 8 TD) Receiving: Chris Olave (729 yards, 7 TD) Tackles: Marcus Williamson (27) Sacks: Haskell Garrett (2) Interceptions: Four tied (1) Sophomore wide receiver Garrett Wilson posted a career-high 169 re- ceiving yards against Indiana last fall. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS