The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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the tone for this game on Wednesday during his final chat with reporters be- fore kickoff. "'This is going to be a physical game,' Franklin said. 'This is going to be big-boy ball on both sides of the ball. We under- stand what we're getting into. "'Again, we've got a ton of respect for these guys. We'll find out on Saturday. But we've practiced that way. And I think for the most part this year, we played that way. We're going to have to do it on Sat- urday.' "The Lions may have understood what they were getting into. But they certainly were not ready for it. "Michigan rushed for 418 yards and an absurd 7.1 yards per carry. It was the most ever given up by a James Franklin defense. There were endless gaping holes, either because the Wolverines blew Penn State off the ball or because of a lack of gap ac- countability. Either way, Manny Diaz's defense had few answers. "It wasn't much better on offense. The Lions could not rush the ball at all, and quarterback Sean Clifford was hurried often. "In its simplest form, the hard truth is that Penn State is not on Michigan's level in the trenches. And it doesn't seem to be particularly close." Here's a quick look into the key oppo- nent factors in Michigan's run to a hoped- for repeat as Big Ten champions. THE ELEPHANT IN THE 'SHOE Ohio State remains the biggest threat for Michigan or any other Big Ten chal- lenger. If the Wolverines hope to repeat as conference champions and return to the College Football Playoff, the road goes directly through Columbus. While the Wolverines and Nittany Li- ons squared off The Big House, the Buck- eyes sat back on an off week, healing up and scheming to maintain their lofty na- tional position. Ohio State stands No. 2 in the nation, 6-0, with a win over Notre Dame and an average victory margin of 33 points tucked into its hip pocket. The Buckeyes are now the best bet to win the national title this year, according to actual bettors. ESPN recently noted Ohio State moved ahead of Alabama and Georgia as the consensus choice to emerge on top in the College Football Playoff, according to Caesars Sportsbook. Not that there's nothing standing in the Buckeyes' way. The back half of their season features an Oct. 29 trip to Penn State, a visit to pesky Maryland on Nov. 19 and, of course, the showdown with the Wolverines in Columbus on Nov. 26. Despite their gaudy numbers — aver- ages of 48.8 points per game, 543.7 yards of total offense, including 315.7 of those through the air — the Buckeyes aren't in- vincible. Michigan proved it last year and will plan to do so once again, when the time comes. Meanwhile, OSU head coach Ryan Day welcomed the bye week, for various reasons. "I think it does come at a good time," he said. "There are times where you start to get into a rhythm, and then you don't want that bye week. NOVEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 23