The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 27 and do what it does best to bedevil the Buckeyes. "The biggest difference the last two years has been the way Michigan just ran it down Ohio State's throat," Donahue said. "Last year, the big plays in the pass- ing game? I don't know what Ohio State was thinking. Defensive adjustment? But I think the thing that alarmed Ohio State people was the fact that [Hassan] Haskins, two years ago, ran it down their throat. Then last year, [sophomore tailback Don- ovan] Edwards running through that same hole for two long touchdown runs just ab- solutely is alarming, moving forward in this series. "No doubt about it — it's those big plays in the running game. You had [Tshimanga] Biakabutuka in 1995 — that was a shocker. But that's when Michigan has dominated in this series, when they've been able to run the ball. These last two years, that's cer- tainly been the case. That's certainly what has alarmed Ohio State people the most." Donahue also pointed out the Wolver- ines didn't just dominate with an offensive line that opened the door for the run game (549 net yards rushing combined in '21 and '22). The Wolverines' defensive line has also emerged to clothesline an OSU offense previously running wild. "That's been the big difference in Mich- igan's resurgence," Donahue asserted. "They are dominating on both sides. We talked years ago, when Michigan was struggling a little bit, that they couldn't establish the running game. It used to be, they'd just look at you when it was third down-and-1, and say, 'We're going to hand it off to this guy, and we're going to run it down your throat.' Michigan lost that DNA a little bit. "They've got it back in a big way right now, on both sides. Mazi Smith, who went to Dallas, he was big time. You just look at that defensive line and that offensive line. That's been the difference in Michigan's resurgence. That's why they're back full time." Jansen — who to this day exults over Michigan's offensive line pummeling the Buckeyes, play after play, down the stretch in U-M's 13-9 win in Columbus in '96 — couldn't agree more with Donahue's take. Jansen has lived it, and he's reliving it watching Michigan manhandle Ohio State up front. "They're controlling the line of scrim- mage, on both sides of the ball," he assured. "You go back to what Aidan Hutchinson did in The Big House. That bordered on physical abuse, and absolute violence against another human being. You set that tone, and now all of a sudden, somebody else says, 'I want to do what he did. How do I get that done?' "You look at the way both the offensive and defensive lines have controlled the line of scrimmage. That's the biggest dif- ference. "It's also being able to go out there and make sure you don't have stupid turnovers, you don't throw pick-sixes, you don't give them easy scores. But to be able to have the knowledge and confidence that you're go- ing to control the line of scrimmage? You control the line of scrimmage long enough, you're going to win more times than you don't." A Whole New Era? Jansen insists it's tough to overstate how much the Wolverines' follow-up win in Columbus meant. When looking to get the upper hand in this particular rivalry, winning on the road becomes mammoth. Michigan hadn't silenced fans in The 'Shoe since 2000, when Drew Henson danced into the end zone on a naked bootleg, put- ting the Buckeyes away. Donovan Edwards' 75- and 85-yard TD runs late in the 2022 win will forever stand as the nut-crushing clincher in Michigan's breakthrough-certifying victory. "When you can go into The Horseshoe and you can come away with a win, that is huge, because of the environment," Jansen said. "Because of the travel, the environ- ment, the fan base … Michigan has been close in Columbus a number of times. You can go back to the double-overtime loss in 2016 and talk about Wilton Speight throw- ing an interception, a pick-six, being on the 1-yard line and fumbling the ball. "But when you can go down there and overcome some of those things. I mean, Michigan was down two times in the first half. That's a huge element to have to over- come in Columbus. Whether it's players saying, 'Oh, it's too hard,' or 'Here we go again,' 'Let's try next year in Ann Arbor' … they had the composure and the character to withstand that." There's also a major element to making the jump from almost to all triumphant. It's doing what Hutchinson, Biakabutuka, Charles Woodson, Denard Robinson and Tom Harmon have done, just to name a few. They executed winning football plays, with the help of all those around them. "Somebody has to make a play," Jansen assured. "And it was [sophomore quar- terback] J.J. McCarthy and Cornelius Johnson. When the game went on, it was defensive plays. It was [junior edge] Jay- len Harrell, with great discipline on fourth down, covering the tight end. It was a number of different guys that you can go Two years ago, the Wolverine defense unleashed its fury on the Buckeyes, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the way with 3 sacks. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL