The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 139 BY ANDREW VAILLIENCOURT Ohio State has dominated the Big Ten since head coach Urban Meyer took over the program prior to the 2012 campaign, losing just three games to conference foes (and eight total). None of those defeats have come against Michigan, which makes the season finale between U-M and OSU that much more important for the Wolverines this year. A victory in The Game, however, won't come easily. Ohio State lost a number of talented starters, including quarterback J.T. Barrett, but as the program has done in re- cent years, it will simply reload and continue on its path of collecting wins. At quarterback, it is expected that redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins will take the reins. Haskins came in against Michigan last season after Barrett went down with an injury and carried his team to a 31-20 win. That alone suggests there may not be much of a drop-off, at least in talent, at the posi- tion in 2018. Haskins is a dual-threat quar- terback, but is considered a better passing prospect than Barrett. Haskins will be joined in the backfield by sophomore running back J.K. Dobbins, who surprised the college football world by rack- ing up 1,403 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground after taking the starting job away from Mike Weber, who returns this fall for his redshirt junior year. Weber, a Detroit native, still ran for 626 yards and 10 touch- downs last season after producing 1,096 and nine in 2016 as the full-time starter. Dobbins was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten honoree last season and is con- sidered an early Heisman Trophy favorite for 2018. He set the Ohio State freshman record for rushing yards in 2017 after starting all 14 games. Wide receiver is another position of strength for the Buckeyes. Every single player that caught 10 or more passes last season re- turns except for tight end Marcus Baugh. Of the other nine, two are Dobbins and Weber. Fifth-year senior wideout Parris Camp- bell was the team's leading receiver in 2017 and is back after tallying 40 catches for 584 yards and three touchdowns. He will be joined by redshirt junior K.J. Hill and fifth- year senior Terry McLaurin, who combined for 85 receptions, 985 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Fifth-year senior receiver Johnnie Dixon led the team in touchdown catches with eight and had 422 receiving yards, while junior Binjimen Victor added seven touchdown grabs. The bottom line is that no matter who starts at quarterback for the Buckeyes, there will be plenty of targets in the up-tempo of- fense to go around. In addition to the skill positions, Ohio State returns four of six offensive linemen with significant starting experience, although it must replace left tackle Jamarco Jones and center Billy Price, both consensus first-team All-Big Ten players last season. Last year, the Buckeyes had the No. 1 offense in the Big Ten and No. 7 offense nationally, averaging 506.0 yards per game. The team's defense wasn't far behind, check- ing in at No. 9 after it allowed 300.9 yards per game. However, that side of the ball is where the Buckeyes lost most of their start- ers. Six who started at least six games return, including a few part-time starters. One of them is star junior Nick Bosa, the All-American end who technically started just seven games last year to rank fifth on the team among defensive linemen. The younger brother of former Ohio State legend Joey Bosa, who was picked No. 3 in the 2016 NFL Draft, is projected by some as an early candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. Junior safety Jordan Fuller is the team's leading returning tackler (70) and also tied for second with two interceptions. He was named third-team All-Big Ten last season by the league's coaches. Joining him in the sec- ondary is redshirt junior cornerback Damon Arnette, who had two picks, eight passes broken up and 44 tackles a year ago. The Big Ten East remains the most com- petitive division in college football, but right now it runs through Ohio State. The Buck- eyes will have challenges in a neutral-site tilt against TCU and road games against Michi- gan State and Penn State, but it could come down to Michigan versus Ohio State for a trip to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. Notes Ohio State has won 11 or more games in six straight seasons, a streak that began with the first year under Urban Meyer … Michigan has not beaten OSU since 2011 and has lost 13 of the last 14 meetings between the rival programs … Fifth-year senior kicker Sean Nuernberger and redshirt sophomore punter Drue Chrisman were both consensus third-team All-Big Ten honorees in 2017. ❏ National Title Aspirations Drive The Buckeyes 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Sept. 1 Oregon State — Sept. 8 Rutgers W, 56-0 Sept. 15 vs. TCU* — Sept. 22 Tulane — Sept. 29 at Penn State W, 39-38 Oct. 6 Indiana W, 49-21 Oct. 13 Minnesota — Oct. 20 at Purdue — Nov. 3 Nebraska W, 56-14 Nov. 10 at Michigan State W, 48-3 Nov. 17 at Maryland W, 62-14 Nov. 24 Michigan W, 31-20 * at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Dwayne Haskins, R-So., QB — Played in eight games last season, complet- ing 70.2 percent of his 57 passes for 565 yards with four touchdowns and one interception … Also ran for 86 yards in 2017, 24 of which came against Michigan … Rated as the No. 28 quarterback in the na - tion entering 2018 by Athlon Sports. Defense: Nick Bosa, Jr., DE — Recorded a team-high 8.5 sacks in 2017, good for second in the Big Ten … He also had 16 tack- les for loss (fifth in the Big Ten) and nine quarterback hurries … Big Ten Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year — giving Ohio State the honor for the fourth straight cam - paign — and an American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American in 2017. Sophomore running back J.K. Dobbins en- rolled early and debuted last fall with 1,538 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES • NOV. 24 • GAME 12 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 58-50-6 First Meeting: U-M 34, OSU 0 (Oct. 16, 1897, at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: OSU 31, U-M 20 (Nov. 25, 2017, at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Urban Meyer 73-8 at Ohio State (7th year) and 177-31 overall (17th year) 2017 In Review: 12-2 overall, 8-1 Big Ten (1st East Division) Final 2017 Ranking: No. 5 in Associated Press and coaches' polls Returning Starters: 15 (8 offense, 5 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2017 (Cotton Bowl vs. USC, W 24-7) Big Ten Championships (last): 36 (2017) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Dwayne Haskins (565 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT) Rushing: J.K. Dobbins (1,403 yards, 7 TD) Receiving: Parris Campbell (584 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: Jordan Fuller (70) Sacks: Nick Bosa (8.5) Interceptions: Fuller (2)