The Game: Edition 116 in Ann Arbor Saturday
11/26/2019 9:33:36 AM | Football
“The Game” is here. Ohio State and Michigan meet again Saturday, this time at Michigan Stadium and in front of a national audience on FOX beginning at noon. The Buckeyes, winners of 17 consecutive games, enter with an 11-0 record while Michigan is 9-2 and riding a four-game winning streak.
The Buckeyes lead the nation in both scoring offense (49.4 points/game) and scoring defense (10.5 points/game) while Michigan is No. 10 in scoring defense, No. 4 in total defense and is scoring 41.0 points per game in its win streak.
While Michigan owns a 58-50-6 lead in all games played, the series shifts to Ohio State’s favor in the Big Ten era (since 1918) with a 50-46-4 record. Since 2000, the Buckeyes are 15-3 against the Wolverines with seven consecutive wins.
THE BASICS
No. 13 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State • Saturday, Nov. 30 • When: Noon • Where: Michigan Stadium • TV: FOX • Play by Play: Gus Johnson • Analyst: Joel Klatt • Sidelines: Jenny Taft
FACT: “The Game” this week matches the No. 1 and No. 2 winning programs in Football Bowl Subdivison history. Michigan has 962 wins and Ohio State has 922. Alabama (915) and Texas (914) are next.
More on THE RIVALRY
- The Buckeyes and Wolverines will be meeting for the 23rd time when both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Poll. Ohio State leads in those games, 11-9-2.
- The Ohio State/Michigan game has been decided by one score 40 times. Each team owns 20 wins in those games.
- The Buckeyes’ first win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor came 100 years ago, a 13-3 victory in 1919.
- Since 1951, Woody Hayes’ first season as Ohio State’s head coach, the Buckeyes lead the series 38-27-2.
- Michigan won 13 of the first 15 games in this series with two ties, but since Ohio State’s first win in 1919 the series tilts in Ohio State’s favor by a 50-45-4 margin
- These two teams have played in the regular season finale every year since 1935 except one: in 1942 Ohio State defeated Iowa Pre-Flight to cap a 9-1 season that featured the school’s first Associated Press national title.
- Michigan has a Big Ten-best 42 conference titles; Ohio State is second with 37.
- The Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry was named the greatest rivalry of the 20th century by ESPN.com in 1999. Ali vs. Frazier was No. 2.
- Ohio State began awarding gold pants for wins over Michigan in 1934.
Additional Story – look back at Ohio State wins in Ann Arbor in the 2000s
FACT: During the “Ten Year War” of 1969-1978, Ohio State and Michigan were each ranked in the Associated Press top 10 at the time of “The Game” seven times. In nine of the 10 years, the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game decided the Big Ten title.
Chase Young returned to the field last week after sitting out wins over Maryland and Rutgers while an NCAA issue was resolved.
In his return, Young picked up right where he left off, registering a career-high nine tackles, four tackles-for-loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in a 28-17 win over then-No. 8 Penn State.
Young broke Ohio State’s single-season sack record, held previously by Vernon Gholston (14.0 in 2007), and has 16.5 on the season. For his efforts, he was named the Big Ten and Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts last week.
Young No. 1 or No. 2 in TFLs and Sacks
- Young leads the nation with 1.83 quarterback sacks per game: 16.5 in nine games played.
- He is second in TFLs with 2.17, second in TFL yardage with 122 and first in sack yardage with 117.
- He also has a streak of 11 consecutive games registering a sack.
- In his 11-game streak, Young has a total of 20.5 sacks.
- Young is just the second player in program history – Tennesse Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is the other – to have 10 or more sacks in multiple seasons.
Speaking of Sacks …
- The Buckeyes rank No. 1 in the nation in average sacks per game (4.36) and total sacks (47.0).
- Ohio State’s 47 sacks this year have come from 15 different players.
- The Ohio State single-season team record for sacks is 52.0, set in 2000.
Big Ten East Champs x3
- Ohio State has won or shared a Big Ten Conference divisional title for eight consecutive years after clinching the 2019 East Division crown with a 28-17 victory over Penn State.
- Ohio State is the first team to qualify for three consecutive Big Ten title games.
- The Buckeyes will be seeking to be the first team since Wisconsin (2010-12) to “three-peat” as Big Ten champions.
Elite vs. the Elite
Ohio State has faced three teams (Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin) that are ranked in the top 15 nationally against the run. In those games, the Buckeyes have averaged 272.0 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns. J.K. Dobbins has run for at least 150 yards in each game.
Ground Attack
- Ohio State ranks No. 4 nationally in rushing offense with an average of 282.1 yards per game.
- The Buckeyes have run for at last 225 yards in all 11 games and had a season-high 383 yards vs. Maryland.
- Their 5.8 yards-per-carry average for the season is third-best among Power 5 teams.
- Ohio State is the only team in the country with two players averaging 6.5 or more yards per carry (minimum 80 attempts – J.K. Dobbins, 7.0 Master Teague, 6.5).
- The Buckeyes’ 31 rushing touchdowns ranks second among Power 5 teams.
Road Warriors
- Over the last eight seasons (2012-present), Ohio State owns a 33-3 record in “true” road games (excluding neutral site contests).
- The Buckeyes’ 33 road wins and .917 winning percentage is second to only Oklahoma in that time span.
- Among those 33 road wins are four over teams ranked in the Associated Press top 10 (at Michigan State in 2014, at Michigan in 2015, at Wisconsin in 2016 and at Penn State in 2018).
J.K. O.K. in NCAA
- J.K. Dobbins, despite just 57 second half carries all season and four games with zero second half carries, is No. 5 nationally with 131.5 yards per game and No. 4 in rushing yards with 1,446.
- Dobbins has 16 career 100-yard games and the Buckeyes are 16-0 in those contests.
- He also ranks second nationally with 7.04 yards per carry and he is ninth with 15 touchdowns scored.
Dobbins (3,902 yards) is 59 yards away from passing Ezekiel Elliott for second all-time in rushing at Ohio State. - As part of his 163-yard performance against the Badgers, Dobbins became the first player in program history to reach 1,000 yards as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
- Against the three best rush defenses that Ohio State has faced (Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State), Dobbins has averaged 162.0 yards per game.
- Dobbins’ 100.1-yards-per-game career average is the third best in program history, behind only Archie Griffin (121.5 yards/game, 1972-75) and Ezekiel Elliott 101.6 yards/game, 2013-15).
Justin, Joe and Jalen
Justin Fields ranks third in the nation in points responsible for with 258, fourth in passing efficiency at 190.2 and tied for third with 33 TD passes. His 43 total touchdowns is third. Fields, Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow are all finalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.
Total Touchdowns
1. Jalen Hurts – 17 rush, 30 pass, 47 total
2. Joe Burrow – 3 rush, 41 pass, 44 total
3. Justin Fields – 10 rush, 33 pass, 43 total
Note: Fields has 357 passing/rushing plays this season. Burrow has 448; Hurts 449.
7.0
In his last two games – vs. No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 8 Penn State – DE Chase Young has totaled 7.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles-for-loss, four forced fumbles and 15 tackles.
6
Ohio State has 47.0 sacks on the season and needs just six more sacks to establish a new single-season team record. The 2000 Buckeyes had 52.0 sacks.
10
Chris Olave has 10 touchdown receptions this season, tied for the most in the Big Ten and the 12th most in Ohio State single-season history.
11
Ohio State has reached the 11-win mark for the eighth consecutive season and, according to ESPN Stats & Info, that ties Alabama for the longest such streak in the Associated Press Era (since 1936).
86.0
Ohio State’s defense has prevented opponents from scoring on 86 percent of their drives, tied with Clemson for the best in the country (courtesy of SportsSource Analytics).
58.1
Credit to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic for digging up this stat: Ohio State’s 58.1 percent third down coversion rate is not only the best in the country, it’s the best of any FBS team in at least the last 10 years.
- Michigan enters Saturday’s contest with a 9-2 overall record with wins in its last four contests since a 28-21 loss at Penn State on Oct. 19.
- The Wolverines are averaging 41 points per game during their four-game winning streak.
- Shea Patterson has thrown 21 touchdown passes against just five interceptions and has 2,523 yards on the season.
- Michigan features three wide receivers with 30 or more catches thus far: Ronnie Bell (team-high 38 receptions for 627 yards), Nico Collins (31 receptions, 649 yards, seven TDs) and Donavon Peoples-Jones (30 receptions, 335 yards, five TDs).
- True freshman running back Zach Charbonnet has a team-high 11 touchdowns to go along with 635 yards rushing. Hassan Haskins has chipped in with 483 yards on 91 carries.
- The Wolverines have the nation’s No. 10-ranked total defense, led by linebacker Khaleke Hudson (89 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks and three pass breakups).
- Josh Uche leads the team in sacks with 8.5 (for minus 65 yards) while Kwity Paye has 6.5.
