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It's #HateWeek yet again, ahead of one of the biggest editions of The Game in memory. Two 11-0 teams going at it for the second straight year. Does it get any better than this in college football? I don't think so. 

The Film: As in past seasons, I am charting Ohio State's offense against Penn State's defense because the Nittanys have the best defense OSU has played to date. However, I will also be incorporating plenty of film from other games. I previously used Ohio State footage for both Maryland and Purdue, so I have some of those clips in the back pocket. I also re-watched the Notre Dame game this week and will be splicing in some clips and insight from that game as well. In other words, I've been watching Ohio State all season and have 11 weeks worth of takes and clips to use. 

Personnel: Click for big. 

After two years of facing CJ Stroud, Michigan will now take on a new QB in Kyle McCord, who got cursory mention back in the 2021 FFFF as Stroud's backup, since he had started one game that season. McCord was just a juvenile true freshman back then; now he's a grown up junior. McCord is not Stroud, as he's never going to be one of the best rookie QBs in NFL history. But he is a good college QB who has facilitated a successful offense and generally been pretty accurate. There are some concerning mistakes that pop up, but a lot more good than bad and he will rightfully earn All-B1G honors. 

The running back position has featured the triumphant return of TreVeyon Henderson, who is finally looking healthy and back to what he was when he was an electric true freshman I was terrified about in 2021. Henderson is not always the most deceptive or toughest runner, but he is a home run hitter who can turn one missed tackle into a touchdown from anywhere on the field. With Miyan Williams out for the year, the power back is Chip Trayanum, a transfer from Arizona State who spent a strange amount of time as a linebacker on Ohio State's roster. He's best as an RB and is the textbook definition of a bowling ball, tough to bring down with just one defender. I expect Ohio State to lean on these two, but if they go to a third back, I expect it would be Dallan Hayden, a respectable sophomore. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: a long breakdown]

Previously: Quarterback, Running Back

Part III of our series is unveiled today, covering the receivers for the teams on Michigan Football's 2023 schedule. As it did last year, this piece covers both wide receivers and tight ends, though it does not cover receiving running backs who catch passes (that was discussed last time). Maybe some day in the future when positionless football fully takes over we'll have to amend the format for the piece, but for now, this is what we're running with. So here we go, counting down receiver rooms from 12 to 1: 

12. East Carolina

As they are at QB and RB, ECU is rebuilding at the receiver position this upcoming season after losing their top three passcatchers from 2022. It will be up to the returners who spent last year low on the depth chart, as well as the P5 transfers that ECU brought in, to pick up the slack. In the returner category is deep threat Jsi Hatfield, who dealt with injuries last season and caught only eleven passes. Hatfield has caught at least one pass in four straight seasons for the Pirates, so he brings with him a glut of years in the program to draw from, but the team will need him to stay healthy. Jaylen Johnson is the leading returner after bringing in 26 balls for 340 yards and 4 TDs last season, a former Georgia transfer who started the year strong but tailed off due to injury. He too, will need to stay healthy. 

In case of injury and to round out the WR group as a whole, the Pirates brought in four P5 transfers, the most notable of which are Kelan Robinson from Kansas and Chase Sowell from Colorado. Neither player has much of anything in the way of production to their name but are hoping that a drop down to a lower level will help pick things up. At TE Mike Houston does have a returner coming back in Shane Calhoun, but he too was a reserve behind '22 starter Ryan Jones. Calhoun did catch 25 passes, but will obviously be in line for a large step up in responsibility. As a unit, the receivers for ECU are seeing a high degree of turnover and will be filling in the cracks with unproven down-transfers and the promise of existing players on the roster, some of whom dealt with injury last year. That's a bit of a creaky situation and it's why they take the cellar of the list. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: the next ten teams before OSU]

MD LB Osman Savage became Michigan’s highest-rated 2020 prospect upon his commitment a couple weeks ago, his composite 0.9115 edging out the 0.9026 currently held by MI CB (and future Under Armour All-America Game participant) Andre Seldon. The Wolverine’s Bradon Brown recently caught up with Savage and his co-head coach, and his recruitment is a reminder that there’s still a long time until early-but-actually-now-basically-regular signing day. Savage told Brown that he plans to visit Michigan as often as possible to make sure that it’s the right place for him.

"The coaches are supportive of me with whatever decision I make," Savage said. "Because Coach [Biff] Poggi’s son went there he likes the fit for me a lot. I do still have requests to come to other schools for visits but I don’t know what I’m going to do about that. The coaches have said they 100-percent support what I want to do."

Savage attends Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy, one of the most talent-rich programs in the country; they finished 2018 ranked fifth in the nation, per Maxpreps. Should Savage sign with Michigan, could this open up a pipeline? It doesn’t hurt that former Michigan staffer Biff Poggi is St. Frances’ co-head coach; on top of that, co-head coach Henry Russell told Brown that St. Frances’ staff is bringing a group of players to visit Ann Arbor later this week. Savage told Brown that he’ll be in his teammates ear about Michigan if they’re a fit for the program, are interested, and if he likes their style of play. He seems to be all about the fit, so I’m guessing that just means that you’re not going to get a look if you’re known among teammates as the guy who solves his problems with contemplative passivity.

He’s a good fit on the field as well, and Savage told as much to Brown in discussing Don Brown’s linebacker-friendly system. His head coach raved about Savage’s play to Brown, touching on his high IQ, athleticism, and physicality. A ringing endorsement of his athleticism is seen just in how much Savage plays; Russell told Brown that he’s really St. Frances’ only player who can play both ways for them (he saw time at running back last season).

Everything Russell mentioned is easy to see on film, particularly on defense. Savage takes good angles to the ball and reads the play well, pausing a split second to read which gap the back will hit instead of flinging himself into one—and out of the play. His short-area speed is a plus, as is his consistency in wrapping up on tackles instead of launching his body at the target. Russell said they plan to have Savage make adjustments at the line for the defense, which should make his senior film even more interesting as we look to see whether he’s able to play with the same speed while shouldering the increased responsibility.

[More after THE JUMP]