FORMATION NOTES: OSU was a pretty basic 4-3 outfit that usually had one deep safety but would sometimes add a second. This was a fairly typical look:

Note that the guy walked out over the slot is a linebacker, as Michigan has two TEs on the field. Loveland is split out to the top. I wanted Michigan to do more with this than they actually did. OSU also showed a lot of single-high.

That features Hancock, their nickel, because M is three-wide.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Michigan mixed some things up; there were two Orji snaps at QB. Mullings got five snaps, all in a two-back set with Edwards. Corum got 35 snaps to Edwards's 25. Jones got two bonus OL snaps before he was drafted at RT.

Loveland, Barner, Johnson, and Wilson were out there virtually all the time. Morris got 25 snaps, Bredeson 10, Morgan 5.

[After THE JUMP: three straight]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Pass	Out	Johnson	Inc
Good idea to start as OSU is heavy in the box and playing off on the outside. Should be an easy seven yard gain; turfed. (IN, 0, protection 1/1, JJ -1)
M25	2	10	Gun trips TE U	1	2	2	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Inside zone	Corum	5
Pretty light box with Eichenberg walked way out over the slot along with the nickel; M runs at it but these are not long duo doubles but your more conventional quick chip-and-climb items. Nugent(-0.5) and Henderson(+0.5) do enough to get Corum a crease but Nugent’s guy is able to fall in the lane after resetting the LOS a bit; Keegan(+1) wipes out Chambers and Corum never gets anything to stop his momentum, just DTs tackling from the side. RPS +1, even box.
M30	3	5	Gun quads empty	1	1	3	Nickel over	5.5	Pass	Bubble screen	Edwards	0
There’s a lot of formation swaps before M actually comes to this and it is successful at confusing the OSU defense… but in a way that means Michigan should not throw this. The nickel gets stuck in no mans land away from the passing strength and both LBs walk out over the quads side. Edwards motions like he’s going to get into the backfield but never really sells it; Eichenberg initially starts moving back into the box but as soon as Edwards slows down he is attacking the screen. Chambers is also hammering towards Wilson before JJ even secures the snap. Wilson gets overwhelmed and Edwards gets nothing. RPS -2; this ended up being a very unconvincing ruse that asked Michigan’s smallest WR to block a LB who saw what was coming all the way. (CA, 3, screen)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M21	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Power CT	Corum	1
Michigan apparently did not learn the lesson. Can you run away from JTT? No. M pulls Henderson and wants Loveland(-1) to cut him off on the backside, but as Seth detailed in sharpies OSU is exchanging so JTT can just hammer down the line and erase all the interior gaps. Nugent(+1) gets Sawyer, who’s trying to spill it; Henderson takes a bump from this block but is able to climb over it and would be a useful kickout except for JTT forcing Corum wide. RPS -1. I considered making this -2 and not charging Loveland and probably will if this recurs.
M22	2	9	Gun 2-back 2TE	2	2	1	Nickel even	7.5	Run	Lead down G	Edwards	5
Barnhart(-1) dismissed quickly by a DT he’s trying to block down on; M fortunate that DT trips on Zinter’s legs as Zinter gives ground gradually as he cuts off the backside DT. Barner(push) has an OK kickout but it’s not moving anyone this time and Sawyer has the ability to shed and get in a diving tackle attempt that is eventually successful. Zinter(+1) pulls and blasts Chambers, driving him a couple yards downfield; Mullings(+0.5) has an easier job on an overhang CB. RPS +1, this catches light personnel and makes a CB against Mullings a key block.
M27	3	4	Gun trips	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	2
Sawyer gets a chip from Edwards to help Barnhart; Henderson(-1) mostly anchors against JTT but gives enough ground to spook JJ up in the pocket as he swipes at the ball. JJ doesn’t like the trips side as OSU drops Eichenberg into the snag route and has the corner covered; Loveland into the flat might work but JJ is already leaving the pocket. The chip costs M as Edwards is late leaving the pocket so instead of a very appealing dumpoff target likely to convert he’s nowhere near viable. JJ is trying to get it to Edwards but he’s never quite open and ends up running for a couple. I don’t think JJ had good options here. (MA, N/A, protection ½, JJ push)
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 8 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
O7	1	G	Gun twin TE U	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Run	Duo	Corum	1
At least I believe this is supposed to be duo, but OSU flings everyone at the LOS so there are no doubles, no momentum, and no gaps. Zinter(-0.5) stalemates his guy but eats a push-pull as Corum tries to head outside of him Barnhart gets a push kickout… and Corum(-1) needs to bounce this. There is no second level, threatening to hit this gap and then bouncing out when the DE commits inside is six. Also: Henderson(-0.5) beat to the inside as Keegan(-0.5) chips and then chases a LB when Henderson needs help.
O6	2	G	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Split duo	Corum	5
Another run blitz with eight OSU players shooting to the LOS on the snap… not the mesh. Zinter(+2) gets a heavy chip on a DL and then peels off on Eichenberg, pancaking him. Barnhart(+0.5) hangs on to the block Zinter’s chip provided, getting push-pulled again but staying mostly upright and seeing the DT go to ground. Nugent(+0.5) gives up some penetration but puts his guy to one side; Corum(+1) has a little stutter step that allows him to jet through the Zinter gap at maximum efficiency, then carries the last man to the 1.5.
O1	3	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Power	Corum	1
Playside DE and DT jump outside on snap and get stuck there by circumstance and meat. Henderson(-0.5) lunges and misses, which you can understand on the goal line; Trente mostly does too but is able to react and sort of impede JTT: Loveland(+1) does heroic work to cross JTT’s face, mostly, and stall him out. Bredeson kicks a guy out; Zinter(-0.5) thunders into a wall of meat and doesn’t adjust his pull; Corum(+0.5) seems to grind out this yard himself. This probably should have been called a TD but is not, refs -1.
O1	4	G	Goal line	1	4*	0	Goal line	11	Run	Iso	Corum	1
Zinter(+0.5) and Barnhart(+0.5) put the POA TD on the ground with no penetration; Bredeson(+0.5) runs up the gut at Eichenberg and hits him; Corum just has to jump over the pile.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-0, 5 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Flat	Wilson	9
Wilson motions across presnap; OSU playing very soft on the corner and the guy trying to chase out to the flat is a LB who CJ gets a little rub on. Easy completion, solid gain. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5, RPS +1)
M34	2	1	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 over	6.5	Run	Power	Edwards	2
This is going inside of Sawyer, who gets inside of Barnhart(-1) and starts stapling the hole shut. Zinter washes down a guy slanting away as the other DT loops around; Barner(+0.5) finds him. Keegan is about to hit Chambers when Chambers sees Edwards is going outside and zips out there; he’s unblocked and the CB crack replaces very well so Edwards can only grind out a couple. Meh to this Edwards decision.
M36	1	10	Gun 4-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	PA slant	Loveland	16
PA, hooray. OSU sends a blitz off the slot and Eichenberg appears to commit to the LOS as soon as M pulls Keegan; Loveland is wide, wide open. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ+0.5, RPS +1)
O48	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	Out and up	Wilson	Inc
M attempting to get a shot here. They chip both DEs. Wilson motions in, runs an out, and then turns it up. Burke is all over it. JJ never comes off of it, which is a shame because CJ torched Iggy on the other side. (BR, 0, protection 2/2, JJ -1)
O48	2	10	Gun 2-back 2TE	2	2	1	Nickel even	8.5	Run	Duo	Edwards	2
OSU pinches Sawyer inside and has him slant under Barnhart(-2), so Edwards gets wrecked at the LOS. RPS -1; this tweak prevents a double on a DT and gives Barnhart a tough job, albeit one he needs to do a ton better on; dude is head up on him on an interior run. You can’t get beat inside.
O46	3	8	Gun 4-wide tight	1	2	2	Exotic	6	Pass	Drag	Barner	7
Nugent(-2) torched immediately and DT gets a free rush up the gut. JJ stands in and is able to get it to Barner, who catches it and is able to grind out a few YAC to set up a fourth and short. (CA+, 3, protection 0/2, JJ+1)
O39	4	1	Gun tight	1	2	2	4-3 pinch	9	Run	Dive	Corum	1
OSU pinches everyone inside and has them burrow. Not much to grade here but Keegan(+0.5) does manage to get in to Chambers’s legs and stalls out his momentum so the Corum(+0.5) dive just barely gets there.
O38	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6.5	Run	Insert counter	Edwards	2
This is the same play Corum will score on and there are some key differences between that and this. So this is supposed to look like insert iso and then go off the frontside. This almost takes off as just about everyone takes the bait. But OSU has a guy shaded just outside of Nugent, and Nugent(-2) gets beat. He has a decent initial engagement but DT extends off of him and blows him back. Then he sheds to tackle with JTT coming off the kickout. But where Corum’s counter step to the hole is dramatic, Edwards doesn’t really do one, I mean, it’s there but I’m not sure anyone buys it. The DT certainly doesn’t. I also kind of wonder if a chip from Keegan would be helpful. RPS +1; no second level means this at least gains something and if this gets blocked woo.
O36	2	8	Gun 3-wide U	1	1	3	Nickel over	6	Run	Power	Edwards	2
Dead in several different ways. JTT flies in and stones Zinter(-0.5) as M is running away from the run strength and he has a shorter distance to go to shut down the gap. Playside is ok but there’s a stunt on that sends a DT directly into it; no one can do anything about it. On the backside a LB shoots the gap as Barnhart(-2) doubles a DT who is getting blocked by Nugent and looping around to the other side of the play. Cutback is a real possibility if Barnhart blocks the LB. Edwards bounces outside of JTT and gets hacked down quickly. RPS -1.
O34	3	6	Gun trips	1	2	2	Nickel even	6	Pass	Scramble	McCarthy	5
Both DEs way upfield, with Henderson doing a good job on JTT and Barnhart doing a questionable one on Sawyer. Zinter whacks a guy engaged with Nugent; he gets knocked back and JJ can exit the pocket cleanly. JJ takes off as it doesn’t look like he has anyone open and is a hair short. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5)
O29	4	1	Gun tight	1	2	2	Goal line	10	Pass	PA TE flat	Loveland	7
Loveland into the flat on PA; JJ hits him. I don’t think I’m RPSing this because it’s six yards. (CA, 3, protection N/A, JJ +0.5)
O22	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	7	Run	Power	Edwards	0
This is just bad. You are running away from your run strength at JTT, leaving him unblocked, and expecting not to die. Zinter(+1) does a great job to blast the guy over but that contact is too late. Edwards has to cut away from the playside into the hinge blocks and has no choice but to bury himself in the line. How did we not learn the lesson about leaving JTT unblocked for any reason? RPS -2.
O22	2	10	Gun trips TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	8	Pass	PA hitch and corner	Wilson	Inc
Also bad. M runs PA. They put Bredeson on the field to really sell the run aspect, and it’s a two man route. One of those is a double covered post against MOFC. The other is a hitch and go that doesn’t get a bite from the defender. JJ is now under siege because the max pro play has Barner blocking Sawyer and Barner(-2) gets crushed; he holds (refs +3) without a call. JJ steps up and chucks it OOB, probably on purpose. Running PA that doesn’t attack where the LBs are is just… what are we doing here. (MA, 0, protection 0/2, RPS -2)
O22	3	10	Gun trips	1	1	3	Exotic	5	Pass	Y Cross	Wilson	22
The most insane throw, in so many ways. JJ said that he knew 25 would turn his back to him based on film study, but when he decides to throw this dude is looking straight at JJ. He turns before it’s out and the ensuing throw is an ultra-dime in a sliver of space that Wilson brings in despite a swipe from Burke and gets across the plane before Burke can rip it out. Also Henderson(-2) beat clean by JTT and this has to come out. (DO+, 2, protection 0/2, JJ +3)
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 14-3, 10 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun trips TE U	2	1	2	4-3 over	6.5	Pass	Flare screen	Edwards	5
Edwards in the slot; two WR on LOS outside of him. Edwards motions across.into the backfield and then orbits out. M throws the flare screen. Presnap motion is obvious man coverage; WRs block their guys instead of going for the guy in man on Edwards and then the guy on the slot. Edwards(+1) has to dodge his defender and does so, getting five. Would be nice if there was anything that played off this. (CA, 3, screen, JJ push)
M30	2	5	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel even	6.5	Pass	Improv	Johnson	19
Completely baffling that M thought this would be a good idea. Barner(-2) gets JTT one on one in pass pro and gets crushed. Barnhart(-1) is also getting fired back into JJ. JJ has to bail, exits to the short side, and unleashes a dime to CJ on the sideline that is insane. (DO+, 2, protection 0/3, JJ +3)
M49	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Duo	Corum	3
M trying to get this off early in case there’s a review. I am not sure why Zinter(-1) goes direct to the second level here. Nugent(+1) does an excellent job locking out one DT but Zinter trips over said DT and goes down, so Chambers is free. Keegan(+0.5) and Henderson(-0.5) double the other DT; good chip; Henderson loses him post snap and he fights to the gap. Corum gets a couple.
O48	2	7	Gun twins	1	2	2	Nickel over	6.5	Run	Duo	Corum	2
Zinter/Barnhart double goes well but Barnhart(-1) peels off to block a LB at the same time Zinter(+0.5) goes for a safety who started at 7. Loveland posts up Sawyer and also goes for the LB. Henderson(-0.5) gets moved back by JTT; Frontside double is fine; Corum gets eaten by DT. RPS -1, this is a safety getting to engage with an OL two yards downfield.
O46	3	5	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel over	7.5	Pass	Sack	N/A	-5
Zinter(-2) beat clean for DT pressure up the gut; JJ tries to step up and gets sacked. Was about to have Barner on a crossing route to convert. (PR, N/A, protection 0/2, JJ push)
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-10, 3 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M22	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 even	6.5	Pass	TE stick	Loveland	21
Quick six yard route that Loveland(+1) turns into a chunk by turning inside of Eichenberg and leaving him on the ground. This isn’t RPS since LB is in position to tackle but I enjoy going after them. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5)
M43	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Run	Bash QB counter	Orji	20
Orji in, obviously. Jet sweep action to Morgan with Mullings leading it out. Jet fake takes three OSU players (the man corner and two jet-side LBs) for two M players (Morgan/Mullings). Barnhart(+1) gets a chip on a stunting DT and then extends to Eichenberg, who is recovering from biting on the jet. Keegan(+0.5) and Henderson(+0.5) pull around and get enough on Sawyer/Chambers. Orji(+1) bursts through the gap and there’s no second level; S forces him OOB. RPS +2.
O37	1	10	Gun 2TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	8	Run	Bash QB counter	Orji	2
I was irritated at this live but it’s still set up to work. Keegan(-2) gets run around on his kickout; Zinter(-1) engages but gets shed. Orji(+0.5) gets converged upon from the side by both guys a yard in the backfield and is able to grind out 3 yards. He actually breaks both these tackles but has no momentum. Barner(+1) hammered a blitzing LB inside; Henderson pulls through and misses, though LB has to displace himself outside to do so, and I think if Orji doesn't have to break tackles that might be a disaster for OSU.
O35	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel under	6	Run	Insert iso	Corum	3
Loveland wants to dive inside of Keegan, and Corum wants to follow him, but there’s no gap. Keegan(-1) gets driven back into it. Loveland(+0.5) makes the adjustment to hop outside a gap; Corum follows him but ends up spinning so he’s going backwards and ends up falling. Henderson(+1) had a very long kickout on JTT that was relevant as he cannot get back to the ball.
O32	3	5	Gun TTB	1	2	2	Nickel even	7	Pass	Improv	Wilson	Inc
This rollout meets a blitz off the edge. JJ is able to avoid it and get enough of the edge; Wilson(route+) threatens deep once he reaches the sideline, then stops. JJ is just able to get off a throw while drifting backwards; Wilson catches it but lands OOB a moment before he does. (CA+, 0, protection N/A, RPS -1, JJ +1)
Drive Notes: FG(50), 17-10, 11 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun trips TE U	1	1	3	Nickel even	7	Run	Duo	Corum	5
OSU drops Sawyer from the weakside and doesn’t really replace him. Feels like JTT might be supposed to dive inside but he doesn’t; Henderson checks him and then moves on; Barner(+0.5) doesn’t cut him off but does delay him and shove him downfield; Henderson(+0.5) wipes Chambers. Keegan(+0.5) shoves a DT slanting away from him but I’d like him to extend after the chip; he could cut off Sawyer ; instead he can hit from the side and there’s a pile at five yards.
M30	2	5	Gun 4-wide	1	2	2	Nickel under	5.5	Pass	Slant	Loveland	10
Four-wide with the two TEs to the boundary. Loveland motions into a stack and then runs a slant attacking the area between the two LBs; JJ fires it into a relatively narrow window. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +1)
M40	1	10	Pistol FB twins	1	2	2	5-2 Eagle	8	Run	Iso	Edwards	4
An almost play; Edwards(+0.5) does a good job to feint with a step in the backfield to help Nugent(+0.5) secure his block. Bredeson(+1) hammers Eichenberg. The third LB is in the B gap and M is just trying to run away from him. Zinter(-0.5) gets controlled by the DT; DT initially jumps outside in to the B gap but is able to come off the block and hit Edwards; Barnhart(+0.5) gets most of Styles but Edwards doesn’t have the room to dart outside.
M44	2	6	Gun TTB	1	2	2	Nickel over	6	Pass	PA scramble	McCarthy	15
PA gets no bites and OSU covers this whole concept. Protection is good; JJ has time to find Corum on what will be a checkdown for a conversion as he runs inside of Chambers on an angle. JJ(+1 run) eventually has to leave the pocket. He gets the edge and takes off; he’s got the first down but makes some more by cutting past two defenders who expect him to go OOB; he picks up another 10 and goes down. (SCR, N/A, protection 2/2, JJ push)
O41	1	10	Gun TTE	1	2	2	Nickle even	6.5	Run	Insert iso	Corum	1
This isn’t really working because M cannot run split zone against JTT. Insert works well when people are assuming that the TE moving backside is a split flow blocker for the end and OSU can key on his movement as a backside B gap POA. So Chambers just goes to the POA and Nugent has no chance at him. Loveland(+1) hammers Eichenberg though and Henderson(+0.5) kicks JTT enough. JTT also seems to shut down when he gets blocked? Corum(-1) does not gear down to see how the Loveland block turns out and doesn’t take advantage of the fact that Eichenberg does not funnel to help; he’s got a shot at a bounce outside Loveland. Instead he runs into Chambers. RPS -1.
O40	2	9	Gun TTB	1	1	3	Nickel even	7	Pass	TE delay	Barner	18
OSU in a passive shell here, expecting pass. They get it and the coverage lifts; Edwards wheel threat occupies both LBs and when Barner releases he’s got acres of space. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5, RPS +2). Zinter injured on this play.
O22	1	10	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Insert counter	Corum	22
Ok so the inserts can’t really work; run the counter. Bredeson motions and then motions back for an all eyez on me thing, then goes backside B gap. That draws Eichenberg. Double team wants to draw the DT to that backside gap, with Nugent(+0.5) seeking Chambers; Corum(+3) deletes Chambers with a brilliant backfield step to threaten the Bredeson gap and Nugent then resumes cutting off the DT. Keegan(+0.5) does enough on the other DT; Henderson(+0.5) chips heavy, causing that dude to want to get back outside of Keegan; then he blocks a CB. Styles also bites on the feint, loses vision of Corum, and when Corum pops out of the line he cannot recover. Six. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 24-17, 2 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M36	1	10	Ace 3TE	1	3	1	4-3 under	9	Run	Pin and pull	Edwards	5
Jet motion from Morgan, fake jet. Barner(+1) pins Sawyer inside and keeps his leverage for the duration of the play. Barnhart(+1) pulls and finds playside LB; Keegan(+0.5) gets the corner. Eichenberg does false step on this but is able to recover and redirect to the play before Henderson can get out on him. Edwards(+0.5) threatens inside before bouncing it, which gets him the corner, but Eichenberg is able to grab him from behind and prevent this from becoming a chunk.
M41	2	5	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	Flat	Wilson	5
Wilson across the formation, S flip, JJ has his choice of receiver to the field. He goes with Wilson, who converts. (CA, 3, protection 2/2, JJ +0.5)
M46	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over SAM	7	Pass	HB pass	Loveland	34
Pitch to Edwards and this looks like crack sweep with Barner blocking down and Trente pulling around. Loveland jets past the safety level but Styles sees Edwards pull up and starts chasing; Edwards’s throw holds up Loveland and allows Styles to tackle. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, Edwards +0.5, RPS +3)
O20	1	10	Gun twins FB	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Run	Insert iso	Corum	2
Trente(-2) lets Sawyer cross his face on a slant and he shoots into the backfield; Corum has to cut away from this. Henderson(+1) controls and moves JTT but JTT is diving inside as well so that gap gets closed; Bredeson(+1) does a good job to redirect and pick off Eichenberg. This provides a lane that Corum can hit but he trips on Bredeson’s feet and loses his balance, possibly costing him a couple YAC.
O18	2	8	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	Nickel even	6	Run	Power	Edwards	3
Loveland(-2) gets rudely dismissed by Sawyer. Edwards has to run outside to avoid him, robbing Keegan of an angle; Edwards cuts up and gets what he can. Trente(+0.5) climbed to a LB to prevent more pursuit; Keegan(+0.5) harassed Chambers to help get what little they do get.
O15	3	5	Gun trips bunch TE	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	Smoke screen	Morgan	-5
No blocker for a guy in man on Morgan so this gets crushed in the backfield. I do think Morgan can do a better job of selling this. (CA, 3, screen, JJ push, RPS -2)
Drive Notes: FG(37), 27-17, 12 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	RB	TE	WR	D Form	Box	Type	Play	Player	Yards
M25	1	10	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 over	7	Pass	Out	Johnson	6
Quick out against off coverage. (CA, 3, protection 1/1, JJ+0.5)
M31	2	4	Gun 3-wide	1	1	3	4-3 under	7	Run	Insert iso	Corum	2
Barnhart(-1) extended off of and discarded. Keegan(+1) able to fire out and drive the other DT one on one. Loveland(-1) is able to regap off the Keegan block and find Eichenberg but gets tossed to the ground. Nugent(+0.5) did get Chambers. Refs(+1) appear to give Corum a yard he didn’t get.
M33	3	2	Gun TTB	1	2	2	4-3 over	7	Pass	Hitch	Johnson	3
Quick hitch where Johnson (route+) engages the jam of a DB and comes off it with the room to get a conversion. Bitching about OPI ensues from Buckeyes; if you don’t want to get got then don’t jam the WR. Your dude just lost. (CA, 2, protection 1/1, JJ +0.5). This is a tough catch, too, on Johnson as soon as he turns around and humming.
M36	1	10	Pistol TTE U	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Insert power	Corum	6
Wow. Williams has been killing OL all day and Trente(+2) just hammers him off the line with Barnhart(+1) doing some initial work. Barnhart goes down, tripped by another DL’s legs inadvertently, and Trente finishes the block off. Barner(+0.5) gets a kick; Keegan(+0.5) finds a second level block; Loveland(+0.5) hits Eichenberg. Insert power == insert from the TE with a pulling guard joining him.
M42	2	4	Gun 2-back 2TE	2	2	1	4-3 even	8	Run	Lead down G	Edwards	6
Keegan(+1) pulls and blows out the corner trying to be force. Loveland(+1) gets JTT slanting across his face and pins him inside. Mullings(+1) blasts Chambers; he’s already going backwards when Edwards(+0.5) contacts him and grinds forward. Trente(+0.5) did a good job after releasing free to look around when nothing is obvious to block; he harasses Eichenberg. Refs(-1) short Edwards a couple yards when they blow a scrum dead before it’s really stopped lurching.
M48	1	10	Gun TTE U	1	2	2	4-3 over	7.5	Run	Insert power counter?	Corum	4
This looks like the same play as the previous insert power but Corum appears to be veering backside as a primary read. Not sure if that’s called or just improv. I think it might be called as it looks like the double on Williams between Barnhart(-1) and Trente(+1) is looking to fire him out of the A gap, with Trente stepping around him; they appear to have this and then Barnhart sort of falls off the block? He’s on Williams and then he’s not, and Williams is able to close down Corum. Corum(+0.5) keeps his feet and Trente leans on Williams, shoving the pile another three yards downfield. Nugent(+1) turned out his guy impressively.
O48	2	6	Gun 3-wide	1	2	2	4-3 even	7.5	Pass	PA improv	Johnson	5
Yo yo motion from Loveland, stretch PA into a waggle. OSU blitzes off the corner and M gets fortunate that Loveland appears to accidentally blow up the SAM; he keeps running. JJ gets the corner and I’m not really sure why he doesn’t just take Wilson, who’s open and will convert. He sees Johnson stop, though, and I think he might think he’s got six, because if Johnson keeps drifting left, where JJ throws the ball, he probably does. Instead Johnson stops, JJ throws the ball wide to keep it away from a DB, and Johnson makes a spectacular catch. (CA+, 1, protection N/A, JJ +1. CJ route -)
O43	3	1	Gun tight	1	2	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Dive	Corum	3
Keegan(+1) and Henderson(+1) the main drivers here of an very easy conversion.
O40	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 even	8.5	Run	Duo	Corum	15
Dread Duo Bounce as OSU does not set an edge. Styles is directing a teammate to do something and is not ready on the snap. He moves inside and Loveland(+1) pops him, moving him a yard downfield. LB level sucks up and Corum(+1) bounces and that’s all she wrote.
O25	1	10	Ace TTB	1	2	2	4-3 under	8	Run	Duo	Corum	2
Argh. Almost. Keegan(+1) escorts a desperate DT upfield. Lane, as JTT backs out on the snap and Henderson(+0.5) engages him. Backside is fatal though as Loveland gets slanted under, but IMO this is Barner(-2) who needs to check to see if this is happening because Loveland has no reasonable shot at this block. If DE gets walled off by Barner this is ballgame. Nugent(+1) also fired in and controlled his guy.
O23	2	8	Gun twins	1	2	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Duo	Corum	2
I mean… I want to see something else here? This doesn’t have a chance as OSU sells out on it, sending a guy off the corner and shooting their nine man front into Michigan’s. A JJ keeper is game over. Henderson(+0.5) and Keegan(+0.5) even blow out Williams but it doesn’t matter because even though Keegan comes off it to get a charging LB he can only redirect Corum into the edge guy. RPS -1.
O21	3	6	Gun trips TE	1	2	2	4-3 even	9	Run	Split duo	Corum	2
Same deal: duo at a nine man box. M blocks this pretty well but you can’t sustain doubles against maniacal LBs. Keegan(+1) puts Eichenberg on the ground but he had to leave so soon that DT is at LOS; Corum jump cuts after putting DT on the wrong side of Henderson but Nugent(-0.5) can’t do much more than stalemate his guy and he’s able to come off and fill the gap. RPS –1.
Drive Notes: FG(36), 30-24, 1 min 4th Q.

Hooray!

Yes, quite.

How should I feel, though?

I… don't know? This game did not feel like the previous two. In 2021 Michigan steamrolled OSU. In 2022 they warped their defense to prevent getting steamrolled and gave up five bighuge touchdowns. In this game, OSU might have won the line of scrimmage. I think? I don't know. Things were looking pretty rough for the OL until the last drive, when they murdered the clock against some tired defenders.

Chart:

Offensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Henderson	6.5	2	+4.5	Rough early but recovered.
Keegan	10.5	3.5	+7	Continuing a monster finishing stretch to career.
Nugent	6	3	+3	Got crushed on an important play but otherwise excellent.
Zinter	5	4	+1	Goodnight, sweet prince.
Barnhart	4.5	9	-4.5	Had a tough day, mental mistakes.
Jones	4	2	+2	Got one play blown up, otherwise good.
Hinton				DNP
El-Hadi				DNP
Persi				DNP
Bredeson	2.5		+2.5	Mostly a goal to go guy in this one.
Barner	3.5	2	+1.5	-2 on final series that would have haunted me to my grave
Loveland	5	4	+1	Also +1 run.
Beetham				DNP
Mullings	1.5		+1.5	Give me more of this package.
TOTAL	49	29.5	62%	This was much worse with eight minutes to go.
Backs
Player	+	-	T	Notes
McCarthy	1		1	Slalom on scramble.
Orji	1.5		+1.5	I'm interested!
Tuttle				DNP
Corum	6.5	2	+4.5	Iconic.
Edwards	2.5		+2.5	Some tough running.
Mullings				No carries.
Hall				DNP
TOTAL	9.5	6	+3.5	Plays made.
Receivers
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Johnson
Wilson
Morris
Clemons				DNP
Morgan
Moore				DNP
TOTAL				Wow.
Metrics
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Protection	19	12	61%	-4 Barner, –3 Henderson, –2 Nugent, –2 Zinter, –1 Barnhart
RPS	13	16	-3	Too much JTT running amok, but even-ish.

62% is below our desired ratio of 2:1 for run blocking, and a 61% pressure metric is rough. Tyliek Williams was a monster in this game, Sawyer was very good, and JTT… well. He didn't do a ton except when Michigan did the thing you absolutely cannot do against him.

Try to block him with a TE?

Not even that. Although yes, that, once.

We have given JT Tuimoloau a bit of guff for not being Aidan Hutchinson but the whole 5-star, top-ten thing does flash. This is almost always when he's not blocked. That sounds like a backhanded compliment but it's really not. If you do anything other than block JTT with an offensive lineman immediately, your play is over. I repeatedly scoffed at PSU trying to give him a split flow TE block and then Michigan went and did the same dang thing, more or less:

OSU DE #44 on fire, shot out of cannon

That's Zak Zinter and he does a fantastic job of adjusting to knock JTT out of the play and it just does not matter. JTT has already sucked up so much space that when Edwards cuts past this block he's doomed. The backside of the play swallows him up.

This popped up repeatedly in the first half. This play is a solid gain if Michigan doesn't eat JTT slanting inside Barner:

OSU DE #44 to bottom

Zinter again eats JTT well after JTT has shut down three gaps:

OSU DE #44 to top

Every single run play on which Michigan left JTT alone for even a second was over.

Michigan quit doing this in the second half, but even then there were costs. The insert iso that had been profitable over the back half of the season was no longer a constraint play to a base—in this case split zone—because on split zone you leave a DE unblocked and ask a tight end to pick him up. Since you absolutely cannot do this to JTT, any TE motion to him was obviously insert and got defended:

OSU LB level

The insert doesn't work if the backside linebacker is able to scrape over to the gap. It depends on that guy expecting duo; expecting that the frontside gaps need to be defended.

The odd thing about JTT is that when you do put an OL on him he kind of just gives up? The above play features him driving Henderson back a step or two and then he's done on that down.

So then, what do you do?

Well, you've got a counter to your counter.

A couple of things have become clear after going over the tape. One is that I owe Donovan Edwards an apology for dinging him last week on what looked like an iso insert play. He just ran off the frontside and I said "dude, run the play". After this game it is clear that Michigan has a counter version of the backside iso that wants to go off the opposite side of the insert.

But also: Edwards isn't really selling it. He got a carry on it in the first half and notably did not sell the idea he was going to follow the insert:

I did not minus him for that; I instead put it on Nugent for getting thoroughly beat one on one. But! If he does sell that DT on the idea he is going to the other side, he's got clear sailing. The entire second level buys the misdirection:

Styles is the guy on the 32 and is notably cheating to the iso side of the play. If Nugent doesn't get dumptrucked this is a TD.

Well. Michigan's one-yard insert iso I embedded at the end of the previous section saw Chambers surge over the top of the chaff and make a tackle. The next play was the Barner TE delay and the Zinter injury.

After Zinter got carted off Moore went back to the insert counter, and the rest is history:

Watch Chambers on the endzone cam:

OSU LB #26 with foot on hash

You can dump on Chambers for getting out of his gap but if this iso again OSU is in trouble if he doesn't scrape over, and Corum's feint is so good that just about everyone is biting on it. It's Styles who makes the critical error.

BTW: In the chart I said I "kind of wonder if a chip from Keegan would be helpful" when describing the Edwards version of this above. And, yep: there are indeed two doubles on the Corum TD. Nugent is going to pop off of his until Chambers bites on the Corum feint, whereupon he resumes cutting off the DT. Henderson chips the other DT and moves on, and it's a natural reaction for a DT who feels like he's getting a double team to try and split it; therefore Williams surges upfield and eliminates any possibility he'll be able to fight back to the gap.

It is a tremendous credit to Moore (and Harbaugh) that they were able to cobble together a chunk play they knew would work even given the limited creative space you have when JTT must be blocked on every play, and they dialed it up more or less immediately after the crucial player, Chambers, had just gotten a super-duper gold star for scraping over and jamming up an iso. I wonder if the iso was just bait. Were they willing to give up a down with the belief that the TE delay would bail them out of second and long and the follow-up would be a TD? Probably not. But maybe.

Okay, but the RPS is negative?

Well, I only gave that a +1 in RPS because it bought Michigan a linebacker they didn't have to block and Styles could have shut that down after a solid gain; most of the credit went to Corum. This is just how I grade. If you dial up a wide open guy 30 yards downfield, you get a lot.  Don't call it a comeback:

I dearly wish Edwards had put it on Loveland like he did Wilson, but I guess 34 yards is ok. But down to down there wasn't a whole lot that felt like a clear RPS win. In part this is because those are harder to generate when your opponent can just line up in a standard front and win a bunch of the time.

And then there were some downsides, primarily the screens. They were… not good. The first was an ostentatious set of motions that got Michigan into a quads set and then unconvincingly motioned Edwards back into the backfield. This is an RPS –2 event:

This ball isn't even out yet and you can see the two OSU LBs charging at the LOS:

Maybe if this is Barner on the LOS I can get behind this but it's Wilson. You need deception to make this work and all your frippery did it put a big sign on Edwards that says SCREEN COMING HERE.

The second was a tunnel screen to the Tunnel Screen Guy, with nothing between him and a defender.

Both of these were third and five drive-enders. Michigan's other screen gained five yards after Edwards had to dodge a guy in the backfield. This was rough.

Yikes to that Barnhart number?

Well, yikes to the run number but one pass pro minus is quite reassuring. I am now going to dump out a bunch of negative clips about Barnhart not because I'm trying to dump on him but when I come in with a grade like that two weeks in a row people tend to get mad at me for dumping on a guy and I want to show my work. At this point we're talking about blogger confirmation bias where the person who is skeptical about this player and is not a coach who knows the playcall just starts heaping negatives on the guy who he's already been skeptical about. I've tried not to under-credit him for good things and exaggerate his Ls; I still come out pretty negative.

Here he's got a tough job with Sawyer shuffling inside, but also this guy still has his helmet outside of yours and he slants inside of you and crushes this play:

RT #52

Here he's clearly got a guy looping away from him on a stunt and just chases him futilely, allowing a linebacker into a gap scot free:

RT #52

Here he has a successful double with Zinter but leaves the DT to go block a LB who Barner is already blocking:

RT #52

After moving to guard there wasn't a ton but here he gets beat clean by Williams:

RG #52

I'm not super optimistic about how he'll do at guard, where the guys are bigger and will tend to reset the line of scrimmage on him. I am the world's biggest Trente Jones fan, apparently, and I do think that his entrance will offset a fair chunk of losing Zinter. When Jones came in he ejected Williams from the LOS in a way that had not happened all day:

RT #53

That's a double to start but Barnhart goes down halfway through the play and Jones just keeps trucking him.

I thought this play was another subtle counter and that Michigan is trying to scoop through Williams here but Barnhart kind of falls off. For Jones purposes, as soon as Williams engages to tackle he starts getting fired downfield:

RT #53

He has always brought a ton of power, and assuming Michigan beats Iowa they'll have a month to reconfigure what they're doing to suit the new OL arrangement.

Okay, so the run blocking wasn't great, the pass blocking wasn't great, the RPS wasn't great… how did we put up 30?

Starting a drive at the seven helped. But also JJ McCarthy played out of his mind. Here is a chart.

JJ MCCARTHY

	Good				Neutral			Bad					Ovr			Reads
Game	DO	CA	SCR		PR	MA		BA	TA	IN	BR		DSR	GRADE!		RPOs	ZRs
East Carolina	6+	14(2)++++				5				2			91%	+20		0/0	0/0
UNLV	2	15++	1		1	1				1			95%	+12.5		0/0	1/3
Bowling Green	1	6+	1		1	1				3**	2**		61%	-3		0/0	2/2
Rutgers	3	13++(1)	3		1				1	3	1		79%	+12		0/0	3/4
Nebraska	3+	10+	1		1	1				1			94%	+13		0/1	3/3
Minnesota	1	11+(2)			1	1				3			80%	+8.5		2/2	3/3
Indiana	2	11+++(1)	2		2	3			1				94%	+15		0/0	3/4
MSU	5+	15(1)	1			2			1*	3			87%	+13		0/1	1/1
Purdue	6	18++(2)			2	8				4			86%	+21		0/0	0/0
Penn State		4+(2)	1		3						1		83%	+2.5		0/0	3/5
Maryland	1	13			3	4				1	5**		70%	-3		0/0	0/2
OSU	2++	12+++(3)	2		1	2				1	1		89%	+12.5		0/0	0/0

(Run +/- is in the other chart; the above is solely a passing/decisions grade.)

McCarthy was superlative in this game. When I put a + in this chart it means that McCarthy turned a play that would be filed under PR into a positive. He had five pluses and just one PR event—the sack. McCarthy bailed Michigan out of a lot of trouble. His only IN was his first pass of the game—after which I swore because I thought it was going to be Maryland again—and his BR was throwing it at Wilson on a double move when it was covered and Johnson was open on the other side.

The two MAs were Ohio State covering everything on a play. One was PA with two guys in the route; the other was the first, unsuccessful scramble. Everything else was positive, and coming out with +12.5 on 20 snaps is bonkers. His only minuses all day were the BR and the IN.

Opposite that he had two +3 DOs in this game, one of them an escape when Michigan singled up AJ Barner against JTT in pass pro and JJ was able to make an incredible throw on the sideline:

The other was the Roman Wilson touchdown that's been dissected to death already.

McCarthy scrambled for a first down and set up a fourth and one with another, and on the last drive he had… well… this:

I am not entirely sure why McCarthy came to this since Wilson is open on a comeback for the first down.

There's a DB just off screen but that's enough room to hit Wilson for an easy conversion. Instead he makes the throw back across his body as Johnson stops his route. I think Johnson needs to keep drifting to his right after he does this, and I think JJ expects that, too. The throw is wide and hard to keep it away from the DB, and if Johnson is stepping over there so he can catch it and stay upright this is a big gain and possibly a TD.

This was close to a perfect outing against a team that came into the game with by far the best opponent-adjusted EPA pass defense in America.

Well then why only 20 throws?

Six pressure events on those 20 throws are a big part of the reason. It felt like Michigan was afraid that McCarthy's lingering injury could aggravate itself at any moment and that every bit of contact had an elevated risk for a season's over event.

But also, yeah, I really could have done with some more passing, especially because for big chunks of the game OSU was giving Michigan underneath stuff. Sometimes it felt like Michigan could have West Coast Offensed this defense to death. Every time they tried an underneath throw on anything other than third and four, it was easy:

OSU was dedicated to avoiding big plays; neither double move Wilson ran was anywhere near succeeding. And about double move #2…

I sense some complaining is about to happen.

Michigan ran play action a total of five times in this game, which is insane to me. One of these was the fourth and one conversion to Loveland, which is fine as it is but doesn't really count insofar as it applies to your offense generally. The other three were a 16-yard completion to Loveland in the area the LBs vacated…

…an incompletion on a play that was a Wilson double move or nothing…

…a second and six where the PA didn't get any takers, and the waggle on the final drive that turned into the Cornelius Johnson throwback.

The second embed in this section was particularly frustrating since there was literally no one running a route in the area of the field where the linebackers vacated. It was man coverage where you've got a post that's going to be double covered since OSU has a high safety and then the Wilson double move on a guy who's not looking in the backfield at all.

I don't get this, but you've heard it before so I won't belabor it.

Still some complaining in there, I figure.

I still think that Michigan should have been more aggressive on third down once Day screws up his timeout usage, but I should point out that Michigan was very close to calling game on first down:

Loveland gets slanted under but as always in these situations it's the guy not chasing a slanter futilely who needs to help out; Barner doesn't check for a slant before releasing. If he does, Corum is getting at least eight yards there and Michigan slams the door. Fortunately, this is not a Why We Lost The Game lament.

That third down was a third straight duo, FWIW, and I just wanted anything else.

If that's an arc read it's either game over or you lose four yards that don't matter. At that point in the game I would have trusted JJ to keep it.

Now I sense some sort of cockamamie idea bubbling to the surface.

Hey! Be nice!

No.

Fine. I would be down for some more Orji. This is something you can work with:

Honestly, the more impressive run was Orji's second. He gets hit by two different defensive linemen and breaks both of those tackles. His momentum is gone and OSU rallies to get him down after two but good lord:

Also I was a little cheesed off live that they just ran the same thing with him but this was a blocking issue, not a schematic one.

The lane is there; Chamber is going to dodge Henderson to the outside, setting up a risky proposition where he either gets all the way around and tackles Orji or Orji is shooting straight upfield, one on one with the FS for six. I would love to see some Orji/Mullings/Edwards backfields, because you can get some relief from the defense's reaction to a what's essentially a wildcat package by running Edwards into the flat and then use Mullings as either a lead blocker or a ballcarrier.

Orji's spring game throws are going to be heavily monitored around these parts.

Speaking of Mullings: he didn't get a carry but was the lead guy on a series of Edwards runs, and he continues to deliver hammer blows to linebackers:

RB #20 to top

Mullings is an excellent runner, so motioning Edwards out doesn't indicate anything. Jet action to Edwards and then thundering 270 pounds of beef at linebackers: sign me up.

Receivers?

 

	THIS WEEK					THIS YEAR
Player	Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine		Uncb	Circus	Tough	Routine
Johnson	1	1/1	2/2	1/1		8	3/7	5/6	24/25
Wilson	3		1/1	2/2		4	1/5	4/5	32/32
Morris						1	0/4	1/2	6/7
Moore						3		1/1	2/2
Clemons						1			3/3
Morgan				1/1			1/2	0/1	14/16
O'Leary									1/1
Loveland				5/5		6	0/1	3/3	30/33
Barner				2/2		6	0/2	2/2	18/19
Bredeson									2/2
English									1/1
Klein									1/1
Corum						1	0/1		9/9
Edwards				2/2				2/4	17/18
Mullings									1/1
Hall
Stokes

Routes: Wilson +, Johnson +-

Every catchable ball was brought in. Most of these were routine but Cornelius Johnson made three critical tough/circus catches. Buckeye killer.

Klatt kept saying that Loveland was "fluid" and I think that's a good way to sum up what makes him special. He is a large man who is a competent inline blocker and also he moves like a wide receiver. This was a chunk play on the strength of a missed tackle Loveland forces:

How many other tight ends are making that play? Not many. They could have run this slant all day:

They did a good job using the tight end and it could have been more.

Block of the week?

Let's pour one out for Zak Zinter. This is one where I really wish I had Youtube's depreciated highlight mechanic because it's so quick but:

RG #65

That's incredible. He gets a heavy chip on the DT and then fires out the LB; that is the entire lane for Corum.

Heroes?

Everybody.

Maybe not so heroic?

Nobody.

What does it mean for Iowa and beyond?

JJ is the great equalizer. If he is on, and healthy, he can fix a lot of busted plays that other teams have to eat for losses.

Blake Corum: still got it. The change of direction on the 22-yard TD, and the run to set up the first TD. Gob-smacking.

Still pretty squirrelly about Barnhart, but… I think either Jones or Hinton is a massive luxury to bring off the bench and whichever guy it is brings a ton of power to offset the loss of Zinter. For the record, I think it should be Jones.

Orji-cat: intriguing. I already laid out the case above.

I will be quite happy to see much of this OSU defensive line enter the NFL draft. Williams is a dude. Sawyer, too.

Sign-gate was fake and now people believe that. Blocking and tackling.