Michigan Football Opponent Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes

It will be the 119th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State on Saturday. Here is everything you need to know about the Buckeyes.

Michigan and Ohio State will meet for the 119th time on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Both teams are 11-0 and a ton is at stake. The winner will head to the Big Ten Championship and face Iowa with a great chance of making the College Football Playoff. 

Not only will the losing team have to endure the pain of losing The Game, but they will need some massive help in order to sneak into the Playoff this season. 

Michigan is without head coach Jim Harbaugh for the third game in a row while he serves his three-game suspension handed down from the Big Ten, and Sherrone Moore will lead the charge against the Buckeyes. He will try and help Michigan get its third win in a row over Ohio State.

But before the big game on Saturday, here are some key stats and Buckeyes' players to know. 

2023 stat comparison:

Scoring offense: Michigan (11th) 38.3 PPG -- Ohio State (24th) 33.6 PPG

Scoring defense: Michigan (1st) 9 PPG -- Ohio State (2nd) 9.3 PPG

Passing offense: Michigan (64th) 228.6 YPG -- Ohio State (24th) 283.7 YPG

Passing defense: Michigan (2nd) 144.8 YPG -- Ohio State (1st) 144.3 YPG

Rushing offense: Michigan (50th) 171 YPG -- Ohio State (85th) 145.5 YPG

Rushing defense: Michigan (9th) 90 YPG -- Ohio State (21st) 108.5 YPG

Total offense: Michigan (55th) 399.6 YPG -- Ohio State (35th) 429.3 YPG

Total defense: Michigan (1st) 234.8 YPG -- Ohio State (3rd) 252.8 YPG

Turnovers Lost: Michigan 7 -- Ohio State 11

Turnovers Gained: Michigan 19 -- Ohio State 11

Sacks Allowed: Michigan 13 -- Ohio State 18

Sacks: Michigan 27 -- Ohio State 21

2023 PFF comparison:

Overall grade: Michigan (1st) 95.9 -- Ohio State (4th) 93.9

Offense: Michigan (6th) 92.0 -- Ohio State (15th) 86.8

Passing: Michigan (14th) 86.3 -- Ohio State (28th) 78.8

Pass block: Michigan (52nd) 71.3 -- Ohio State (58th) 69.0

Running: Michigan (46th) 84.9 -- Ohio State (28th) 88.4

Run block: Michigan (3rd) 76.7 -- Ohio State (32nd) 68.2

Defense: Michigan (1st) 95.2 -- Ohio State (3rd) 93.8

Run defense: Michigan (5th) 92.9 -- Ohio State (8th) 91.7

Pass rush: Michigan (4th) 90.3 -- Ohio State (6th) 86.6

Coverage: Michigan (3rd) 92.3 -- Ohio State (3rd) 92.3

Top Ohio State players to know:

QB Kyle McCord: The first-year starter for the Buckeyes is second in the Big Ten averaging 263.5 yards per game. Kyle McCord has passed for 2,899 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He's not CJ Stroud, nor is he one of the elite Ohio State quarterbacks, but he's shined at times in Columbus. He does get inaccurate when pressure comes and Michigan will want to make McCord antsy. 

RB TreVeyon Henderson: Henderson has been banged up for a lot of the year, but he's healthy and he's running hard. He rushed for over 100 yards in the last three out of four games. Henderson has accounted for five rushing touchdowns in the past four games for the Ohio State offense. 

WR Marvin Harrison Jr: Harrison Jr. is one of the best college football players in the country and you can say he is the best. He leads the Big Ten with 13 receiving scores and is averaging nearly 100 yards per game. Harrison has been shut down in four games this season but has exploded in the rest. Michigan has stated it just wants to slow the junior down on Saturday. 

TE Cade Stover: The big tight end is No. 2 on the Buckeyes with 534 receiving yards. Stover has been McCord's go-to guy when Ohio State needs a few yards for a first down. Last season, Mike Sainristil had a PBU against Ohio State when the Buckeyes were looking to score and Ohio State will be looking to get Stover into the end zone this weekend. 

LB Tommy Eichenberg: Tommy Eichenberg has missed two games, but is expected to play this weekend against Michigan. Although he has missed two entire games, he is still Ohio State's leading tackler with 75. That's 13 tackles more than the second tackler on the team. Eichenberg is usually always around the ball and the Wolverines will need to know where he is on the field. 

Edge JT Tuimoloau: JTT is the Buckeyes' top pass rusher. He leads the team with 4.5 sacks and is third with 5.5 TFLs. Michigan has had some issues the past couple of games allowing pressure on J.J. McCarthy from the tackle position, so this will be a matchup to watch. 

DB Denzel Burke: Burke is one of the better secondary players on Ohio State, he recently all but guaranteed a victory over Michigan, and he has accounted for nine PBUs this year. Burke has one interception to his name along with 14 tackles.