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Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get his or her perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
#15 Michigan
Wolverines
For our rivalry edition of Across The Field, we‘re joined by Alejandro Zúñiga, who covers Michigan for 247Sports.
Zúñiga tells us why this weekend’s game will be “season-defining” for the Wolverines, why their run game and offensive line could cause problems for Ohio State and why their interior pass-rush is a weakness the Buckeyes could exploit. He also gives his assessment of Bryce Underwood’s first season as Michigan’s quarterback, identifies some of the other players to watch on both sides of the ball and gives his prediction for how the 121st edition of The Game will play out.
Michigan is 9-2 with losses to Oklahoma and USC but a chance to still make the College Football Playoff. How would you evaluate the Wolverines’ season so far – and how much will this weekend’s result factor into the final grade?
Zúñiga: Michigan’s season so far meets my preseason expectations. I predicted the Wolverines would be 9-2, with losses to Oklahoma and Nebraska. U-M won in Lincoln but fell to USC in LA; they have still won five in a row against weaker competition and now have everything to play for on Saturday.
Because of how the Big Ten schedule broke, there haven’t been many notable wins for Michigan this season. A win in East Lansing was nice, but Michigan State isn’t a good team. A home win over Washington was among U-M’s best performances, but the Huskies are a much worse team on the road than in Seattle. Much like Ohio State, there just hasn’t been a lot of noteworthy opposition the last few weeks. As a result of the somewhat mediocre conference slate, Saturday’s game is very much season-defining.
A loss means Michigan ends the season having improved since 2024, but without a whole lot to show for it. A win turns the season into an unquestioned success and could give the Wolverines an icing-on-the-cake shot at a CFP run.
What’s the biggest thing that should scare Ohio State fans about this year’s Michigan team?
Zúñiga: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but it’s the run game and the offensive line, which has rounded into form despite injuries and significant youth. It’s a much better run-blocking than pass-blocking unit, but when you’re the foundation for four straight 200-yard rushing performances, you’re doing something well.
You’ll see, from left to right: Blake Frazier, Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen, Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague. Three (Frazier, Guarnera, Sprague) are redshirt freshmen, and two of them (Frazier, Guarnera) were not Week 1 starters. Despite that, they’ve become very good as a unit at running inside, outside and split zone. As Jordan Marshall has gotten comfortable as the starting running back following an injury to Justice Haynes, Michigan’s ground game has become a real strength. That, in turn, has helped the Wolverines develop the RPO game and the play-action passing attack.
Michigan scraped its way to eight wins last year despite a near-nonexistent pass game. This fall, the run game is more explosive, and the Wolverines can pair that with an aerial threat. In addition to the OL, RB Jordan Marshall is a redshirt freshman, and QB Bryce Underwood and WR Andrew Marsh are true freshmen. There’s a lot of talent there that is rounding into form, and while it might not be enough on Saturday, there’s plenty of optimism for 2026 and 2027.
What’s Michigan’s biggest weakness that Ohio State could exploit in this year’s game?
Zúñiga: I’d argue it’s Michigan’s inability to create meaningful pass rush in the interior. Rayshaun Benny leads the DT room with 15 pressures, per PFF. That’s a far cry from last season, when Mason Graham (34 pressures) and Kenneth Grant (27) were a terror inside. Though the Wolverines do have talented edge rushers in Derrick Moore, TJ Guy and Jaishawn Barham, there have been too many times this season where an opposing quarterback has had abundant time in the pocket to get to a third or fourth read for a completion. That’s not conducive to winning against Julian Sayin and the bevy of weapons Ohio State boasts. The alternative, of course, is blitzing to create pressure, but Sayin has above-average pocket presence and remains quite good when pressured.
For me, that’s where I see the game hinging. If Michigan can’t make Sayin uncomfortable, and if the OSU offensive line is creating a clean pocket, that’s a problem.
How would you evaluate Bryce Underwood’s first season as Michigan’s quarterback, and what are the biggest threats he’ll present to Ohio State’s defense?
Zúñiga: Underwood didn’t turn 18 years old until late August, and he’s grown throughout the course of a freshman season during which the weight of the program was placed on his shoulders. That progress hasn’t been linear, of course, but Underwood is better and more comfortable now than he was in Week 1. The numbers aren’t particularly gaudy — 62.2% completion percentage, 7.9 YPA, 9 TD, 5 INT — but Underwood has generally kept the ball out of harm’s way, has led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, and hasn’t lost Michigan a game. Like I wrote earlier, the youth across this offense means Michigan can feel comfortable that it has the pieces to take another step forward next year, and Underwood is obviously a key piece there.
Underwood has elite arm strength and will flash that talent a few times a game. He’s become efficient in the RPO game and has developed a good connection with fellow true freshman WR Andrew Marsh. For the most part, Underwood has kept the ball out of harm’s way — a fourth-quarter debacle at Northwestern the very notable exception. One of Underwood’s strengths is throwing while on the move, and I think that’ll factor against Ohio State, as he can put defenders in conflict given the threat of his legs. On that point, Underwood’s ability as a runner will be important against the Buckeyes. Ohio State has faced mobile quarterbacks this season, but 6-foot-4, 230 pounds is tougher to bring down than, say, Demond Williams’ 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
Who are some of the other players that Ohio State fans need to know about entering this game?
Zúñiga: On offense: In addition to Marsh, Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley is a deep-play threat who demonstrated the ability to make contested catches downfield earlier this season but who hasn’t been quite as productive of late. Assuming the Buckeyes will key in on Marsh, look to McCulley as a possible playmaker in the pass game. Of course, the Wolverines will roll out a slew of tight ends, with Marlin Klein likely being the top option as a pass-catcher. Keep an eye out for fullback (and captain) Max Bredeson, who will try to play through a foot injury; Jalen Hoffman is the backup if he can’t go.
On defense: Edge rusher Derrick Moore deserves more attention than he’s getting, and his stats — 9.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles — would be even better if Michigan played him more than ~60% of a typical game’s defensive snaps. Opposite him, Jaishawn Barham is an athletic freak who is raw at the position; he could get a game-changing sack or forget to set the edge on a run play. Safety Brandyn Hillman is the most likely candidate to change the game with a hit like Makari Paige did last year.
Derrick Moore ranks second in the Big Ten with 9.5 sacks this season. (Photo: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
What’s your prediction for how The Game will play out?
Zúñiga: Aside from 2023, I haven’t been optimistic about Michigan’s chances in The Game throughout the current streak, but the Wolverines keep proving me wrong. I once again think the Buckeyes win — I think winning a national championship is an emotional weight lifted off OSU’s shoulders and lets them play more loose in Ann Arbor this weekend.
I think Michigan plays well and is able to throw some (metaphorical) punches with a big third-quarter run. But the Buckeyes have a defense that will be difficult to move the ball against consistently, Michigan has struggled to generate a pass rush without blitzing, and OSU has enough elite talent on both sides of the ball that I think will break through late.
I’ll take the Buckeyes, 24-17.
