Michigan football has edge against Ohio State in key areas

Heading into the 2023 season, a major Ohio State football storyline revolves around the quarterback position. With the departure of incumbent starter CJ Stroud, the Buckeyes are in need of a new QB1. However, according to Ryan Day, a clear-cut starter has yet to emerge halfway through fall camp. That said, top college football analyst Joel Klatt recently highlighted that the Buckeyes’ primary concern should not be solely focused on the quarterback; instead, their focus should shift elsewhere — specifically, to the trenches, where Michigan football has consistently dominated Ryan Day’s squad.

Michigan football appears to have the edge against Ohio State the trenches once again

Over the past two seasons, Michigan football has convincingly outperformed Ohio State in consecutive matchups — the Wolverines have secured Big Ten titles and made appearances in the College Football Playoff on both occasions. A significant factor of this newfound success against Ohio State football can be attributed to the Wolverines’ exceptional offensive and defensive lines. This trend is likely to persist this year as Jim Harbaugh aims to secure a third consecutive victory over Ryan Day.

While the Buckeyes’ quarterback competition continues throughout the summer, Joel Klatt recently emphasized that the QB position should not be the primary concern for Ohio State. Instead, the team’s focus should be directed towards the trenches, where the Buckeyes have struggled in major battles consistently.

“The most imminent thing I have concerned about is ‘Is my defensive line good enough and better and up to par to stop the run of the Michigan Wolverines?’ Because that’s the only way they’re going to go out there and win that division. They’ve got excellent pass rushers but they better be stout in order to stop the run,” Joel Klatt explained on ‘The Joel Klatt Show.’

“… Ohio State has got to get better on the defensive line,” Klatt continued. “I think that they will be. The biggest question surrounding Ohio State, for me, is not their quarterback. It’s about the defensive line. Right after their loss to Michigan, what did I say? I said ‘They got beat on the interior of each line of scrimmage. Guard-center-guard or defensive tackles.’ Michigan was better and tougher in those areas.

“Ohio State has an inability to run the ball, they got forced into must-passing situations. And Michigan won the game. Michigan, they were able to control the game late and get Ohio State into vulnerable defensive structures based on their need to stop them and then they were able to pop big runs.”

So, in 2023, Joe Kaltt (and most of the country) thinks that Ohio State football should be worrying less about its quarterbacks and more about being dominated along the line by Michigan football for a third year in a row.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!