5 Key players who can help guide Michigan to a win over Ohio State

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“The Game. The Game. The Game.” The importance of this rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State speaks for itself, with the history and future meaning everything to both fan bases. With that being the case, each play has the potential to be the next trademark in this historic rivalry.

With this heightened sense of importance, each player in the maize and blue on Saturday will have the opportunity to change the game and cement their legacy.

As a Michigan player, if you show out in this game you will forever be adored by each and every Michigan fan. With all that said, Michigan finds themselves as the overwhelming underdogs against Ohio State this weekend and will need some specific players to step up. Michigan’s always been about “The Team” but they are going to need these men to help pull them to an upset at the Big House. Here are the five players on the Wolverines that must step up Saturday.

DONOVAN PEOPLES-JONES

Yes, Peoples Jones is just a freshman, but he will have a spotlight on him for multiple reasons come Saturday. The first being he is the punt returner and in case you didn’t know there have been a couple notable punt returns in this game, just ask Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson.

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The former 5-star recruit out of Detroit Cass Tech has also become the deep ball receiver over the course of this season, averaging close to 14 yards per catch. DPJ will be given the opportunity to make big plays and he’s going to have to in order to help out an offense that has struggled to put points on the board. Ohio State is letting up close to 13 yards per completion, in which Michigan will look to exploit on offense. A couple break-out plays for DPJ and the offense could be all this elite defense needs to pull an upset at home.

MAURICE HURST

Ohio State has a top-15 rushing attack nationally led by stud freshmen J.K. Dobbins and another Cass Tech standout in sophomore Mike Weber. However, in case you have not noticed, big Maurice Hurst has been good… really good.

Michigan is going to need their elite senior to do what he’s done all year, clog holes and cause pressure. Hurst lives in the backfield and gets there in a blink of an eye. Part of this is because Hurst is as strong as an ox and will be playing extra motivated in his last game at the Big House.

Hurst is perhaps the most talented player on this stacked defense so naturally, he is going to be incredibly important for Michigan. Hurst is also a legit first-round talent and the Wolverines defense will lean on him to make big plays just as he’s done all season.

MASON COLE

Mason Cole and the offensive line will have their hands full Saturday against a very talented Ohio State defensive line.

The O-line has had a hot-and-cold season but look to steady their play for whoever ends up behind center. This unit for the Wolverines has had to shuffle protection between three different quarterbacks all season. The difference is Speight and Peters have very good pocket awareness and escapability while John O’Korn, although mobile, tends to take more sacks, 16 on the season.

Michigan ranks 102nd in sacks allowed this year. Combine that with Ohio State’s tendency to get to the quarterback and that could add up to a long day for the Wolverines. Pass protection will be huge for the Wolverines as they will likely leave a tight end and or back to help slow the rush.

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However, pass protection is not the only important job Cole & Co. will have. They’ll have the all-important job of opening holes for tailbacks Chris Evans, Karan Higdon, and Kareem Walker. Michigan ran horribly between the tackles against Wisconsin,finishing the day with 37 carries for 58 yards. They can’t win like that, no matter who is playing quarterback. Evans who appears to be the healthiest back at this point in the season needs holes and room to make things happen.

Mason Cole has started every game throughout his Michigan career and has yet to beat Ohio State. This game means everything to him. Cole in particular has been a staple at Michigan and has given this program stability through some tough years. Now its time for him to get his o-line to rally and push, pull, and force Michigan to an upset victory in his final home game of his decorated career.

DEVIN BUSH

Throughout the first half of the season, linebacker Devin Bush was EVERYWHERE. He made seemingly every tackle with superhero-like closing speed. The next five games he seemed to cool off. He has still been very good, leading the team in tackles.

Bush has game-changing speed, which will be increasingly important against an Ohio State team that spreads the field. The Butkus Award finalist for Michigan got a pick against Wisconsin and Michigan will likely need a few more of those game-changing plays against Ohio State in order to pull off the upset.

Bush will have a large say in how Ohio State’s offense goes about their day. He should be in the position where he needs to make one on one tackles in order to stop big plays. Big plays is something Devin Bush and the Michigan defense will have to limit to give their offense a chance. He also might get some time in coverage if Michigan finally recognizes that Mike McCray is not fast enough to cover opposing running backs out of the backfield.

[INSERT STARTING QUARTERBACK HERE]

Ya, I’ll admit this is a bit obvious but, it also has everything riding on it. The quarterback situation for Michigan is still hazy on who will play. A quarterback controversy is never ideal, but still being unclear going into a rivalry game is not good. Or is it?

Could it possibly help that Ohio State has three quarterbacks to be prepared for on Saturday? Sure, but that’s just me trying to fish out something positive about this entirely negative situation.

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John O’Korn is in line to start if neither Brandon Peters or Wilton Speight are cleared to play by Saturday. O’Korn has shown what type of quarterback he is. He won’t wow you and win you any games, unfortunately, as he has a tendency to make decisions that can lose you games. His 5:1 interception-to-touchdown ratio help support that narrative.

That’s exactly what Michigan can’t have in this game. To have any chance, they need to limit turnovers and Ohio State’s time of possession. That entails moving the chains and running the ball. With John O’Korn at quarterback, defenses tended to load the box and make Michigan beat them in the air. However, when Peters came in, he earned enough respect to where defenses were not completely loading the box, giving the running backs some holes to work with.

Wilton Speight no doubt gives Michigan the best chance at winning through his experience and talent. He went toe to toe with Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barret in Columbus last year before ultimately coming up short. Funny how people were calling for Speight’s job four weeks into the season but are now begging on hands and knees for him to play through his fractured vertebrae.

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Coaching and play-calling go hand-and-hand with quarterback play. The play-calling this year has been frustrating and bland. They are going to have to get creative to try and pry loose a big play.

This leads us to Harbaugh. There is no secret about his struggles against rivals and good teams. He has one last chance this season to change this narrative and it won’t be even remotely easy, but if he can pull this one out he’ll be able to quiet A LOT of his critics.

Ohio State ranks 120th in penalty yards in the nation. Michigan will have to stay disciplined in this heated matchup and let Ohio State beat themselves. It will be on the coaching staff to keep Ohio State off balance and on their heels in order for Michigan to have a chance.