The Game, For The Big 10 East Division Crown

The 2021 installment of The Game is just a few days away and like a child waiting patiently to open up his or her presents on Christmas Day—the anticipation and the suspense is killing me! Let me set the stage.

Here are two rivals pitted against each other, filled with hatred for one another, for a division crown and a trip to Indy. It doesn’t get any better than that during rivalry week. Yes, you still have The Iron Bowl, but the stakes aren’t as hazardous as The Game—especially this years.

This year will likely pit two top 5 teams against each other. In a battle against #7 team in the nation, the Buckeyes trampled the visiting Spartans to the tune 56-7. The Buckeyes held Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker III to a paltry 25 yard total with a 4.2 average per rush. The #6 Wolverines thrashed the Terrapins in a lopsided 59-18 victory—effectively setting the stage for this high stakes war of attrition.

This could be a mini preview of how well Ohio State’s explosive offense against a stout, active defense that features two book ends in Hutchinson and Ojabo and athletes at just about every position on defense. Must. See. TV.

Rolling into the game, Ohio State brought it this past Saturday and won convincingly and they did it by scoring at will to put the game out of reach by halftime. They come in with the best offense in the nation and a test is on the horizon against TTUN. They easily defeated Maryland and it should be interesting once the game begins as both teams try to establish their game plans. Here’s my things to watch for.

Battle Of The Trenches

The trench game will be a game within a game. Ohio State and their offensive line versus the TTUN front seven. Gone are the days where TTUN plays their defensive ends with their hand in the dirt as they usher in a new stand up pass rush that could give the Buckeyes fits.

NPF and Jones versus Hutchinson and Ojabo will all be fighting for pride and auditioning for their NFL futures. The TTUN duo accounts for 19 total sacks and 7 forced fumbles. According to NCAA.com, The Buckeyes are tied for 13th in the nation in sacks allowed and they give up 1.18 per game. TTUN is tied for 5th least giving up .82 per game, but they stick to the ground game and they don’t air it out as much as the Buckeyes do, so take that however you want.

The trench game will ultimately decide the contest. Can the Buckeyes offensive line give CJ Stroud enough time in the pocket? Will the Wolverine front seven be a disruptive force?

The Offensive Talent Clashes

The wideouts and the defensive backs in this contest will duel each other and it’s going to be a hell of a show. On one side you have Olave, Wilson, Smith-Njigba at wideout and Ruckert at Tight End. On the other, Johnson, Sainristil, Baldwin, Wilson and All at Tight End.

You have Henderson, Williams and Teague for the Buckeyes and Haskins, Corum and Edwards at Running Back for Ohio State and TTUN respectively. This will be a battle of wills with the talent on the field.

A vertical passing game will go against a power running game—and each side will try to stop the other from scoring points. Who will establish their game plan first? And who will weather the initial flurry at the early stages of the game?

Diamonds On Defense

Will the Buckeye defense continue to improve and can they make the Wolverines a one-dimensional team? I think they can and here’s why. After suffering a home loss to Oregon, it took a couple weeks to regain confidence and play with that swagger at every level.

Gone are the days where the Linebackers get lost behind screens. Gone are the days where they don’t stick their noses into gaps on defense. And gone are the days where they give up untimely splash plays. They are the most imported units and I know they’ll be ready to go this week.

The lure of Gold Pants, a trip to Indianapolis and a CFB Playoff berth is obtainable—and I know they’ll be ready for war. I have a feeling that this game will be a grinder and the Buckeye defense will continue to show the nation that they are big time!

Breakout Star(s) Alert

It always seems like every year of The Game, someone breaks out and becomes legendary. Chris Olave did it in 2018 scoring twice and in 2019, reaching the end zone once. Garrett Wilson had 118 yards in 2019 and a score. So who will be next?

I have seven in mind. CJ Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Treveyon Henderson and Miyan Williams on offense. Steele Chambers, Denzel Burke and Ronnie Hickman on defense.

Technically Stroud is a rising star, but he hasn’t formally introduced himself to the Wolverines—and what better time than now with all that’s at stake? He should be routinely target his receivers and tight ends, while simultaneously leaning on the running game to keep the defense honest and control the flow of the game. It will turn into a “pick your offensive poison” type of game for the Wolverine defense.

For the defense, I’m picking the trio of Chambers, Burke and Hickman. With the dark horses being Tyliek Williams, JT Tuimoloao and Jack Sawyer. Stuffing the run and coverage will be the name of the game and each player mentioned could ultimately break out.

There are so many to choose from but final answer from breakout stars? On offense it’ll be Henderson and Steele Chambers on defense. Think Zach Boren photo. Someone will make a play and shine among the chaos. So many possibilities but let’s see who seizes the opportunity.

My Prediction: 59-28 Buckeyes

#GoBucks

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: