Ohio State Looking to Rebound With a Win over MI

A win over Michigan and a Penn State win over Michigan State would do it.

Harbaugh also didn’t lessen Ohio State’s achievements. “But I promise you all will get a focused and prepared team this Saturday when we travel to Ann Arbor”. It won’t be an easy assignment. As every Ohio State fan knows, Michigan’s only victory in the last 11 years of the rivalry came in 2011.

Afterward, Heisman Trophy hopeful running back Ezekiel Elliott criticized the coaches for giving him the ball only twice in the second half and 12 times total for 33 yards. I remember hearing, ‘Well, they just don’t have the personnel.’ I am thinking, ‘Wait a minute, they have great personnel.’ They always have great personnel.

“I imagine we’ll get hit with that a little bit”, Meyer said.

Then, Meyer promptly threw his offensive coordinator under the bus, saying that he agreed with Elliott about the play calling against MSU.

Taping over the letter M during Michigan Week was a tradition started under Meyer and it’s been verboten to say “Michigan” seemingly forever. I just want to do everything I possibly can to help us win, and when I do something like that to negatively affect our team, it hurts a lot.

OSU coach Urban Meyer stands on the sideline during a game against Michigan State on November 21 at Ohio Stadium.

Monday, the only guarantee Harbaugh would make was that he won’t be making any guarantees as Michigan’s head coach. “And we’re going to do our best to get ready to play this week”. They had plenty of opportunities to take control of the game, and potentially even win, against both Ohio State and MI, but couldn’t capitalize.

“I’m disappointed in the play calling”, Elliott told reporters following the game.

Of course there is no need to cheer for the Big Ten ad nauseam like the SEC folks do for their conference, but there is nothing wrong with wanting the the Big Ten to be the best.

In Meyer’s first season in Columbus in 2012 and Harbaugh’s first one this year, the teams made major strides.

For the last few weeks we’ve seen Jake Rudock run with his arm. “We have a long way to go before we reach maximum capacity”. When he was asked about his role in the game, he said that he felt he should have had more touches, and seemed to blame the loss on the coaching staff. Elliott stated, “I don’t know what they were seeing”. Similar to Ohio State, Michigan must win in Week 13, and then hope that Michigan State falls. Barrett completed just 9-of-16 passes for 46 yards and ran 15 times for 44 yards.

MI has been itching for the chance to beat its hated rival, and Saturday’s game looks like an excellent spot.

Elliott, a junior, has recorded 1,458 yards on 232 carries with 17 touchdowns last season. And even though their season is not over with this loss, because a loss to number nine ranked Michigan State is not a bad loss in the eyes of the committee, some of the Ohio State players are acting like it is. The OSU coach said he welcomes input and opinions from established players but in private rather than public settings.

MI week was here, and he knew nothing could cleanse the broken scarlet soul quite like The Game.