OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The final unbeaten dream is dead.

Ohio State killed the last one left and in the process proved that it’s suddenly alive and well as a contender again.

Limping along without a win over a ranked opponent and a little more than a week removed from an embarrassing early loss in conference play, the Buckeyes finally rediscovered the defense-first formula that has proved to work from them so many times before. And while Ohio State would have taken a momentum-building win over any ranked team in the Big Ten to help validate itself again as a national threat, there were certainly no complaints about the collateral damage a 56-53 win on Sunday at Value City Arena caused No. 2 Michigan.

A perfect start for the Wolverines is gone. Trey Burke’s player of the year candidacy hit a minor snag thanks to the relentless pressure the Buckeyes slapped on him. And with Michigan poised to jump to No. 1 in the polls after watching the other unbeaten teams fall one by one this week, it’ll likely be heading the other direction while No. 15 Ohio State reversed its slide and put itself in position to climb again.

“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Buckeyes point guard Aaron Craft said. “We hadn’t played our best when we played the better teams that we played this year, and I think we kind of just took a step back and tried to find a way to get a big win.

“Any time you can do it against a team like Michigan or in this league [is big], and you just can’t lose at home. That’s something that you really harp on if you want to be there at the end of the season, to try to win a Big Ten championship.”

The Buckeyes checked off everything on that to-do list one by one, almost as soon as the ball was tipped.

There was no shortage of passion on the court or in the sellout crowd, and Ohio State turned that energy into a huge 16-0 run that put a young Michigan team on its heels just seven minutes into the game.

The Buckeyes also tirelessly defended their home court, harassing Burke with lockdown defense from Craft that forced Michigan’s leading scorer to take 14 shots to get his 15 points while turning the ball over four times.

And the message that it was going to take a return to a tougher brand of basketball after losses at Duke, last month at home against Kansas and in an ugly trip to Illinois was clearly delivered, putting the Buckeyes right back in the mix in the rugged Big Ten.

“Our coaches, everybody, we were disappointed in our effort [at Illinois],” senior Evan Ravenel said. “We just told the team, if we come out here like that, we’re going to get beat up and beat every game in this league.

“We know what kind of team we have and know how we’ve got to play, we’ve got to play physical, grind it out, play strong defensively and we’ve got to have a good mind to win games. That’s what we did today.”

The Buckeyes didn’t exactly do it for the entire 40 minutes, struggling through a lengthy dry spell as the Wolverines dialed up the defensive pressure themselves to completely erase a lead that had been as large as 21 points to tie the game late in the second half.

But just as Ohio State had tightened the screws defensively in jumping out in front of its rival, it put itself back in control by making it difficult for Burke to get open looks -- or anybody else, for that matter, as the Big Ten’s best shooting team connected on just 38 percent of its attempts from the floor to watch its perfect start go up in flames.

“[Ohio State coach Thad Matta’s] teams have always been this way, but this one really, the perimeter defense in particular, is exceptional,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “Thad is a great defensive coach and they’ve got great defenders, and that combination is very good.

“Craft is as good as there is, as good as I’ve ever seen. He’s tremendous, he’s going to be good and you just have to applaud that and say, ‘OK, we’ve got to continue to get better, because they’re going to continue to get better.’”

The Buckeyes have some proof of improvement now.

And while the work is far from over with so much basketball left ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten, it made sure there would be no need for a second crack at ending a rival's perfect season -- or another chance to claim its first signature victory.

The "Inside the Game" position preview series concludes with a look at the Michigan and Ohio State secondaries.

Like many of the other position groups discussed by Austin Ward of BuckeyeNation and Michael Rothstein of WolverineNation, a peek into the secondaries of Michigan and Ohio State reveals a lot of similarities between the schools.


Ohio State
Ward: No infusion of new talent is necessary for Ohio State.

All the Buckeyes need is a deep pool of veteran defensive backs to take another step forward, and throwing the ball against them could be one of the tougher challenges in the Big Ten.

Bradley Roby is shaping up as an emerging star at cornerback, and while Travis Howard and Doran Grant could battle for the right to start opposite him, the Buckeyes figure to be fine with either of them or backup Adam Griffin on the field.

C.J. Barnett might be poised to breakout as well at safety, though there’s plenty of experienced depth alongside him at the back of the defense. A pair of juniors in Christian Bryant and Corey Brown and senior Orhian Johnson provide plenty of options for defensive backs coach Everett Withers, who brings a proven track record of creating turnovers with him to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes picked off 13 passes last season, with Johnson and Roby tied for the team lead with three apiece. But both of those numbers will have to improve for Withers to be happy at the end of the season, and there is more than enough know-how and ability to make that happen.

Rothstein: What once was a group of players thought to have little talent and no experience has turned into this: the best unit on Michigan’s entire roster.

A few holdovers from the disastrous 2009 and 2010 seasons for the Michigan secondary remain on the roster in key positions, including starting cornerback J.T. Floyd and safety Jordan Kovacs, both of whom were thrown into unenviable positions as young players in a 3-3-5 defense few inside the Michigan program were familiar with.

But they learned and went from questionable players to two of the more reliable players anywhere on the Michigan roster. Joining them in the likely starting defensive backfield are safety Thomas Gordon and sophomore cornerback Blake Countess.

All four started at least half of Michigan’s games a season ago.

The four are just the front line of an incredibly deep secondary with both experience -- nickel back Courtney Avery -- and a youthful push, including highly touted freshman safety Jarrod Wilson and sophomore cornerback Delonte Hollowell, who stood out on special teams as a freshman.

There could be trouble if Kovacs were to be injured, but otherwise this is Michigan’s most dependable position group.

The "Inside the Game" position preview series continues with the crux of any defense -- and long a position with a lot of lineage at both Michigan and Ohio State: Linebackers.

BuckeyeNation’s Austin Ward and WolverineNation’s Michael Rothstein take a look at the men in the middle of both defenses.


Michigan
Rothstein: Michigan’s linebackers can rejoice. For the first time since any of them has been a Wolverine, they will play in essentially the same defensive scheme with the same defensive coordinator for the second season in a row.

And if you think that doesn’t make a difference, you’re kidding yourself. Even defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said as much, that having the players learning the same system for the second year allows for a faster refresher course along with more advanced teaching. And for the linebackers more than any other defensive position group, this is critical.

Michigan has the bulk of its main playmakers at the position back, including fifth-year senior Kenny Demens in the middle along with sophomores Desmond Morgan and Jake Ryan on the outside.

Demens is Michigan’s leading returning tackler with 94 last season, including three sacks. Morgan, as a freshman, was fifth in tackles with 63. At linebacker, that kind of production is expected.

That starting group, though, will be pushed. Junior Cam Gordon is fighting with Ryan for time, as is senior Brandin Hawthorne behind Morgan. Also involved are a gaggle of talented freshmen, including James Ross III, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Kaleb Ringer and Joe Bolden, who enrolled last spring and could see a lot of time his freshman season.

Still, though, it is a young group with a lot of room to grow and likely won’t see its true potential for another season or two.

Ohio State
Ward: There may not be a linebacker with the name recognition of the Ohio State legends that have come before them.

By its own admission, the current group of Buckeyes didn’t live up to the expectations established by those predecessors.

But even without a Hawk or Laurinaitis this fall, the middle of the defense should be much improved even if there isn’t any established star on the roster during training camp.

Perhaps by the time the Buckeyes take on their rivals at the end of the season, though, sophomores Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant could make themselves a lot more familiar to folks around the Big Ten. Shazier in particular began building some buzz for himself during a three-game tackling barrage when he was inserted into the starting lineup due to injury last season and responded with 30 takedowns.

Now Shazier appears to have a more permanent spot in the rotation, and along with Grant and senior Etienne Sabino they should give defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell a solid foundation to start with. While there isn’t much experience in reserve to work with right now, the Buckeyes loaded up with five talented signees in February who will ultimately be charged with restoring the program’s proud defensive tradition.

There probably won’t be as much pressure to do it right away with arguably the best line in the nation in front and a skilled, veteran secondary behind them. But they should be able to get things back on track either way.

Our "Inside the Game" positional previews with WolverineNation's Michael Rothstein and BuckeyeNation's Austin Ward continue in the trenches.

Ward and Rothstein discuss the contrast in the defensive lines. The Buckeyes could go as far as nine deep and believe they are among the nation's best units, while the Wolverines lost three-fourths of their top-notch line from a year ago, have another player on indefinite suspension and are unsettled at best.


Ohio State
Ward: The expectation up front for Ohio State is not just to be better than its rivals.

It’s not even to be the best in the conference.

The Buckeyes are going into this season with the goal of establishing themselves as the deepest and most talented group in the nation, and they certainly have a shot at building their case.

It helps to start at the top with the return of tireless, tenacious end John Simon and the emergence of Johnathan Hankins next to him as a force at defensive tackle, but there’s plenty more ammunition than that.

Garrett Goebel and Adam Bellamy round out the projected first unit, and even though he’s listed behind Hankins, Michael Bennett could be too disruptive in the middle to keep on the sideline. When Nathan Williams receives full clearance from his knee surgery, he could provide another scary weapon on the edge for a team that could conceivably roll through nine guys without a substantial drop-off.

On top of that, there’s a talented trio of newcomers who will fight to either be included or expand that rotation. Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Se’Von Pittman gave Ohio State a recruiting haul in February that would make any program envious. And it figures to set up the Buckeyes not just for a good run in the trenches this fall, but also into the next few seasons.

Michigan
Rothstein: On a team filled with current or former defensive line coaches -- besides Jerry Montgomery both head coach Brady Hoke and defensive coordinator Greg Mattison came up as defensive line coaches before assuming loftier titles -- there is a lack of a lot of things with their former pet position.

Experience, for one, is lacking as the line will boast three new starters and the one returning starter, senior Craig Roh, is adjusting to added weight and a new position as a strongside defensive end.

Depth is another issue, as the Wolverines could see multiple freshmen push for time on the line behind some of the inexperienced starters.

Will Campbell and Jibreel Black are the likely starters on the interior of the line, with Campbell being three years of promise without production and Black adding weight and learning to play inside after being converted from defensive end. At rush end, sophomore Brennen Beyer slides in as the likely starter after Frank Clark’s indefinite suspension due to legal issues.

Behind them are talented freshmen in Ondre Pipkins, Tom Strobel, Chris Wormley and Matt Godin -- all of whom could push for time. Nathan Brink provides some veteran stability at end and tackle, but the walk-on doesn’t have a ton of experience.

It’s a position full of questions at a spot where the Wolverines can’t really have them, as much of what Mattison likes to do on defense comes from the expectation of a defensive line getting pressure on a quarterback.

Our "Inside the Game" positional previews with WolverineNation's Michael Rothstein and BuckeyeNation's Austin Ward continue with the men who hardly accumulate any statistics at all -- the offensive line.

Ward and Rothstein discuss the contrast in the lines -- the Buckeyes with a lot of new players and the Wolverines with some experience.

Ohio State
Ward: Most of the faces are going to be new after losing three starters.

The schemes figure to be significantly different with a new offense and position coach.

That might make it hard to gauge how productive Ohio State can be up front heading into training camp, and it could even take a few games to figure out how smooth the transition will be this fall.

But the Buckeyes will enter practice with a reasonably good idea who will open the season with the first unit after Jack Mewhort impressed at left tackle in the spring, Corey Linsley jumped up to grab a job at center and Marcus Hall and Andrew Norwell settled in at the guard spots.

A battle between Reid Fragel and Taylor Decker will pick up again this month for the gig at right tackle, and after that the Buckeyes figure to be closely monitoring a few newcomers as they work to build depth.

Joey O’Conner and Pat Elflein boast four-star pedigrees, Kyle Dodson could conceivably work his way into the mix at tackle and Jacoby Boren turned heads after enrolling early and claiming a backup job during the spring. All of them have at least minor injury concerns heading into the fall, though if all are healthy and ready to contribute, they provide another reason why the Buckeyes could look much stouter in the trenches in a month or two than they might now.

Michigan
Rothstein: The leadership in the middle is gone and that is not to be taken lightly, but otherwise, Michigan returns much of its offensive line from a season ago.

The Wolverines’ biggest questions revolve on the interior of the line, where fifth-year senior Ricky Barnum will have to replace David Molk, last season’s Rimington Award winner, and some combination of walk-on Joey Burzynski, fifth-year senior Elliott Mealer, redshirt freshman Chris Bryant and freshman Kyle Kalis will vie for the left guard slot previously held by Michigan’s new right tackle, Michael Schofield.

It is a unit, though, that has experience. Schofield started most of last season at left guard and has next-level potential. Taylor Lewan, a potential NFL first-round draft pick, is in third year as a starter at left tackle, and fifth-year senior Patrick Omameh will start his third season at right guard.

Lewan and Omameh will be looked to as the leaders of the line, having held offensive line camps for the younger players during voluntary workouts in the summer to help teach them various plays Michigan runs as well as different blocking schemes the Wolverines use.

So much of line play, though, depends on chemistry and continuity. Much of that will fall to Lewan, who has often said he plans on taking more of a leadership role this season.

Michigan’s biggest issue comes in who will back up the starters. The Wolverines appear to have options at guard with the losers of the left guard battle filling in at both spots. At center, Michigan has only redshirt freshman Jack Miller behind Barnum, and the Florida native has a history of injuries.

At tackle, there is not much depth and Michigan could have to look to incoming freshmen should Schofield or Lewan go down, which would be a tricky proposition on a team very dependent on its running game.

The Inside The Game Ohio State-Michigan positional previews with BuckeyeNation’s Austin Ward and WolverineNation’s Michael Rothstein continue today with a look at perhaps the biggest question marks on the offense for both schools.

The wide receivers and tight ends.

Ohio State
Ward: Urban Meyer didn’t sugarcoat his assessments in the spring, and those words have surely been ringing in the ears of the targets in the passing game all summer.

Maybe the new Ohio State coach was simply trying to send a message to the receivers about how important they are in the spread offense. Perhaps Meyer is truly concerned about the talent he’s inherited at those skill positions -- or maybe it’s a combination of the two.

Regardless, after posting some of the worst receiving numbers in the country last season, the Buckeyes are counting on more from the passing game and the group already on campus is going to be responsible for the improvement.

Devin Smith and Evan Spencer both have the ability to produce on the perimeter, and Corey “Philly” Brown has emerged as a viable candidate in the hybrid pivot position thanks to his speed and elusiveness. All of them earned a starting spot coming out of spring practice, but the player that perhaps excited the most for the Buckeyes during camp was Michael Thomas. The true freshman pulled down 12 catches in the spring game -- only two fewer than the highest total anybody posted for the entire 2011 season.

But the guy who might really help the offense and quarterback Braxton Miller take off is tight end Jake Stoneburner, an invaluable security blanket with a knack for turning his catches into points. Of the senior’s 14 catches last season, half of them went for touchdowns.

Michigan
Rothstein: The biggest question for Michigan this season, offensively or defensively, is who is going to catch the ball consistently for the Wolverines. The coaches have preached having confidence in fifth-year senior Roy Roundtree and junior Jeremy Gallon, but neither has the size the graduated Junior Hemingway did.

Both have had productive seasons in the past -- Roundtree caught 72 passes for 935 yards as a sophomore in 2011 and Gallon had 31 catches for 453 yards last season -- but neither has shown great consistency.

Otherwise, Michigan is staring at a bunch of unknowns. Receivers Drew Dileo, Jerald Robinson and Jeremy Jackson have shown promise, but hardly ever in game situations. Incoming freshmen Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson both have the size and speed potential offensive coordinator Al Borges desires, but no experience.

Tight end, where Kevin Koger was a reliable option the past three seasons, is an even bigger question. The tight ends on the roster combine for two career catches, 28 yards and even less experience.

Fifth-year senior Brandon Moore -- once a highly-touted recruit -- is the likely starter here but otherwise the Wolverines are looking at two freshmen, Devin Funchess and A.J. Williams, and a fifth-year senior walk-on, Mike Kwiatkowski, to fill the role.

As good as Michigan’s run game may be, its receivers and tight ends could stall the offense unless they are able to identify consistent producers.

Welcome to "Inside The Game," a weekly discussion of some aspect of the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry with BuckeyeNation’s Austin Ward and WolverineNation’s Michael Rothstein.

To kick things off, Ward and Rothstein will make arguments for each position group as to which has a better unit -- Michigan or Ohio State. Then you get to decide. The two start where almost everything starts on a college football team -- the quarterback.

BUCKEYES
Ward: Thrown into the pool as a freshman, Braxton Miller didn’t drown.

Playing in an offense that might not have been ideally suited for his skills, the sophomore now has a spread system and a new Ohio State coach in Urban Meyer who is salivating over his athleticism.

A year older and with starting experience, still as dynamic but in an offense tailor-made for his abilities, Miller could be on the brink of exploding on the national scene.

And assuming he stays healthy, he’ll have almost another full season of action under his belt by the time the Buckeyes take on their rivals in November -- a showdown that could include two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

Miller might not have quite as much national recognition as his counterpart just yet, but what might give the Buckeyes an edge is the depth they have under center this fall thanks to a similar set of skills backup Kenny Guiton brings to the table.

Both players are more than capable of making plays on the ground, and while there might have been some initial concern about accuracy or arm strength, Meyer tested his passers plenty in the spring and clearly feels comfortable with both options heading into camp.

WOLVERINES
Rothstein: Denard Robinson is back for one final go-round and if he wants to have the kind of success he’d like this season, all of it will start with how accurate his passing is. Gone are his two biggest safety nets -- Junior Hemingway and Kevin Koger -- and in their place come Roy Roundtree, Jeremy Gallon and a lot of inexperienced players at receiver and tight end.

This means Robinson will have to be more accurate with his passing.

His running will be there and he has a shot at breaking Pat White’s NCAA quarterback rushing record with a good season. But for the Wolverines to have success, he has to finally mature as a passing quarterback as much as a rushing one.

Robinson has already made great strides in other areas. His leadership has improved. His public speaking has grown exponentially. All of that could help him on the field, but if he puts the type of effort into the on-field growth as much as he did with his off-the-field stuff, he could have a special year

Teams still don’t know totally how to stop him and he’s going on his third season as a starter. All of that could line up for a special final season for Robinson at Michigan.

The 10 Years War. The Charles Woodson-David Boston fight. Woody Hayes refusing to buy gas in Michigan. Recruits burning letters from the other side.

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is perhaps the fiercest in sports. And with Michigan on the rise again and Ohio State starting fresh with Urban Meyer, nothing will ever change that.

Or so we thought. Behold the healing power of ribs! For the full story (ESPN Playbook), click here.