3 & Out: What to know for Ohio State’s game with Michigan

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This year at LGHL, the day before Ohio State games we are trying something a little different. “3 & Out” is going to inform you on the upcoming opponent for the Buckeyes. By the name, you probably could tell we are going to handle things in threes.

Along with highlighting three key players from Ohio State’s opponents, we will shed some light on three things the Buckeyes have to be wary of, and close things out by having a little fun by mentioning three notable alumni or facts from the school that’ll be matching up with Ohio State.

First Down

Players to watch for Michigan

1) Bryce Underwood

Even though Underwood’s stats won’t blow anyone away, the freshman quarterback is the future of Michigan football. There’s a reason the Wolverines dropped a big bag of cash to get Underwood’s commitment coming out of high school.

Underwood is just as dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm, as he has added five rushing touchdowns this season to the nine touchdowns he has thrown for. This could be a game where Underwood has his best rushing output of the season since it could be hard for him to find much through the air against the stout Buckeye secondary.

Pressure creates diamonds and that could be the case on Saturday. If there was ever a game for Underwood to have a coming out party, this would be it. So far, Underwood’s freshman season has been inconsistent, but he has started to play better football of late, which could be a sign he is starting to find his footing in his first season of college football.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Michigan had a few new wrinkles in their playbook just for this game where they allow Underwood to find some comfort against his toughest defensive test of the season.

2) Derrick Moore

Ohio State’s defensive line has been rock solid throughout the year. There have been a few cracks showing of late though. The big uglies in the trenches for the Buckeyes will have to be at their best on Saturday since defensive end Derrick Moore is no joke.

Not only does Moore have 9.5 sacks this season, the 20.5 career sacks he has posted during his Michigan career currently ranks eighth in school history. Moore has also forced two fumbles in 2025.

The Buckeyes haven’t faced many defensive linemen the caliber of Moore this season, which could be an area of concern especially with Ohio State’s top two receivers dealing with injuries. Julian Sayin will have show the calmness on Saturday that he has through the first 11 games of the season.

If Sayin gets rattled early, Moore will smell blood and continue to attack the redshirt freshman in the biggest road start of his young career.

3) Jaishawn Barham

Much like Moore, Barham has also been a force for the Michigan defense this year. Barham has 10 tackles for loss and four sacks on the season from a hybrid linebacker/EDGE spot.

It was easy to see earlier in the season just how important Barham is to the Michigan defense after he was ejected for targeting in the second half of the season opener against New Mexico, causing him to miss the first half of the Oklahoma game. It’s no coincidence the Sooners went into halftime with a 14-0 lead.

Barham will be all over the field on Saturday, especially since it sounds like fellow linebacker Ernest Hausmann will miss the game due to injury. With Hausmann sidelined, Barham will be tasked with taking up even more of a leadership role against the Buckeyes.

For a player that plays with his emotions on his sleeve, Ohio State can’t let Barham get going early or it could be a struggle for the Buckeyes to get comfortable on offense on Saturday.

Second Down

What Ohio State has to be wary of

1) Don’t play Michigan’s game

The Ohio State offense only managed 10 points last year against Michigan with talents like Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and Jeremiah Smith on the field. Just let that sink back in for a moment. That was the same offense that was pretty much unstoppable during their playoff run.

It’s pretty obvious what went wrong last November in Columbus. Ryan Day got in his own head. For some reason Day wanted to beat Michigan at their own game, opting to run the football, which didn’t work against Mason Graham and the rest of the Michigan defense. Along with running the football so much, Ohio State ran a bunch of clock, keeping the ineffective Wolverine offense off the field.

This year the Buckeyes need to do what they are comfortable doing. Julian Sayin is the most effective quarterback in the country. The redshirt freshman matched up with Texas in the first start of his career, so he shouldn’t be shook by heading up to Ann Arbor.

As long as Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith are healthy enough to play on Saturday, just let Sayin do what he has done all year long and target those two first and then lean on the running game to switch things up when Michigan thinks they have things figured out. If Ohio State is playing at their full potential, the only team that can beat the Buckeyes are themselves.

2) Remain calm in the face of adversity

Aside from the Texas game, Ohio State has been on cruise control the whole season. Not only have the Buckeyes outscored opponents 417-84 this year, they are putting their foes away early, only allowing six points in the first quarter. The last time Ohio State trailed in the second half of a game came last year against Michigan.

About the only question there has been about the Buckeyes this season is how they react when they face any actual adversity. Even in the Texas game they were leading 14-0 in the fourth quarter before the Longhorns made a little noise.

What happens if Ohio State is trailing Michigan in the third or fourth quarter on Saturday? It’s a position this year’s Buckeye team is unfamiliar with. Who knows how Brian Hartline reacts with the play-calling if Ohio State is playing from behind.

Luckily it looks like Julian Sayin is cooler than the other side of the pillow. Hopefully it’s not a situation the Buckeyes even have to worry about on Saturday, but if they do find themselves trailing on the road, Sayin will have to keep that calm demeanor he has shown all season long.

Sayin’s response to trailing in the second half on the road against your bitter rival could be what wins him the Heisman Trophy if this year’s edition of The Game plays out that way.

3) Beware of the special teams

Had Ohio State even been mediocre when it came to special teams play last year, they would have beat Michigan. Instead, Jayden Fielding missed two field goals from inside 40 yards to cost the Buckeyes the game. On the other side, Dominic Zvada hit two field goals, with one of them coming from 54 yards out.

So far this season Fielding has been relatively solid, while Zvada has dealt with some inconsistent kicking. Still, Zvada is more reliable in pressure situations than Fielding has been. Add in some of the other lapses at times we have seen from the other parts of the special teams unit and it’s imperative Ohio State doesn’t put themselves into a position for this game to be decided by special teams play.

Third Down

Ohio State/Michigan connections

1) Tony Alford

Michigan’s current running backs coach is Tony Alford, who also held the same position at Ohio State. Alford was in Columbus from 2015 to 2023 before deciding to accept Michigan’s offer to switch sides of the rivalry.

During his time with the Buckeyes, Alford was the position coach for the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Mike Weber, J.K. Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson. Apparently Alford’s timing isn’t very good since he not only joined the Buckeyes a year after their 2014 title, and left Ohio State a year before they won it all last year, while his first season with the Wolverines was the year following their 2023 title.

2) Justin Boren

It’s rare to see transfers between Ohio State and Michigan. The most impactful one on the football field has been offensive lineman Justin Boren. The Pickerington native opted to start his college career at Michigan, spending his first two years in Ann Arbor.

Following his sophomore season head coach Lloyd Carr was replaced by Rich Rodriguez, leading to Boren making the decision to transfer.

Since Boren’s transfer came before the Transfer Portal we have become used to, he had to redshirt in his first season at Ohio State. Along with returning home, Boren was able to join his brother Zach, who was already a Buckeye. Following his redshirt season, Justin earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2009 and 2010.

3) Roddy Gayle Jr.

A member of Michigan’s basketball team this year is former Buckeye Roddy Gayle Jr. The guard spent his first two years at Ohio State, starting 46 games. Gayle’s best season was his sophomore year when he averaged 13.5 points per game for a Buckeye squad that went 22-14.

Last season Gayle was part of a Michigan team that went to the Sweet Sixteen. Gayle started 25 games for the Wolverines, averaging just under 10 points per game. Now in his senior season, Gayle has come off the bench in six of the first games, but is third on the team with 11.3 points per game.

Michigan is undefeated after blowing out Gonzaga in the Players Era Festival Championship Game.

& Out

Prediction: 28-13, Ohio State

Go Bucks!

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