Game 12 vs. Ohio State
Michigan Senior Day
#6/#6 Michigan (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. #2/#3 Ohio State (10-1, 8-0 Big Ten)
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 • 12:14 p.m.
Television: Fox
Radio: Learfield Michigan Sports Network
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Saturday’s game will be the 117th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State.
• The Wolverines are ranked in the top 10 in both national polls for the eighth straight week.
• With a victory on Saturday, Michigan would capture a share of the Big Ten’s East Division title and reach the championship game for the first time.
• The Wolverines have secured four 10-win seasons in Coach Harbaugh’s seven years leading the program.
• U-M ranks among the top 15 nationally in scoring defense (7th) and scoring offense (15th); ranks top 25 in the NCAA in 26 overall categories.
WOLVERINES AND BUCKEYES
Saturday’s game will be the 117th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State. It will be the 49th meeting between the two archrivals at Michigan Stadium and the 60th all-time meeting in Ann Arbor.
• The Wolverines hold a 58-52-6 advantage in the all-time series but the Buckeyes have won 15 of the last 16 matchups.
This will be the 24th time that Michigan and Ohio State take the field in a top 10 matchup. The Buckeyes hold a 12-9-2 advantage in those contests. The Wolverines have won seven of the last 11 games played between top 10 foes but the Buckeyes have won the last four meetings.
• U-M has claimed victories in eight of the past 16 games at the Big House dating back to 1989.
• Michigan defeated Ohio State by a 35-21 score in the 100th renewal of college football’s greatest rivalry on Nov. 22, 2003.
Series vs. Ohio State: Michigan leads 58-52-6
Series Streak: Ohio State won 8
Last Meeting vs. Ohio State: 2019 (OSU, 56-27)
Last Michigan Win: 2011
TELEVISON COVERAGE
Fox will broadcast the game to a national audience. Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (color) and Jenny Taft (sideline) will call the game.
THE GAME
The Game was selected as the greatest rivalry in all of sport by ESPN.com in 1999 and ranks tied for the 14th most played rivalries in FBS (Division I-A) history.
• The Game was moved to the final Saturday of the Big Ten season in 1935. Since that time, the match up has had the potential for major impact in the Big Ten standing 47 times.
• There have been 24 occasions where the two schools decided the Big Ten Champion between themselves based on the outcome on that Saturday. For 10 years (1972-81 ), the outcome decided which of the two teams would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.
• Since the Ohio State dedication game in 1922, more than 9 million fans have attended the annual game played between the two schools, with 70 of those 98 games being sellouts.
THE POLLS
Michigan is ranked in the top 10 in both national polls for the eighth straight week. The Wolverines are listed No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 6 in Associated Press Poll. Michigan was also ranked No. 6 in last week’s College Football Playoff Rankings (Nov. 16).
• After their 38-17 win at Wisconsin (Oct. 2), the Wolverines returned to the top 10 for the first time since late in the 2019 season.
• The Ohio State game will be the program’s 34th as a top 10 team under coach Jim Harbaugh.
• U-M has been ranked for all but 13 contests under Harbaugh (83 games). The Wolverines were not ranked the first four games in 2015, four games in 2017 and 2020, and the first two games of the 2021 season.
GAME NOTES NUGGETS
The Wolverines have secured four 10-win seasons in seven years under the leadership of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
• With a victory on Saturday, Michigan would capture a share of the Big Ten’s East Division title and reach the championship game for the first time.
• The Michigan roster includes seven student-athletes from the state of Ohio: Erick All (Fairfield), Joel Honigford (Sugarcreek), Caden Kolesar (Westlake), Rod Moore(Clayton), Gabe Newburg (Clayton), Brad Robbins (Westerville), and Joey Velazquez (Columbus).
• Through 11 games, Michigan ranks top-25 in total offense (23rd) and scoring offense (15th) and top-10 in total defense (ninth) and scoring defense (seventh). U-M is one of three teams (Georgia, Cincinnati) in the top-15 in scoring offense and scoring defense.
• The Wolverine offense is top-30 in seven categories overall: third down percentage (29th), total offense (23rd), scoring offense (15th), rushing offense (15th), red zone offense (10th), sacks allowed (fifth) and tackles for loss allowed (first).
• The offensive line anchors the offense and is most responsible for the latter two rankings. The unit has produced a 1,000-yard rusher in Hassan Haskins, in part due to just 15 negative rushing yards on 403 carries all season by non-quarterbacks (six from Haskins). The unit has allowed just 24.0 tackles for loss all season (2.18 per game).
• Haskins is tied as the No. 4-graded running back in the FBS (min. 50 carries) by Pro Football Focus College (PFFCollege). The service credits him with 80 runs resulting in a first down (No. 2 FBS) and 44 missed tackles forced.
• The line continues to protect quarterback Cade McNamara (nine sacks allowed), and McNamara has done his part to avoid pressure. According to PFFCollege, McNamara averages a release time of 2.49 seconds per play, tied-20th fastest among FBS quarterbacks with 100-plus dropbacks, and second-fastest among Big Ten quarterbacks.
• McNamara has touchdowns to nine different pass catchers and a 14:2 touchdown to interception ratio on the season including a 9:1 mark over the last four weeks. The Wolverine quarterback is averaging 19.5 completions, 256.8 pass yards, and 2.3 touchdowns per contest in that span.
• Michigan has registered 53 plays on offense of 20-plus yards (33 passing, 20 rushing), averaging nearly five per game. The offensive unit has produced 10 touchdowns of 50-plus yards and has scored in 34 of 40 quarters of play.
• Running back Blake Corum leads the team in 20-plus yard plays despite missing two games. Corum has 12 such plays with eight rushing and four via kick return, which counts for 17.6 percent of the team total (out of 68 including offense and special teams).
• Fourteen (14) different Wolverines have found the end zone on offense this season. Haskins (13 rushing) leads the team in touchdowns with Corum (10 rushing, one receiving) second.
• The defense lists top-30 in six major categories and top-10 in five: rushing defense (30th), first down defense (10th), third down conversion percentage allowed (10th), pass efficiency defense (ninth), pass defense (eighth), total defense (seventh) and scoring defense (seventh).
• The defense has three players graded in the top 60 of all FBS defenders by PFF College (min. 100 snaps): Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 (93.1) Brad Hawkins at No. 49 (85.1) and David Ojabo at No. 57 (84.5).
• Among players with 100-plus snaps in coverage, DJ Turner is the No. 34-graded coverage player (86.0, fourth in the Big Ten) with Hawkins ranked 50th (83.2). Daxton Hill ranks second in the FBS with seven forced incompletions from the slot and seventh nationally with nine passing stops. As a whole, the secondary is the No. 2-graded unit (92.9) only behind Georgia (94.4).
• The edge duo of end Hutchinson and outside linebacker Ojabo are the first pair in U-M history to both reach double-digit sacks (10.0 each) in the same season. They share the combined single-season sack record (20.0) with Mike Hammerstein (9.0) and Mark Messner (11.0) from the 1985 season. Ojabo (five games) and Hutchinson (four games) both have impressive sack streaks this season, though neither is active.
• Both Hutchinson and Ojabo are 2.0 sacks shy of matching the single-season sack record at Michigan (12.0) held by David Bowens in the 1996 season. Hutchinson and Ojabo are currently tied for the Big Ten lead in that category and rank tied-10th nationally with 10.0 apiece.
• Hutchinson is the No. 4-graded pass rusher (92.2, min. 100 snaps) with a win rate of 25.3 percent. Mazi Smith is the No. 21-graded interior defender in the FBS by PFFCollege (min. 200 snaps).
• U-M has forced at least one turnover in 10 consecutive games with multiple turnovers in five games. Ten (10) different players have at least one interception or fumble recovery on defense and Daxton Hill (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) is the only player with at least one of each.
• Twenty (20) different players have at least one pass breakup (56 total). That is the highest number of individual contributors to the team PBU total in the past 25 years.
• After an 11-point weekend, kicker Jake Moody is eighth nationally with 10.0 points per game, the No. 4-highest scoring kicker. With 110 total points on the season, Moody’s 2021 season is tied for the sixth-best single-season scoring campaign all-time and he would take the No. 2 spot with 11 more points.
• Moody has 22 made field goals this season, just three shy of the single-season record set by Remy Hamilton in 1994. He’s also three shy of matching former teammate Quinn Nordin (42) for a top-five all-time rank.
• Punter Brad Robbins is up to a 45.9-yard average, which would rank No. 2 all-time for a single season at Michigan. His career average (42.9) is currently second all-time.
• Robbins has yielded 36 punt return yards on 36 punt attempts, pinning 16 punts inside the 20 with 17 forced fair catches. He commands the No. 7 net punt coverage unit in the country, with a net average of 43.75 yards.
• Both Moody and Robbins are semifinalists for the national awards given to the best players at their respective positions. Moody is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award and Robbins is one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award. U-M is joined by Colorado State and Iowa as the lone schools with a semifinalist for both awards.
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