Eight Wolverines Hail from Ohio

• Michigan has eight (8) players that hail from the state of Ohio.

• Four players from the state have seen game action this fall: WR C.J. Charleston, LB Jason Hewlett, EDGE Breeon lshmail and RB Jordan Marshall.

• A returning starter, DB Rod Moore is a captain who has missed the 2024 season due to injury.

• The three other Ohio Wolverines are redshirting freshmen: OL Luke Hamilton, DL Ted Hammond and OL Ben Roebuck.

• Running backs coach Tony Alford was an assis­tant at Ohio State prior to joining the Michigan program this spring.

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Wolverines and Buckeyes

• This will be the 120th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State.

• The Wolverines have a 61-52-6 advantage in the all-time series.

• U-M ended an eight-game losing streak against OSU with wins in the last three meetings: 42-27 in 2021, 45-23 in 2022 and 30-24 in 2023.

• The all-time series between the Wolverines and Buckeyes in Columbus is tied, 28-28-2.

• Michigan holds a slight 25-24-1 all-time margin in games played at Ohio Stadium.

• The Buckeyes are the most common opponent for the Wolverines, trailed closely by Michigan State (117 games).

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The Game

• The Game was selected as the greatest rivalry in all of sport by ESPN.com in 1999.

• The Game ranks tied for the 14th most played rivalries in FBS (Division I-A) history.

• The two programs played every year from 1918 through 2019 (102 years), a streak that ranked eighth in Division I-A for the longest uninter­rupted series; the 2020 game was canceled due to COVID issues within the Michigan program.

• The overall series dates back to 1897, when the Wolverines claimed a 34-0 victory over the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor.

• 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 50 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 73 of those 101 games being sellouts.

• Since 1922, more people have attended this game than any other gridiron match-up in the country.

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Game Notes Nuggets

• Fourteen (14) players have made their first career starts this fall: wide receiver Kendrick Bell, center Greg Crippen, tackle Andrew Gentry, center Dominick Giudice, tight end Marlin Klein, right tackle Evan Link, wide receivers Fredrick Moore and Peyton O’Leary, quarterback Alex Orji, quarterback Davis Warren on offense; defensive back Zeke Berry, edge TJ Guy, defensive back Jyaire Hill, and edge Derrick Moore on defense.

• Another nine players have made their first career starts as Wolverines after earning starting assignments at their previous institutions: C.J. Charleston (wide receiver), Josh Priebe (offensive line), Jack Tuttle (quarterback), Jaishawn Barham (linebacker), Aamir Hall (cornerback) Ernest Hausmann (linebacker), Josaiah Stewart (edge), Wesley Walker (defensive back), and Dominic Zvada (kicker).

• Twenty-three (23) Wolverines have made collegiate debuts this season: Chibi Anwunah (edge), Manuel Beigel (defensive line), Mason Curtis (defensive back), Jadyn Davis (quarterback), Jo’Ziah Edmond (defensive back), Jake Guarnera (offensive line), Channing Goodwin (wide receiver), Hogan Hansen (tight end), Jason Hewlett (linebacker), Breeon Ishmail (edge), Ike Iwunnah (defensive line), Micah Ka’apana (running back), Bryson Kuzdzal (running back), Alexander Lidback (linebacker), Jack MacKinnon (linebacker), Jordan Marshall (running back), Dominic Nichols (edge), Jacob Oden (defensive back), Max Reyes (defensive back), Evan Link (offensive line), Peter Simmons (defensive line), Andrew Sprague (offensive line), and Cole Sullivan (linebacker).

• Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades U-M well in the following categories: overall (34th, 87.8), defense (ninth, 92.3), rushing defense (third, 93.6), tackling (24th, 80.1), pass rush (first, 90.7), and special teams (31st, 81.1).

• Now with six starts under his belt, quarterback Davis Warren is completing 64.1 percent of his passes with a 116.7 efficiency mark and six touchdown passes.

• U-M scored on its first possession in both halves against Northwestern en route to a season-high 50 points. U-M also set a season-high in first downs (25) with 24 pass attempts in the first half alone. Entering the game, the Wolverines averaged 24.2 pass attempts across a full game.

• Entering the season, Kalel Mullings had a career-long run of 23 yards (at Minnesota, 2023). So far this season he has six runs of at least 30 yards: 30 (touchdown), 30, 38, 47, 53 (touchdown), and 63 yards.

• Mullings has 11 rushing touchdowns this season. He is Pro Football Focus’ No. 33-graded rusher (86.6), averaging 3.62 yards after contact per attempt. He’s lost only 15 yards on 153 attempts this year.

• Both Mullings (5.4) and Donovan Edwards (4.7) have productive yards-per-carry numbers. Mullings ranks 47th overall with 832 rushing yards.

• Edwards is also just 16 yards shy of setting the career receiving yards record by a running back at Michigan, currently held by Anthony Thomas (810 yards). Edwards has 84 catches for 795 career yards (9.5 average).

• According to the Big Ten Network, Edwards is the only Big Ten running back this century with multiple touchdown rushes (18), receptions(four), and passes (two) in his career.

• Tight end Colston Loveland has been the leader or co-leader in receptions for U-M in every game he has finished this season (nine), with 56 total catches. Loveland’s 84 total targets are fifth in the nation among FBS tight ends.

• Loveland is now Michigan’s single-season record holder for catches by a tight end (56), having broken a tie with Bennie Jopru (53, 2002) against Northwestern.

• Loveland is 166 yards shy of the single-season receiving yards by a tight end record (748) set by Devin Funchess in 2013. For his career, he’s at 1,466 yards (record: Jake Butt, 1,646).

• Loveland remains highly efficient, averaging 2.67 yards per route run according to PFF. That figure is fifth in the country among FBS tight ends (minimum 35 targets) and second among Big Ten tight ends.

• Loveland is in a tie for second place all-time in touchdowns among U-M tight ends with 11 in his career (tied with Jake Butt). The record is held by Jerame Tuman (15).

• Among U-M tight ends, Loveland and Jake Butt (2013-16) are the only players to reach 12 games with at least 50 receiving yards.

• Tyler Morris caught a career-high seven passes against Northwestern, including a 28-yarder. Morris has at least one catch of 19-plus yards in four of the last five games, something he did not do across the first six contests.

• The Wolverine defense has had at least six TFL in seven of eight Big Ten games, totaling 56 tackles for loss (second in Big Ten) and 27 sacks (first) in league play. U-M’s six sacks against Northwestern are a high mark this season and the most since the Rose Bowl game against Alabama in 2023 (six).

• The Wolverines rank 19th nationally in sacks (2.82 per game); the Buckeyes (3.18 per game) are the only Big Ten team averaging more.

• U-M’s charge into the backfield is led by Josaiah Stewart‘s 6.5 sacks, all of which have come in Big Ten play (co-leaders: 7.0). Stewart ranks 10th in the country with 0.85 sacks per game and 14th with 1.3 tackles per game.

• TJ Guy (6.0 in Big Ten play) is sixth while Mason Graham (3.5, tied-19th) and Kenneth Grant (3.0, tied-22nd) are among the interior leaders.

• Stewart has at least a share of a sack in five of the last seven games (2.0 vs. USC, 1.0 vs. Washington, 0.5 vs. Illinois, 1.0 vs. Michigan State, 2.0 vs. Northwestern). His win rate of 24.9 percent is No. 2 in the nation (minimum 75 pass rush snaps). TJ Guy (11th, 20.3) and Derrick Moore (18.9, 19th) are also among the nation’s best in pass rush win rate.

• Zeke Berry (two interceptions, one fumble forced/recovered) leads the team in turnovers and is tied with Jyaire Hill for the team lead in pass breakups (nine). Berry has five breakups across the past three games.

• Eight different players are responsible for U-M’s 12 defensive turnovers (three fumble recoveries, nine interceptions).

• Seventeen (17) different players have broken up passes for the defense this year including six different defensive linemen/edge rushers. Kenneth Grant leads all defensive linemen with five.

• Grant has been active in this area throughout his career; he had six breakups in 2023, giving him 12 for his career (includes one interception), the highest total among any U-M defensive linemen in history. Across 2023 and 2024 combined, the defensive line has been responsible for almost a quarter (23.5 percent) of the team’s total pass breakups (11-of-54 in 2024; 18-of-69 in 2023).

• Among FBS interior defensive linemen, Mason Graham is credited with the second-most pressures (33; sacks, hits, hurries). He’s also graded as the nation’s top-graded run defender (91.9), with Kenneth Grant (85.0) rated 18th and Rayshaun Benny ranked 24th (83.2).

• The U-M run defense is one of eight in the nation giving up fewer than 100 yards per game on the ground (94.0, fourth, NCAA). Ohio State’s (90.0, third) is another, with five of the top-10 ranked rushing defenses overall belonging in the Big Ten.

• Ernest Hausmann leads the U-M defense with 74 tackles, 14 clear of the next-highest total. Hausmann set a Michigan career-high with 12 tackles at Washington, matching his best career total at Nebraska, and registered nine-plus tackles in four times this season.

• Tommy Doman is the 11th-highest-graded punter in the nation by PFF (78.6). The 21 fair catches he’s forced are eight behind the national lead and four off the Big Ten lead.

• Doman is also a weapon on kickoffs, with 35 touchbacks on 55 kickoffs (63.7 percent). U-M is 29th in the nation in kick return defense (17.3 yards per return, on average).

• Doman, whose pro-style approach meshes hangtime with distance to give U-M effective coverage units, ranks tied-ninth in the country and second in the Big Ten in average hangtime (4.21 seconds) among punters with 25-plus attempts.

• Dominic Zvada is 15-for-16 this year (one blocked). His eight conversions at 40-plus yards are two shy of matching the single-season record at U-M.

• Zvada’s first attempt against Northwestern was another 56-yard try, matching the longest kick in his career (once previously at U-M, once at Arkansas State). Zvada is now six-for-six from 50-plus yards this year, and continues to add to his Michigan career and single-season records.

• Zvada is one of just three kickers with six or more conversions at 50-plus yards (SMU’s Collin Rogers, Arizona’s Tyler Loop), but the only one who has gone six-for-six on such kicks. Rogers (10 attempts) and Loop (eight) have both missed multiple kicks from that distance.