The Michigan Wolverines have undergone something of an offensive renaissance since halftime of their loss against Penn State.
UM quarterback Shea Patterson has thrown 12 touchdowns and just one interception in the last four games.
Michigan has put up 45, 38, 44, and 39 points over that span, after struggling to 10 points against Iowa, 24 against Army, and 14 at Wisconsin earlier in the year.
It certainly seems like the Wolverines have hit their stride just in time to face their bitter rivals from Columbus.
This week, however, the challenge they’ll face gets a lot tougher. Ohio State ranks as one of the best defenses in the nation: No. 1 in SP+ defense, No. 1 in points allowed per game, and No. 1 in yards per play allowed.
One big reason is the impact of junior defensive end Chase Young.
Young already owns the single-season Ohio State sack record with 16.5.
He didn’t just pile those up in meaningless games, either. With four against Wisconsin and three against Penn State, Young got halfway to Vernon Gholston’s old record of 14 just in the two biggest games the Buckeyes have played so far.
“Chase is a great player. It is no secret, he is going to make plays. It makes a tremendous impact on the field and it makes everyone’s jobs easier,” said OSU junior LB Tuf Borland.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh knows all about Young and the impact he can have on the field.
“He’s a tremendous football player,” Harbaugh said. “Extremely athletic. Very physical. Shows up at the ball. And he’s a tremendous pass rusher.”
What makes Young even dangerous is that his presence is still felt on plays where he doesn’t get on the stat sheet.
“I feel like I hear quarterbacks talking in their heads, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get it out in a certain amount of seconds because I’ve got him in front of me,’” said Ohio State junior LB Pete Werner.
That can make a big difference because it can take certain slower-developing pass routes out of opponents’ game plans, and allowing OSU’s defensive backs to sit on shorter routes.
That alone could help decide this weekend’s game at Michigan.
The Wolverines have struggled to run the ball consistently for most of this season. They’re averaging just 4.0 yards per carry this fall, and were well short of even that against Penn State (3.4 YPC), Michigan State (2.4), Iowa (3.6), and Wisconsin (2.1).
If Michigan is going to move the ball on the Buckeye defense, they’ll likely have to rely on the big-play ability of their talented receiving corps. Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, and Ronnie Bell are all among the best in the Big Ten.
But if Wolverine quarterback Shea Patterson doesn’t have time in the pocket, their impact could be limited.
“That’s going to help our whole defense because we have a guy (who’s) a threat like that right in front of us,” Werner said. “It’s just great to have a guy like that with the ability to put so much pressure on the quarterback.”