Ryan and Dan are colleagues of mine that I also consider genuine, wonderful friends. They’re both also my short friends, because I don’t think either of them are tall, much like Ryan doesn’t think J.J. McCarthy is tall.
Anyway, all that aside, they’re two of the most polarizing college football posters online right now. Ryan has a blood feud with the Fullcast, with the full extent of that lore far beyond my rat brain. Steven Godfrey blocked Dan. What both of them do do well, though, is talk ball, and that’s what they did on their annual Game preview podcast.
If you have not yet listened to Ryan and Dan’s preview of The Game, you should. You can also find some Game talking points in this here summary, because your weird, boomer, homer families are going to be annoying as all fuck, and you (a Meet at Midfield patriot) should be equipped with the correct propaganda entering Turkey Day.
Talking Point I: Tell Your Aunt It’s Cool to Be a Hater
Ryan weeeeeeeeeeelcomes us to the podcast (you’ll hear it), and he and Dan get right into current events, such as Jim Harbaugh’s quote about his mom’s bathing suit:
Ryan proceeded to discuss how much he hates Ted Lasso, and shared some infinite wisdom:
Being a hater is actually one of the best ways to get joy out of life, because it allows you to find enjoyment from things that otherwise just piss you off. And if you’re good at being a hater, you can squeeze joy out of basically anything, the most odious things on earth.
– Ryan, and also Ryan’s friend Denny
This wisdom is infinite. This is bespoke, thoughtful, wonderful advice that you can only find from the Internet’s most prominent assholes. When your annoying, resist-lib aunt tries telling you you’re too negative, hit her with that. Remind her of all the places her life went wrong. Then, go hang out with your cousins (presumably her children) who hate her too.
This becomes important later. Remember it.
Talking Point I-A: Do Some Capitalism
The podcast and this wrap-up are coming to you for free. You can do us two favors:
- Shop at Homefield Apparel, our sponsor. They’re currently running a Black Friday sale.
- Subscribe to the website using either code THEGAME for $5 for your first month, or NOV25 for half off either a semiannual or annual subscription.
Buy a subscription for yourself or a loved one that isn’t shitty and racist. The boards have grown exponentially since we dropped some premium news re: SignGate, compounded with fervor over The Game. No better time to be here.
Talking Point II: No, Uncle Bobby, They Will Not Be Burning Jim At the Stake On Saturday
All eyes appear to be on The Game this week, after Jim Harbaugh accepted his three-game suspension for the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scheme and linebackers coach Chris Partridge got the axe.
When asked about the overall gray cast that SignGate has put over Michigan right now, Dan had this to say:
When the Chris Partridge news first came out, I’m like, okay, this is where they’ve got coaches dead-to-rights knowing about the scheme. I thought that this is where we’re gonna start to see heads roll — which I’d been expecting for a while, and still do expect.
[…]
So I guess the shoe we’re still waiting to drop is whether they can tie this to any assistant coaches and coordinators, and at this point, I’m expecting that to come out. […] It feels like it’s impossible that it won’t. And at that point, you’re pretty much waiting on the NCAA to do something. It feels late for the Big Ten to do anything else.
[…]
If I’m being honest, and I know this sounds like coping, I don’t care that much. Just because I think if they were to vacate wins, that would suck, but I don’t really care if I’m being honest. If they give Harbaugh a show-cause [penalty], I think Harbaugh’s probably gone to the NFL if he gets the chance anyway.
[…]
We’ll find more and it’ll probably suck, but at the end of the day, the NCAA will come down with their punishment, there’ll be some level of litigation, and the program will move on.
As Ryan correctly assessed, the NCAA probably does care more about SignGate for its impacts on competitive advantages, but agrees that not a ton will come to light this week on any coordinators or assistant coaches. The Big Ten is likely waiting for the NCAA to do whatever it’ll do once its investigation concludes.
I know, I know. You don’t want to get political at the dinner table. But whether your family is full of lifelong Buckeye perverts or part of the Blue Wall, it’s worth noting that this week is just about The Game. No one thinks there’ll be a wealth of new news. Something will probably happen down the line, it’s just unclear what it’ll be. Keep your eyes on the prize, which for now, is Nov. 25.
Talking Point III: It’s a Healthy, Fair Fight
Michigan boasts very good injury luck, save for some occasional shakeups here and there. While J.J. McCarthy himself admitted he’s been a bit banged up (we’ll get there), starters and important rotational pieces seem ready to roll. Even Myles Hinton, who looked to be more seriously hurt, is set to go Saturday.
As Dan notes, the return of Henderson at left tackle may raise questions of who starts on the right:
If LaDarius Henderson is back playing at left tackle, I think they have a decision to make, whether they want to stay with Carsen Barnhart, who’s been playing poorly the last two games, or whether they want to go with Trente Jones, who I felt played pretty well in relief. […] He’s been the better player his whole career […] He’s been better than Barnhart pretty much every time he’s been on the field.
Dan, on Barnhart:
[Every college coaching staff] all [has] one guy that just does everything in practice and is clearly worse than the other guy, and […] every staff has one guy the fanbase knows should not be out there.
Ohio State is also cashing in their injury luck at the perfect time. Safety Lathan Ransom possible for postseason, but will not be available for The Game, and though there are rumors that DT Mike Hall is banged up, the defense is otherwise healthy. Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson are also healthy and close to fully operational.
Ryan, however, did not discount a classic Mick Marotti act of terror:
You do have to always expect the last-minute Ryan Day injury that no one knows why it happened — because Mick Marotti’s a terrorist — so I’m sure there’ll be another starter missing. We won’t know who it is. My guess is someone good based on his problems.
This is facetious, but Devon Brown did hurt himself in warmups, by the by.
A note on Henderson, though: he does not quite have the juice to be a bell cow back, in part because of his play style, but, in my view, possibly in part due to his relative fragility. Ryan on his overall read on Henderson:
I think he’s a relatively fragile player [who] gets hurts too often. There were some people I talked to in the program who were saying, basically, he was cleared to go for a couple weeks before Wisconsin and just didn’t have the pain tolerance to go through a rib injury, which is pretty frustrating to hear.
But he’s back, fully operational, and the rushing attack just looks different with him. He’s averaging 125 rushing yards per game and over 6.7 yards per carry in that four-game stretch. […] He looks better than he’s been since the first part of his freshman year.
A healthy Henderson should create the explosive run game that Michigan had last year, but they’ll need Dallan Hayden and Chip Trayanum to contribute — Hayden, most likely.
Now, as a Michigan fan, I have to say this: I’m not pointing out Ryan’s cynicism because I root for injuries. I do, however, think it’s worth noting that Mick Marotti does suck at his job, and has for some time, so Ohio State’s ability to withstand wear and tear is worth noting. If football is just as much a game of conditioning as it is a chess match, Ohio State comes in at a slight S&C disadvantage.
That said both teams are basically healthy. It’s looking to be a fair fight.
Talking Point IV: Who Are These Quarterbacks When The Lights Are On (Metaphorically Speaking)?
J.J. McCarthy and Kyle McCord are more spiritually similar than I think Ryan or Dan care to admit. Both are quarterbacks where it’s unclear who you’ll see every game — or in McCord’s case, which half he thinks it is.
When it comes to J.J. McCarthy, even his most vicious hater, Ryan, ceded some ground:
I will offer mea culpa here. He has been much better throughout the year than I expected him to be. I talked a lot of shit about J.J. McCarthy and he has largely been a very good quarterback. I am hoping my takes pay off for me in the biggest way possible, which is him looking like shit against Ohio State, but […] I think like 74 percent of his passes are being completed right now. He’s not putting the ball in harm’s way a ton against most teams.
McCarthy is a player whose vibes seem to emanate very clearly — Good J.J. or Bad J.J. is evident early in any given game. While he’s no longer a one-read pony, and shines in play action, his poor decision-making of yore sometimes peeps through. McCarthy doesn’t throw a lot of pick-prone passes, but does offer up some real doozies when he does. His bad-decision games tend to hang around him the entire game, which Dan describes as throwing picks in “bunches.”
Michigan needs Good J.J. to prevail, and he’s been more consistently good than bad this year. Still, this hinges on the protection he gets (or doesn’t) from the line, or his own baffling decisions. It’ll become evident, and fast.
A somewhat unpredictable quarterback? Sounds a bit like Kyle McCord:
You just don’t know what you’re gonna get, man. You just, truly, do not know. He looked fucking awesome against Michigan State. He had that amazing comeback drive against Notre Dame. He’s been lights-out in the second half all season; he’s been an absolute dipshit in the first half all season. You just don’t know which Kyle McCord you’re getting. When he’s on, he looks great.
He has thrown some intercept-able passes this year that have not been intercepted. He is probably getting away with a few, and he’s had a few, but he’s getting away with some more that should’ve been caught. I don’t think Josh Wallace or Will Johnson have great ball skills — Johnson is good but he’s not gonna do a sideline, toe-tap catch on you very often — but Mikey Sainristil does have that ability, and he’s a very, very good ball hawk.
The x-factor here? The Big House. Michigan Stadium is a raucous environment in which to play. McCarthy struggled against TCU (the biggest game of his career that wasn’t The Game), but, as Dan pointed out, the Big House will finally feel hostile. There’s an expectation this year — Michigan will win, according to us Wolverines, and a more Michigan-centric crowd than ever before could rattle him, alongside Michigan’s lights-out defensive interior, which we’re getting to. Plus, McCarthy, for his faults, has done this in a hostile crowd. It’s unclear if McCord can.
If McCord doesn’t play them out of the game in the first half, the Buckeyes could pull off a win, which brings us to our next Turkey Dinner Talking Point…
Talking Point V: Play Your Game, Buckeyes
Seriously. This is genuine, from me (a Wolverine) to you (probably a Buckeye). If the Bucks play with confidence and put trust in their talent, the rest will follow.
Last year, Jim Knowles’ defensive strategy wasn’t well-executed. This year, though, it’s possible that, despite the loss, they might try it again:
[Ryan is] very curious to see where [Ohio State tries] to bring pressure from, and how much they just wanna see if J.T. can beat someone straight up, and create pressure that way, versus trying to create these blitzes. Obviously, last year’s Game where they got beat was trying to bring that pressure and then having a blown coverage in the back end, and giving up massive, explosive plays to Michigan multiple times — which was how they lost that game as badly as they did. So I wonder if part of it is burned in Jim Knowles’ head, of, “Hey, I can’t do that,” versus, “Our secondary’s better this year, and I trust them not to blow those coverages.” And I don’t know. I have been asking myself that basically all season, because I don’t know the answer.
Michigan loves to attack blitzes with the run, and tries to muscle through pressure, but likely does not want to deal with man pressure all the time. It’s possible that Knowles’ defensive gameplan should look similar as it did last year, with a much-improved secondary (even without Ransom) that can be more solid.
Furthermore, Michigan’s offensive line and rushing attack is no longer as dominant as it was last season, even without Corum at the end of 2022. Donovan Edwards has not been anywhere near the running back anyone thought he’d be preseason, and the receiving corps has looked hampered in recent weeks without play action. The Game may come down to how McCarthy and the Michigan offense respond to an improved Ohio State defense, with a tacit acceptance that their offense has taken a step back in terms of dynamic, breakout plays. Ohio State’s defense could simply out-execute the Michigan offense, with the same plan.
This theme also rings true for the Bucks offense. Ohio State will need to make smart, strategic personnel decisions among their loaded offense. After all, as Dan said, we know what the Michigan defense will do:
Michigan is going to play two-high and try to keep everything in front of them, and rely on their [defensive] front to dominate the run game, down a man in the box. […] What running game success is going to come from explosives from [Henderson…] and that’s gonna be how much success they have. McCord is not a threat in the running game […], and they’re probably gonna have Will Johnson shadow Marvin Harrison Jr., and live with the results with Emeka [Egbuka] versus either Josh Wallace or Mikey Sainristil, whoever they put at corner No. 2. […] If you give [Wallace] help, he can at least be in the zip code and not make [a play] laughable.
To the point re: Michigan’s defensive backs, there should be some strategic decisions behind Harrison and Egbuka. Julian Fleming is a great blocker, Xavier Johnson is a dual threat rusher and receiver, and Carnell Tate has a “Marv-Lite” ability as a downfield receiver. Add in Henderson and a combo of Hayden/Trayanum to try to generate a consistent run game, and the Bucks are in business in dismantling a very good Michigan defense.
A good summary from Dan of what Michigan will try, and what Ohio State needs to do to counter:
Can Michigan just shut down the game with their front, and can they get pressure with four? I feel pretty confident in them doing that. What success Ohio State has is going to come from their individual playmakers, which could be enough to win, to be clear. Marvin Harrison is a generational wide receiver, and TreVeyon Henderson might ironically be the best running back in this game […] in terms of the way they’re playing right now.
The talent is there in the skill groups, and the defense must play up, but the strategy is not a moonshot. Which leads us to…
Talking Point vi: MICHIGAN MUST OUT-MUSCLE THE BUCKS
Ohio State’s offense can feel inefficient, but explosive. It’ll be up to Michigan’s interior to limit some of that explosion, as well as limit what McCord and the Ohio State offense can do. They can do that by simply overpowering in the trenches.
Michigan’s defensive line has, in many ways, outshone their OL counterparts this season. Mason Graham is a star alongside Ryan-described “joy to watch,” Kenneth Grant, as well as Kris Jenkins. Cam Goode and Rashaun Benny will also rotate and contribute on the interior. Braiden McGregor and the edge rushers are playing well as a whole. With some questions at center (they may play Matt Jones) and an offensive line that could get overpowered (Carson Hinzman and Donovan Jackson, in particular), this is likely part of the key for Michigan to win.
What else Michigan needs to do, according to Ryan:
The game plan, to me, to win, is a more balanced version of what they did against Penn State, in the sense that you let your defense play against Ohio State. They’re a spotty offense — get them nervous, get them off-schedule — hope you hold them to more inefficient drives and punts, and throw more than you did against Penn State. […] Try and take the air out of the game, shorten it. Run the football, run play-action pass. Do what you can with J.J., but don’t put the game in his hands; put the game in Blake Corum’s hands.
Ryan has some further thoughts on J.J. McCarthy’s successes and areas of weakness, in some ways defined by the “calculus” Michigan plays in drawing up their game plan:
[Those plays] work really well for him, and […] he has admittedly incredible third-down plays against some of those early parts of the schedule. That’s happened less. I think the reason they stopped throwing the ball against Penn State is their calculus was, one, “Penn State can’t score, so we can just take the air out of this game.” Two, is, “We can’t protect J.J. to give him time to do that shit.” And, as a dropback passer — I’m not saying he’s a bad quarterback — if you can control the ball on the ground and average three, four yards a carry […] you can just get enough to get enough first downs, flip the field, force Penn State to go the full length of the field — you know you can’t do it. Just do what it takes to win the game and win ugly.
Certainly J.T. Tuimoloau should cause problems keeping the pocket clean, but ideally McCarthy should play his own game, knowing that he’ll have to extend plays, without doing it all.
If the defense does its job and disrupts, forcing better field position and shortening the field for the Wolverines, the offense can build up some of the confidence it lost through November. It should run through Corum, or through more inspired passing downs, and could muscle its way into a balanced, ugly win.
Frankly, ugly wins are wins, and they hurt a rival the most. This brings me to our final Thanksgiving talking point…
Talking Point V: It Means More Than Everything. Be A Hater.
This is, without a doubt, the most hype The Game has had since at least 2006, but it should always feel this way.
All Ryan knew from his first semester freshman year was beating Michigan, and he finally knows what defeat feels like. Conversely, Dan (and I) have only recently tasted this brand of success, SignGate be damned. It still means everything to all of us.
And you know what? None of us care whether or not the teams are good. In fact, we reject the idea of wanting Michigan/OSU to “be good” again — we want total war, all the time. Michigan fans can learn from this rabid mindset, frankly:
There were Ohio State fans who were like, “I want Michigan to be good again,” or, “it’s better when Michigan is a great team, and there’s juice around it.” I fucking don’t! I want you guys to go 0-12 and to beat you 100 to nothing every single year. That’s what makes me happy.
I care about every Michigan game. People who say, “Oh, you’re obsessed with us.” Fuck you, you don’t deserve the rivalry.
I used to be a, “we live rent-free in your heads” type of fan. I’ve evolved past it. I’m a hater now.
My goal is to beat Ohio State. Always. I want to win when they’re up. I’ll stomp on their graves when they (hopefully) become as bad as the JV teams that used to frontload Michigan’s schedule. Michigan could be that shitty team, and I’ll believe they can win anyway.
All those football-related talking points from this podcast? They go away on Nov. 25. On Saturday, we forget logic and go to war. There’s a hate that runs deep, and we should live rent-free in each other’s minds. Not even the expanded Playoff and the possibility of Game rematches should bastardize what this weekend means.
Dan said it best: It’s the most important game in all of American sport. What even comes close?
Ryan’s prediction: 24-20, Ohio State.
Dan’s prediction: 24-20, Michigan.
Taylor’s prediction (because I typed this up and I deserve a say): 28-21, Michigan.