Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald (56), Denzel Burke (10) and TreVeyon Henderson (32) line up at the front of the tunnel ahead of the Buckeyes 38-3 victory over Michigan State Nov. 11 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Brett Price | Managing Editor for Content
“We’re gonna get it done for the state of Ohio.”
With over a century’s worth of tradition resting on the shoulder pads of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, all they have to do is win, and the rivalry will be restored for all of Ohio.
Senior cornerback Denzel Burke confidently said the team will come out on top against No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Saturday. They’re doing it for themselves, Columbus and Ohio altogether.
For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet as undefeated foes — the future of their seasons riding on the outcome.
“The only thing that matters is this game, is this team — is preparing,” head coach Ryan Day said. “The rest of it doesn’t matter.”
Ultimately, whoever exits the Big House Saturday will advance to the Big Ten Championship with hopes of landing in the College Football Playoff. For Burke, first things first: getting his first pair of gold pants.
With a canceled contest in 2020 followed by two stinging losses, the last time Ohio State won the game was in 2019, meaning only six current Buckeyes know the high of defeating their rivals and can flex a pair of gold pants around their necks.
“We’re gonna be the villain walking in there and this game is really just about respect for us,” Burke said. “Especially my class the last two years [we] haven’t got it done, no gold pants, so we just gotta go out there and just be us.”
It’ll be an accolade not given, but earned.
Michigan leads the Big Ten in six categories and the nation in two, including scoring and total defense, in which it averages allowing 9 points and 234.8 yards per game.
The Buckeyes don’t fall short in either category, creating what Day calls a “matchup” game.
Ohio State is second in the conference and NCAA in scoring defense, allowing 9.3 points per game, and third in both for total defense, giving opponents just 252.9 yards per contest through 11 games.
Burke, who ranks second in the Big Ten in passes defended with eight, said the defense’s mindset heading into Saturday is to take it play by play — each snap is another chance.
“Just thinking about the game, my heart — my blood boils. I’m really just ready to go out there and do what I — do what we can do,” Burke said. “Every play is important, this is a game of inches. You never know when that play could be the game changer. Our mentality is to take care of every single play, play hard, make plays when your number is called.”
With the Wolverine’s offensive weapons, beginning with junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, they possess the No. 1 scoring offense in the conference, as well as the first-best team in third-down conversions.
McCarthy, his duo of running backs in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards and a plethora of dynamic receivers combine to put up an average of 38.3 points per game and convert over 50 percent of their third-down attempts.
Though, when asked about what stands out on Michigan’s film, Burke said “nothing.”
Maybe it’s because the Buckeyes top the Big Ten’s chart in third-down conversion defense, only allowing 29 percent of conversions on the season and their opponents going 19-for-86 over the last six contests.
For Ohio State’s offense and first-year starting quarterback Kyle McCord, Michigan’s defense will bring new challenges, as the Buckeyes have the No. 1 total offense and passing offense in the Big Ten.
“There’s a reason why they’re playing the way they are right now and that starts a lot just with their effort and so, you know, we know it’s gonna be a fist fight on Saturday, but I think we’ll be ready for it,” McCord said.
The Buckeyes will be strapped with all of their offensive weapons, completely healthy, for the first time in several weeks. Senior tight end Cade Stover, juniors wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson have taken turns missing time throughout the season, leaving Ohio State to rely on other pieces of its offense and create different schemes.
A standout — Marvin Harrison Jr. — is someone with good hands in which to leave the offense. With Harrison and the full depth of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, it could be a matchup for the ages.
“Progression really stems from the running game,” Harrison said. “Having Trey back definitely helps the whole offense just how explosive a playmaker he is, and all the sudden you have Emeka back healthy and Cade coming back healthy, so it’s definitely nice to see us kind of clicking on all cylinders going into this game.”
Henderson averages 99.3 yards per game, the best in the Big Ten, and Harrison leads the conference in yards on the season with 1,093. He recently became the only Ohio State receiver to accomplish two seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.
With talent on both sides of the ball, tradition in the air and a pair of gold pants on the line for the Buckeyes, Saturday is their opportunity to “get it done,” as Burke said.
The Game comes around once a year, but for Ohio State, it’s been 1,454 days since its score was higher when the clock ran out. McCord said winning this game is something you dream of.
“When you’re a little kid, you dream of moments like this,” McCord said. “Two undefeated teams in the biggest rivalry in sports, you can’t draw it up any better than that.”
The Buckeyes will look to make their dream a reality.
The matchup will be broadcast on FOX Big Noon Kickoff and will begin at noon.
