Senior defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) points to the sky after a play against No. 5 Indiana Saturday at the Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes won 38-15. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
All roads have led to this.
With a trip to the Big Ten Championship on the line, Ohio State’s final obstacle is Michigan. The No. 2 Buckeyes will battle the Wolverines noon Saturday at Ohio Stadium, with 1,827 days having passed since Ohio State’s last triumph over their archrivals in 2019.
“To say that this team, and those leaders and those seniors want to win this game, it would be one of the biggest understatements of all time,” head coach Ryan Day said.
Senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said his burning desire to beat the Wolverines played a crucial role in his decision to forgo the NFL draft and come back to Columbus.
“You come to Ohio State to beat ‘The Team Up North,’ to win a pair of gold pants,” Egbuka said. “Just handing the gold pants to my mother is a memory I’m really looking forward to.”
In the past, this matchup has often featured two of the best teams in the Big Ten. But this year, the Wolverines have failed to hold up their end of the stick. Michigan is 6-5 and 4-4 in Big Ten play heading into “The Game.”
Despite their underwhelming record, senior defensive end Jack Sawyer said records don’t matter heading into the contest.
“Every year, it doesn’t matter what the record is,” Sawyer said. “Our record or their record, it’s gonna be a war no matter what.”
Egbuka agreed.
“It’s going to be a battle no matter what,” Egbuka said. “If they have nine players on the field and we have 12, it’s still going to be a battle.”
In past years, The Game has been won in the trenches. In Michigan’s past three victories, it has consistently garnered more rushing yards than the Buckeyes.
This year, the trenches will be just as important.
“The team who runs the ball and the team who stops the run is gonna win The Game,” Day said.
Though the Buckeyes must anticipate Michigan’s tendencies and schemes to be prepared for The Game, Egbuka said players’ focus remains primarily on themselves, not the Wolverines.
“We’re going into that game ready to spill blood for each other because we love each other, not necessarily going to war because we hate the other side,” Egbuka said.
What would a win mean to the players?
Everything.
More specifically, Sawyer said he knows what’s at stake and how much this game means.
“It would mean everything to this program, to coach Day and all the guys that have been here the last four years,” he said. “It would mean everything.”
Senior linebacker and Block “O” recipient Cody Simon said the same.
“It would just be everything. You can’t really describe it with anything tangible, but just fulfillment in a lot of areas, and just joy for the team and all the seniors that came back too,” Simon said.
Ohio State currently sits at nearly three-touchdown favorites to win The Game, according to most major sportsbooks, meaning the Buckeyes would have to win by more than roughly 21 points for people to win their bets.
Day is ready for the challenge.
“We know what we need to do,” Day said. “Our guys are trying to win every single play; that’s it.”
