Michigan football: OSU's defense is preparing for Blake Corum to play
Michigan football will finally meet its match on Saturday afternoon when it heads to Columbus for a match with fellow 11-0 Ohio State. The Wolverines currently have the upper hand in the series coming off a victory last year. That caused a lot of inward reflection around the OSU program after a 42-27 defeat in Ann Arbor.
When the dust settled, OSU head coach Ryan Day chose to bring in former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to revamp the Buckeye defense. In a lot of ways, he was brought in to be a Michigan buster.
This year’s Michigan offense is built around an elite and physical run game, but the pass offense led by sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy has been efficient. McCarthy’s legs have also been a problem for teams and could be an X-factor in Saturday’s game.
“I think we have a hard-charging, aggressive, defensive line and I think anytime you have guys who really get after it, scrambling can be an issue,” Knowles said this week. “We continue to work on it, I guess I’ll say. We’ll keep practicing, you know what I mean? It’s definitely an issue, though, when you have guys that can get after the quarterback and I’m glad we have them. Now it’s my job to fix it.”
He continued: “They’re a complete offense and they challenge you in a lot of different ways. You have to have some different things that you can go to at different times to try to keep the offense off-balance, that’s the only way to answer the question. Those points that you mentioned, the things that they do and they do it well, you just gotta counterattack. That’s what we’ve been working on all year.”
Knowles has prepped for Michigan-style run attacks before
Knowles and the Buckeyes want to take Michigan’s run game out of the equation on Saturday, or at least limit the damage. Coming from a Big-12 background at the “other OSU,” Knowles has seen some top-flight offenses, but typically revolved around the passing attack. He still sees similarities in other experiences he has had.
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“Kansas State in the Big 12. At Duke certainly had my share of option football with Army, Navy and Georgia Tech,” Knowles said. “It’s difficult to simulate the way that they run the ball. You just have to go back to your habits and your training. Again, put guys in great position. Make sure everybody knows that everybody has to tackle. I think that’s a mentality, everybody has to tackle because they’re going to put corners, safeties, everybody, they’re going to put different people into position where you’re going to have to make the tackle.
“It’s really a mentality. You scheme against it some. Difficult to practice. It’s just a matter of habits and everything you work for to this point and all your strength training and all the extra work you did over the summer, that all comes into play when push comes to shove.”
Of course, the biggest storyline of the week is whether or not running back Blake Corum will suit up for Michigan on Saturday afternoon. OSU is not leaving any room for gray area. They expect him to be on the field.
“We’re not spending time any time investigating whether he’s playing or not, just assuming he’s going to play,” Knowles said. “He’s an exceptional back, like you said. Very talented. It has a lot to do with discipline and understanding angles. Taking your shot when you have it but on the appropriate angle. Playing hard within the scheme. A lot to do with discipline because if you’re out of place, he’ll make you pay for it.”
