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Mason Graham on dominant performance against Ohio State: 'I don't know what their game plan was ... I was dominating every play'

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•about 10 hours•

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Mason Graham
Michigan Wolverines football defensive tackle Mason Graham was a unanimous All-American in 2024. (Photo by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan Wolverines football stunned Ohio State, 13-10, to mark its fourth-straight victory over the Buckeyes last November in Columbus, and defensive tackle Mason Graham deserved a large deal of the credit.

Graham and Michigan’s defensive line dominated up front, allowing the Wolverines to play with a lighter box and limit the big plays through the air. That strategy would only work if Graham and Co. hold their own, and they did much more than that.

Ohio State rushed for only 77 yards on 26 carries but also had just 1 catch of 20-plus yards. Nineteen of Ohio State’s 26 rushing attempts went for 3 or fewer yards. According to PFF, the Buckeyes racked up 61 yards after contact on 77 rushing yards, meaning they got only 0.65 yards before contact per run from the offensive line.

A projected top-five pick, Graham was asked at the NFL Combine which one or two plays people should watch to learn what kind of player he is.

“I mean, I feel like just rolling that Ohio State film,” he replied. “That’s all you need to see, really.”

Graham, a unanimous All-American in 2024, posted 7 tackles for the following Ohio State yardage gains: 0, 1, 2, 2, 1, 3, 0. But it wasn’t just those plays that defined how effective he was.

“I feel like if you watch the tape, I was dominating every play,” he said on an interview with Pro Football Talk. “I don’t know kinda what their game plan was — it was to run at me and KG [defensive tackle Kenneth Grant] — but I didn’t think that was best for them. We kinda shut them down, and I feel like that was one of my most dominant games.”

Graham tipped his cap to Ohio State, noting it was one of the best teams Michigan faced last season.

“I feel like they were one of the better teams,” he confirmed. “[Texas is] also good, too. Oregon was also really good. We had a really packed in schedule this year, coming off our natty year. We lost a lot of guys, but I feel like it was full of competition, some of the better teams.”

Ohio State made the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff and wound up winning the final.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Graham said. “I always knew that they had weapons. I feel like they can match up with other teams really well. I wasn’t really surprised. I knew they were a great team, but …”

Graham said he will be “grateful for the opportunity” wherever he ends up in the draft, and he has plenty of suitors. Many analysts are projecting him No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he could go even higher. He has a chance to impress at the combine this week, and he wants NFL teams to know the following about him: “Just how hard I work. No off the field stuff; I’m all about business. No one’s really concerned about that. I’m not a mysterious guy. You don’t need to look deep into me to find out about me. Everything is out there. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

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