Position grades for Michigan Football’s frustrating loss to Ohio State

The Michigan Wolverines suffered a 27-9 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, marking their first loss in The Game since 2019.

Here are our grades for each position group as Michigan’s win streak over Ohio State was snapped.

Michigan came out with an extremely conservative offensive game plan, which meant Bryce Underwood avoided critical mistakes but was never really able to create explosive plays. He finished with an abysmal 63 passing yards and one interception on 8-of-18 passing.

The Wolverines found success on the ground on the opening drive, as Jordan Marshall rattled off a 36-yard run to open the game. But Marshall was limited to seven carries due to injury, recording 61 yards on 8.7 yards per carry. Bryson Kuzdzal added 38 yards on 11 carries, as Michigan lost the rushing battle to Ohio State for the first time in six years.

The wide receiving corps didn’t make an impact, as Donaven McCulley led the way with 46 yards on three catches. Meanwhile, Andrew Marsh was blanketed by Ohio State’s secondary, totaling zero receptions on zero targets for the first time since September. Marsh was playing as good as any receiver in the Big Ten over the last two months but was a complete non-factor against Ohio State.

With Max Bredeson unable to play due to injury, the Wolverines were forced to lean on Marlin Klein and Deakon Tonielli in the passing game and Jalen Hoffman as a blocker in the running game. Tonielli grabbed one catch for just two yards and Hoffman made a few nice blocks early in the game, but the tight ends unit failed to do much.

The offensive line was thoroughly outplayed by Ohio State’s defensive line, especially in the second half. Michigan struggled in pass protection, which has been a trend for a majority of the season, and the running game mustered up only 62 yards following the first drive. Ohio State’s defensive front was the more physically tough unit, and that became abundantly clear as the game went on.

Michigan’s defensive line was dominated as well. The Wolverines were never able to create any pressure and the Buckeyes started to find a rhythm on the ground, finishing with a 186-100 edge in rushing yards. Not to mention, Jaishawn Barham gave Ohio State a free first down in the red zone after inexplicably making illegal contact with a referee.

Michigan relied on Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan, as Ernest Hausmann missed his second straight game. Rolder and Sullivan were effective early on, but they weren’t able to keep up with Ohio State’s athleticism and speed in the second quarter and beyond. Rolder finished with a team-high 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Sullivan posted six tackles and one tackle for loss.

The secondary started with a bang, as Zeke Berry had a pass breakup on Ohio State’s opening play, and Jyaire Hill snatched an interception on the next play. That said, the secondary eventually started to give up some big plays, as Berry was beat for a touchdown and a miscommunication by TJ Metcalf and Jaden Mangham led to a 50-yard touchdown as well.

It was another poor showing from the punting unit, as Hudson Hollenbeck shanked an 11-yard punt that gave Ohio State great field position in the third quarter. Two plays later, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown to extend the lead to 24-9. Dominic Zvada went 3-for-3 on field goals in his best performance of the season, but it was a moot point as the Wolverines were blown out in the second half.