Michigan Monday: Game 12 vs. #1 Ohio State
#15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. #1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten)
Michigan Stadium / Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Nov. 29 | Noon
Television: Fox | Radio: Learfield Michigan Sports Network
What You Need to Know
• This will be the 121st meeting between Michigan and Ohio State.
• U-M has wins in 40 of its last 46 games against conference schools.
• Michigan is 11th nationally in rushing defense (94.0 avg.), 15th in scoring defense (17.9 avg.) and 17th in total defense (302. ypg).
• Andrew Marsh leads the team with a freshman record 641 yards on 42 catches with three touchdowns.
• U-M has 12 100-yard rushing efforts this fall: Justice Haynes (6), Jordan Marshall (4), Bryson Kuzdzal (1) and Bryce Underwood (1).
• Derrick Moore has seven sacks in the last four games; ranks 10th in the NCAA (0.86 avg.).
The Game
• The Game was selected as the greatest rivalry in all of sport by ESPN.com in 1999.
• The Game ranks tied for the 14th most-played rivalry in FBS (Division I-A) history.
• The two programs played every year from 1918 through 2019 (102 years), a streak that ranked eighth in Division I-A for the longest uninterrupted series; the 2020 game was cancelled due to COVID issues within the Michigan program.
• The overall series dates back to 1897, when the Wolverines claimed a 34-0 victory over the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor.
• The Game was moved to the final Saturday of the Big Ten season in 1935; since that time, the match-up has had the potential for major impact in the Big Ten standings 51 times.
• There have been 24 occasions where the two schools decided the Big Ten champion between themselves based on the outcome on that Saturday; for 10 years (1972-81), the outcome decided which of the two teams would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl
• Since the Ohio State dedication game in 1922, more than 9 million fans have attended the annual game played between the two schools, with 74 of those 102 games being sellouts.
• Since 1922, more people have attended this game than any other gridiron match-up in the country.
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Game Promotions
• Senior Day
• Michigan Football Alumni Recognition
• FanFest
• Football Alumni Team Recognitions
• Flyover - U.S. Air Force F-15E from the 389th Fighter Squadron
• On Field DJ - DJ Truth
• Marching Band Halftime Show - It’s the Holidays, Charlie Brown!
Full Promotions Schedule
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Michigan vs. Ohio State
• This will be the 121st meeting between Michigan and Ohio State.
• The Buckeyes are the most common opponent for the Wolverines, trailed closely by Michigan State (118 games).
• The Wolverines hold a 62-52-6 advantage in the all-time series, but the Buckeyes have a 6-4 edge in the last 10 meetings.
• Michigan has won the last four matchups, defeating Ohio State at home in 2021 and 2023 and in Columbus in 2022 and 2024.
• Sherrone Moore was the program's acting head coach in 2023 when the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes, 30-24, at Michigan Stadium.
• Moore won his first as the team's permanent head coach, defeating Ohio State by a 13-10 score at Ohio Stadium in 2024.
• This will be the 51st meeting between the two archrivals at Michigan Stadium and the 62nd all-time meeting in Ann Arbor.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 25-22-3 record against the Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium and are 33-24-4 in Ann Arbor.
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Michigan When Ranked vs. Ohio State
• U-M has been ranked in the AP poll for 63 match-ups with Ohio State.
• Michigan is 32-27-4 all-time against Ohio State when listed in the top 25 of the polls
• The Wolverines have compiled a 24-23-4 record against the Buckeyes when both teams enter the game ranked in the AP poll
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Seven Wolverines Hail from Ohio
• Michigan has seven (7) players who hail from the state of Ohio. Five players from the state have seen game action this fall: RB Jordan Marshall, S Rod Moore, OL Luke Hamilton, DL Ted Hammond and OL Ben Roebuck. The two other Ohio Wolverines are WR CJ Charleston and QB Chase Herbstreit.
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Game Note Nuggets
• The U-M offense has tallied 55 plays of 20-plus yards on offense (35 receiving, 20 rushing) through 11 weeks (six in week one, four, eight, three, seven, one, three, four, five, seven, six). Andrew Marsh leads the team with 16 such plays (15 receiving, one rushing) on offense. He also has six via kickoff return.
• The offensive line has paved the way for 32 touchdowns on the ground so far this year (sixth, FBS) while allowing 17 sacks against in the pass game. The unit has employed five different starting lineups in 11 games due to injuries.
• The offense is permitting opposing defenses to create an average of 3.91 negative plays per game, ranking U-M 14th nationally in tackles for loss allowed. OSU averages 6.1 TFLs per game as a defense.
• The Wolverine backfield has shown its depth with three different starters reaching 100 yards rushing throughout the season. Justice Haynes has six 100-yard games; Jordan Harshall has four and Bryson Kuzdzal has one. All three have a three-touchdown performance as well, which, per the Big Ten Network, is the first time that has occurred for a conference team this century.
• Whoever starts for Michigan has at least 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in 10-of-11 games this year (159, 125, 104, 149, 117, 152 yards for Haynes; 133, 185, 142 yards for Marshall, 100 for Kuzdzal), with the lone exception being at USC when Haynes left with an injury.
• Altogether, U-M has 12 separate 100-yard rushing performances on the year (Haynes, 6; Marshall, 4; Bryce Underwood and Kuzdzal, 1), the most by a Michigan team since 2022 (Corum, 8; Edwards, 5).
• The last time four different rushers had 100-plus yard games in a season was 1998 (Thomas, 3; Williams, 2; Cross, 1; Fargas, 1).
• On the whole, the Michigan run game is 10th in the FBS, averaging 223.5 yards per contest. U-M has 200-plus yards in seven contests, including 250-plus yards in four. The Buckeye defense averages 80 yards per game on the ground to opponents.
• U-M has four straight 200-yard rushing games heading into this weekend, its longest streak since a four-game stretch in 2022 (Penn State, Michigan State, at Rutgers, at Nebraska).
• Six different players have scored on the ground this year, and Marshall is tied with Justice Haynes for the team lead with 10 rushing touchdowns (tied-35th, FBS).
• Marshall has passed Haynes in rushing yards (871 to 857), and the duo ranks fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Big Ten despite time missed. In Big Ten play, Marshall is fourth with 762 rushing yards and tied third with eight touchdowns.
• Marshall has just four yards lost on 143 carries this year, averaging 6.1 yards per carry (23rd, FBS). He had three straight 100-yard games before missing the contest at Maryland with four overall and has multiple scores in three games this year.
• U-M leads the FBS in rushing plays of 50-plus yards (eight), six of which have gone for touchdowns. Haynes and Marshall (four) are each tied for third nationally among individual leaders. OSU has not allowed a 50-plus-yard run this year.
• Quarterback Bryce Underwood is averaging 4.7 yards per carry with four touchdowns of his own. Adjusted for sacks, Underwood averages 6.0 yards per carry (54 rushes for 325 yards).
• Underwood's 62.2 percent completion rating (171-of-275 passing) comes with an average of 7.87 yards per attempt and a pass efficiency rating of 135.5.
• Underwood is up to 2,166 pass yards on the year. At Maryland, he passed Tate Forcier (2,050 yards, 2009) for the second-most passing yards by a freshman U-M quarterback. Chad Henne (2,743) set the high mark in 2004.
• Underwood has registered seven 200-yard passing games this season, matching Henne for the most by a freshman passer, though Henne produced three 300-yard games that season.
• Andrew Marsh has emerged as the team's most productive pass-catcher with 41 catches for 611 yards in league play (42, 641 overall), ranking him third in receiving yards. Marsh's line at Northwestern (12 catches, 189 yards) set single-game receiving records among true freshmen at Michigan (since at least 1979).
• Tight ends have combined to catch 44 passes for 508 yards this season (11.5 yards per catch). Five different players in the room have caught a pass.
• U-M's defense has at least one turnover forced in 10 of 11 games this season, and multiple turnovers in five contests.
• Cole Sullivan leads the team with four turnovers forced (three interceptions, one fumble recovery). Sullivan is one of nine U-M linebackers to record three or more interceptions in a season and the first since Steve Morrison in 1991. Morrison's five picks that season are a single-season record for linebackers at U-M.
• U-M is ranked 17th in total defense, averaging 302.5 yards allowed per game. The Buckeyes average 206.6 yards allowed to opponents per game, which leads the nation.
• Nine different players have U-M's 12 picks: Zeke Berry, Mason Curtis, Elijah Dotson, T.J. Guy, Brandyn Hillman, TJ Metcalf, Jacob Oden, Rod Moore, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan (three).
• Through nine games, 19 different players have an interception or pass breakup: four linebackers, four defensive linemen, and 11 defensive backs. Zeke Berry leads the defense with nine passes defended (eight breakups, one interception). The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten in total pass breakups (passes defended plus interceptions) with 41 (Oregon, 52).
• The pass rush has averaged 2.5 quarterback takedowns per game (26th, FBS). U-M's 28 sacks generated are fifth in the Big Ten and one behind Ohio State; only Central Michigan and Northwestern have escaped without a sack taken against U-M.
• That figure has helped pad a TFL rank of 35th nationally, with the defense averaging 6.2 negative plays per contest. Derrick Moore leads the team with 9.5 sacks and 10.0 TFL. The Buckeyes permit opponents 3.27 TFLs per game, which is tied for fourth-fewest in the FBS.
• Moore's strong November has vaulted him up to 10th nationally in sacks (0.86 per game). That figure ranks second among Big Ten players, and first outright in conference play.
• Moore is appropriately up to eighth all-time at Michigan with 20.5 career sacks, having passed Tim Jamison (20) with his takedown at Maryland. Four players are tied for fourth all-time with 24 career sacks.
• The defense as a whole has also done a good job of ensuring minimal big-play opportunities for opponents. On the ground, opponents have 29 rushes of 10-plus yards (11th-fewest, FBS); Ohio State ranks tied-sixth with 26 such rushes allowed. Opponents have no rushes of 50-plus yards against the Wolverines, tied with 21 other teams for the fewest allowed.
• Opponents have completed one pass of 50-plus yards, making U-M one of four teams to allow one 50-plus yard play (rushing and passing combined) or fewer on the year. The others are Army, Iowa and TCU.
• The rushing defense is ranked 12th, allowing 96.3 yards per contest and 3.0 yards per carry on 322 rushes.
• Linebacker Ernest Hausmann is pacing the defense with 68 tackles, followed by Jimmy Rolder (57). TJ Metcalf leads the secondary (41 stops) and Rayshaun Benny (28) has the most among interior defensive linemen.
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