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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Josh Keatley

Ohio State football vs. Michigan Wolverines: 3 and out halftime observations

The Ohio State football team is heading into halftime tied with the Michigan Wolverines at 10-10, and one of these teams was not ready to play. The Buckeyes were expected to win by more than three touchdowns and now I think they are just hoping to come away with a win.

There is not of positive to takeaway from this game other than the fact that the offense showed some life with its last drive earning the tying touchdown. Quarterback Will Howard has had an up and down game and went down briefly due to a serious hit on a q-run.

The offense has also not really gotten on track, especially in the running game, but we’ll dive into that. Here are three halftime observations from Ohio State’s first half against Michigan, one in which the teams headed to the locker room tied at 10-10.

The receivers are open

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Will Johnson is not playing and the Michigan defensive backfield can clearly not compete with these Ohio State receivers. Jeremiah Smith looks like he found his groove a bit and Carnell Tate is open almost ever play. I would expect the Buckeyes to lean into the passing attack more in the second half.

Will Howard is healthy

Michigan Wolverines defensive back Makari Paige (7) tackles Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) with the help of Michigan Wolverines linebacker Ernest Hausmann (15) on a run during the second quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

The whole stadium went silent when Howard went down, but he is back and better than ever. After throwing an early interception, Howard looks like a new man and heads into halftime completing 12 of 18 passing attempts for 119 yards.

Don’t expect an explosion

This rivalry has historically been a barnburner the last decade, but this year is not going to play out that way. Ohio State has the ability to embarrass Michigan in the second half, but after witnessing the last three years, we just need to hope Ryan Day can get the win.

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