Ohio State vs Michigan Pregame Report
Brendan Gulick and Anthony Moeglin get you ready for Ohio State vs Michigan before the mayhem ensues.
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - It is finally here, the game in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
00:14 We are on site for Ohio State in Michigan,
00:17 one of the premier games in any sporting event
00:20 in the country and for two fan bases
00:23 that truly hate each other.
00:25 Today is gonna be an epic day.
00:26 Can't wait to cover this one here in person
00:29 and looking forward to a day that hopefully
00:31 will be a memorable one for a long, long time.
00:34 Brendan Gulick and Anthony Meglin with you,
00:35 part of Buckeyes now on the Fan Nation Network
00:38 with the Sports Illustrated Media Group.
00:39 And if you can't tell,
00:41 it's pretty cold here in Michigan,
00:45 but we're not expecting any precipitation,
00:49 rain or snow all day unlike two years ago
00:51 when we were here and that's the best news.
00:53 Cold football is just fine this time of year,
00:56 but you want dry football for a game like this.
00:58 Anthony, good morning, what are you thinking?
01:00 - Great morning to you and yeah,
01:01 for all intents and purposes, right, end of November,
01:03 it looks like a pretty darn good day
01:05 right where you are in Ann Arbor.
01:07 It looks like the sun's shining and it's exciting, man.
01:09 And it was one of those things, you wake up this morning,
01:12 the group chats are going off,
01:14 nobody slept last night,
01:15 everyone's getting ready and excited in Ohio
01:17 for a big day today and I'm fired up for it
01:20 and it's gonna be, should be an awesome one.
01:22 We got a great one on our hands this afternoon.
01:25 - So I guess I'm conveniently positioned
01:27 where the stadium is right behind me,
01:28 but I'm looking at the swath of people
01:31 that are lined up for Fox Big News kickoff
01:33 and for college game day and there are easily
01:37 at least as many people already outside the stadium
01:40 as there will be inside the stadium
01:42 when this thing kicks off here in a couple of hours.
01:44 I parked a mile and a half away at someone's house
01:48 where I had free parking in their driveway
01:50 and when I got to the end of their street
01:52 and walked straight up stadium,
01:54 it was bumper to bumper stoplights
01:56 and that was at least 45 minutes ago at this point.
02:00 So if you're not here yet and you're coming to the game,
02:02 you probably should have left already,
02:03 not sure what to tell you.
02:05 The environment here is quite a party.
02:08 - It's gonna be awesome.
02:09 It's the best environment in college football.
02:10 It's the best rivalry in all of sports
02:13 and especially like you had said earlier in the week,
02:16 the stakes around this game
02:17 are higher than they've ever been.
02:19 This is really the last one potentially for a long time
02:21 that's gonna have this kind of meeting
02:24 with two 11 and 0 teams, two undefeateds
02:26 and this has the makings to be an all-time
02:30 or an instant classic.
02:32 - And so let's kind of dive into the game a little bit here.
02:36 We've talked throughout the course of the week.
02:38 If you've missed several of our shows,
02:40 they're available on our YouTube channel
02:41 and we would appreciate it
02:42 if you'd subscribe to that channel.
02:44 Look, we've gone into like matchups and specific players,
02:49 things you think you really wanna watch along the way.
02:53 I guess as I get closer and closer to kickoff,
02:57 the thing I'm like most fix on,
03:00 trying to really lock in on, pay attention to
03:04 is defensive line play.
03:06 Ohio State's defensive tackles have to play well.
03:09 They have to be disruptive, especially in the run game.
03:13 And frankly, I mean, Michigan's strength defensively
03:16 is their defensive line.
03:17 They've been terrific this year.
03:18 So I mean, does it put more pressure on the offensive line
03:21 or defensive line?
03:22 I guess it depends on how you look at it.
03:23 But without a doubt, I think the team that plays better
03:27 upfront defensively is gonna put themselves
03:29 in a really good spot.
03:30 - Yeah, I was just gonna say,
03:31 to even build off the interior defensive linemen,
03:34 I think it's whoever wins the line of scrimmage
03:36 is gonna have the advantage today.
03:39 And that's on both sides of the football.
03:40 Whoever can run it better on offense
03:42 and whoever can stop the run.
03:43 And this feels like to me,
03:45 even just getting prepped for this game
03:47 and talking all week about it,
03:48 this feels like one of those really old school,
03:51 this is gonna be on the ground,
03:52 there's gonna be a lot of running,
03:54 not too much passing.
03:55 I think that whoever's gonna win this football game
03:58 is gonna win the line of scrimmage
03:59 and be able to control the tempo of the game on the ground
04:02 and then build their pass game off of it.
04:04 - From a quarterback perspective,
04:08 I'm trying to figure out where I think
04:11 the true advantage is because I think both quarterbacks
04:14 have obviously had good seasons.
04:16 I mean, let's be objective about it.
04:17 They've both played really well.
04:18 I don't know that either guy is a legitimate, bona fide
04:21 Heisman Trophy contender.
04:23 I don't think that's quite where they've been.
04:26 Kyle McCord didn't play quite as well last week,
04:29 but in general has certainly been progressing,
04:32 getting better throughout the year.
04:34 JJ McCarthy, maybe not quite 100% healthy,
04:37 perhaps that hinders him a little bit.
04:39 I guess JJ's maybe a bit more proven.
04:42 He's obviously played in this game before,
04:44 but I don't know.
04:48 I feel like quarterback play is probably
04:51 on a pretty level playing field.
04:53 I don't know that everybody would agree with that,
04:54 but that's kind of how I see it coming in.
04:56 - And it almost feels like,
04:59 if you look at these teams across the board,
05:01 you look at quarterback, you look at running back,
05:02 you look at the offensive line,
05:04 it's pretty even everywhere.
05:05 And I think that in my opinion,
05:08 I think that, like I said just a minute ago,
05:10 whoever wins the line of scrimmage
05:11 and is able to run the football
05:12 is gonna have an advantage.
05:13 And whoever's quarterback makes the big play,
05:16 where's that big play gonna happen?
05:18 Is it gonna happen early on in the game?
05:20 Is it gonna happen on the last drive?
05:22 But one of these quarterbacks
05:24 is gonna have to separate their team
05:27 to win this football game today.
05:28 And the reason I have some confidence in Kyle McCourt
05:33 is that the past couple of weeks
05:34 have just been getting better and better
05:36 and better and better.
05:37 And it's not been great.
05:38 He hasn't blown the doors off anything,
05:40 but just steadily getting better and playing good football.
05:42 And on the flip side of things,
05:43 I think JJ McCarthy's kind of been getting
05:45 a little bit kind of on a decline, not horrible,
05:46 but just not playing to kind of his standard.
05:50 So that's what excites me and gives me confidence
05:52 that Kyle McCourt, when the chips are down
05:54 and Ohio State needs a throw or needs a drive,
05:56 that number six is gonna come up for the Buckeyes
05:58 and make that big play
06:00 to really separate the Bucs in this one.
06:02 - We've talked about it and you hear a lot of people
06:06 talking about the emotions
06:08 that you play with in a rivalry game.
06:10 How difficult, since you've been in the heat
06:12 of some really tough rivalries when you played,
06:14 how difficult is it to play with emotion
06:17 without letting emotions play with you
06:20 on a stage where everything's at stake?
06:23 - That's big professionalism out of you.
06:24 That was a good one.
06:25 That was really good there.
06:27 No, it's one of those things, Brendan,
06:29 it's like, all right, you gotta, in my opinion,
06:32 what I always tried to do in any big game
06:33 was allow myself to be in the moment
06:35 right before kickoff or right in warmups.
06:38 Like, hey, take this in.
06:39 You know, this is a special day, you know,
06:40 and I hope the players are able to do that
06:42 right before kick.
06:43 Look around, hey, for the Ohio State,
06:44 you're in enemy territory.
06:45 You have an opportunity to kind of cement your legacy
06:48 and cement your history for Ohio State.
06:49 And then once that kick goes, it's football.
06:52 You gotta get rid of the rivalry.
06:55 You gotta get rid of I hate you or I hate this,
06:57 and you just have to execute
06:59 'cause execution is what's gonna win this game.
07:01 I could rah-rah all day long and be excited,
07:04 but if I make a mistake here, make a mistake there,
07:07 it's gonna cost my team the game.
07:08 So it was kind of twofold, and I apologize.
07:10 I just had a light go out,
07:12 but it's kind of twofold there where you gotta enjoy it
07:15 and you gotta live in the moment,
07:16 but you also have to just execute
07:18 because if you execute, you win the football game
07:20 and you accomplish all your goals.
07:22 - I really can't decide if that's a good omen or a bad omen.
07:26 Lights flickering for you in the pregame report.
07:29 (laughing)
07:32 Somewhere along the way,
07:32 the lights are gonna go out in the big house later tonight,
07:34 but hopefully it's not for quite a while.
07:37 Obviously, the great news is we're not looking
07:39 at having a day where the weather should be,
07:41 you know, negatively impactful, so that's good.
07:43 You know, I saw this recently,
07:47 and maybe just continuing to build
07:49 into some of what you're talking about.
07:51 This is the 13th time that these two teams
07:55 have been inside the top 10 and played each other,
07:58 and the fourth time that they've been inside the top five.
08:02 And it's only the first time they've ever been undefeated
08:07 going into the game back-to-back years,
08:09 undefeated and untied.
08:11 And obviously, with the changes coming
08:13 in college football next year,
08:15 certainly in the Big Ten Conference next year,
08:17 I mean, there's so much at stake in this game,
08:19 and yet I feel like that's all of the stuff
08:23 that's building the fun and the hype
08:25 and the energy around this game.
08:26 But man, when you're playing, like, that doesn't matter.
08:29 You can't think about any of that.
08:31 You can't literally go in to try and make plays
08:35 with the weight of those expectations on your shoulders,
08:37 or you're gonna tighten up.
08:39 And I think both teams, coaching staffs this week,
08:42 talked about trying to put their teams in position
08:45 to play free and play fast.
08:47 - We talked about it earlier in the week.
08:50 It almost felt like the past couple years,
08:52 you get into this game and you're like,
08:54 everything's on it,
08:54 and they just put so much pressure on themselves.
08:56 I'm hopeful today, and I'm hopeful today
08:59 that throughout the week it was, hey, let's get prepared.
09:02 Kyle, this is what we're gonna see.
09:03 And then they really just simplify everything
09:05 and just, hey, if it's third down and Marvin Harrison's open,
09:08 let's just throw him the football.
09:09 You know, it's just like stuff like that.
09:10 Just let's make this game of football very, very simple
09:13 on the biggest stage, because if we simplify it,
09:15 you guys will play fast, you'll play confident,
09:18 and you'll be able to execute at a really high level
09:20 to kind of come out on top.
09:21 And that's what you hope for, you know,
09:23 when this team's been preparing and getting ready,
09:26 you know, for this one.
09:27 - I think we might have differing opinions on this,
09:30 'cause you kind of alluded to it the other day.
09:31 I'm not 100% sure.
09:33 How much do you think Marvin Harrison needs to
09:38 have like an impact in production in this game
09:40 for Ohio State to win?
09:41 I'm talking catches, yards, touchdowns.
09:44 Do you think he needs to be that kind of player,
09:47 or is his presence enough to draw attention away
09:50 from guys like Emeka Ibuka, or Kate Stover, or whoever?
09:53 - Yeah, really good point.
09:55 You know, last year we saw it with Emeka going kind of off,
09:57 and really when you're building a defensive game plan
10:01 for Ohio State, it starts with Marvin Harrison Jr.
10:03 He's the best player on the field.
10:04 However, I think you bring up a good point.
10:06 Like, this doesn't have to be a day,
10:09 if this is a day where he's got 15 targets,
10:12 10 catches, you know, 130 yards,
10:14 like that could potentially mean Ohio State's chasing.
10:17 You know, 'cause I don't think the personality
10:19 of this football game is going to be
10:21 ripping it all around the field
10:22 and throwing it a bunch of times.
10:23 Like, he's gonna have to be productive in spots,
10:25 like on third downs, in the red area.
10:27 This could be a game where he has, you know,
10:29 five catches, 50 yards, a touchdown or two,
10:32 and just is moving the sticks
10:33 and making those big, big catches.
10:35 I don't think that it works in Ohio State's favor
10:38 if he's got a hundred, you know,
10:40 he's got a bunch of targets and they're going after him,
10:43 'cause I think that means that they're in chase mode.
10:45 - I tend to agree, but I also think that he has,
10:49 he's got a chemistry, you know,
10:52 Marvin does, with Kyle that's pretty unique,
10:55 and he's kind of Kyle's security blanket, right?
10:58 I mean, I feel like when there are instances
11:01 where Kyle really needs to make a play,
11:05 he's kind of looking for Marv at first, right?
11:08 And that doesn't mean that he is doing something
11:11 counterproductive to a play.
11:13 It's like this cohesion between, you know,
11:16 Ryan calling the plays,
11:17 Kyle running the show offensively,
11:19 where, you know, Ryan sort of knows that,
11:23 hey, look, Kyle wants to get the ball
11:24 to the best player in college football.
11:26 I got the best player in college football on my team,
11:27 I want to get him the ball.
11:28 It's so, excuse me, so they tend to call more plays for him.
11:33 But I really think of Emeka Ibuka,
11:37 especially with the way he seems to be
11:39 more healthy right now,
11:41 I really think he could have a bigger day
11:43 than most people nationally are expecting.
11:45 Everybody's talking about Marvin Harrison Jr.,
11:47 and I get it, he's probably the best player
11:50 in college football, but I just think if Ohio State
11:53 is trying to ride him, it may not go well.
11:57 - Right, and I think too,
11:58 it goes back to what we said about Travion too, right?
12:00 Emeka's healthy, he's looked really good
12:02 the past couple of weeks.
12:02 Like, this could be one where he, again, pops off,
12:06 you know, for a big one like he did last year.
12:07 So I'm excited to see how it kind of shakes out.
12:10 But, you know, I think both of them
12:12 are going to have wildly productive days,
12:14 maybe not from a yards perspective,
12:16 but still making big catches
12:18 and really making a huge impact
12:22 for Ohio State's offense.
12:23 - I think one of the things I'm most excited to watch
12:26 is how many different formations
12:28 Ryan Day runs the football out of.
12:30 Because I think the Buckeyes are going to be
12:32 pretty committed to running the ball.
12:34 The question is, are they running out of single back sets?
12:36 Are they running out of the I formation?
12:38 Like, you know, like we saw week one at Indiana.
12:41 Are they, you know, are they running power?
12:43 Are they running gap scheme?
12:44 Like, what are they going to do?
12:45 Are they going to run jet sweeps?
12:47 How can they get Michigan's eyes moving defensively
12:51 and get touches to Emeka and Marvin
12:55 other than just throwing them the ball?
12:56 Obviously, Travion's been incredible the last four weeks.
13:00 But I just think if you look historically
13:04 at who wins this game, it has so much to do
13:05 with which team runs the ball better.
13:07 And frankly, I expect Michigan to do the same thing,
13:09 but I don't know that I've seen as much creativity
13:13 in how they run the ball.
13:14 They're more smash mouth, hey, we're going to run it.
13:17 You know, try to stop us.
13:18 - Yeah, they're going to come out with two tight ends
13:20 and a fullback and running back.
13:21 And you know, it's coming right at the gut.
13:23 Yeah, you make a good point.
13:23 Like, what is the wrinkle or where are the wrinkles
13:26 that Ohio State is going to add into this offense
13:29 to try to find just hidden yards in different places?
13:34 You know, and that's what's been Ryan Day's,
13:36 what he's been very good at, you know,
13:38 in terms of designing game plans and calling plays.
13:40 It's just having that little bit of creativity
13:43 that's just something different that's new
13:46 and that provides some success.
13:47 That'll be awesome to see.
13:48 They've run it really well out of both.
13:49 You know, obviously we found a groove
13:51 and running the football out of the shotgun formation.
13:54 That allows, I feel like Kyle's
13:55 a little more comfortable there.
13:56 So you're excited to see how he's creatively able to find
13:59 or get the ball into all of his playmakers' hands
14:02 in a bunch of different ways.
14:04 - We don't have the game day status report quite yet
14:07 that should come out at 10 o'clock Eastern time,
14:10 but it's, you know, all week long,
14:12 we've been anticipating that the Buckeyes
14:14 are basically going to be at full strength.
14:17 Ryan Day has said it now.
14:18 There have been times along the way where Ryan has alluded
14:20 to being fully healthy and then maybe somebody
14:24 unexpectedly pops up on the report.
14:26 But, you know, he kind of talked about this week
14:28 that, you know, Michael Hall and Tommy Eichenberger
14:31 are both going to be back.
14:32 And the expectation is that Devin Brown would return.
14:36 Certainly, you know, think and hope that Ohio State
14:39 is going to be fully healthy going into this game.
14:41 So assuming that's the case,
14:43 maybe there's Devin Brown packages.
14:45 You know, we saw a few of those sprinkled in.
14:47 Obviously Devin had a big fumble in the red zone.
14:49 That was pretty disappointing a few weeks back
14:52 when he got hurt.
14:53 But, you know, if he's healthy,
14:54 that's an entirely different look down in the red zone.
14:57 - Yeah, no question.
14:58 It came into play in the Purdue game
15:00 and it was successful until he fumbled it.
15:02 So you don't know if that's back in the mix this week.
15:07 But yeah, if this team can be healthy today,
15:09 you know, that's just more power to them.
15:11 When you think back to last week,
15:12 sitting Tommy Eichenberger, I know it was hard.
15:14 And Coach Day had that funny quote at the end, like,
15:16 "Hey, we got into like, almost got into a fist fight."
15:19 - Yeah, almost got into a fist fight.
15:20 But you do it to protect the player because,
15:23 hey, even if he was 95% and he plays against Minnesota
15:27 and tweaks his injury or just gets banged up,
15:30 then you're not 100% for today.
15:31 Today's the game.
15:32 This is what it's come down to.
15:34 And for guys like Tommy, you know,
15:36 this is a chance to cement his legacy, you know,
15:39 at Ohio State.
15:40 And you're excited to see how he performs.
15:42 And if this Ohio State team is really close to healthy,
15:45 like we expect him to be, I think that's a great thing.
15:49 - Is there anything that we haven't talked about
15:50 that you're dying to get off your chest?
15:52 - No, I think we hit it all.
15:53 But it's just for me, when I think about this game,
15:57 how Ohio State wins it is the offensive line's
16:00 gotta have a day.
16:01 You know, we gotta be able to run the football
16:03 and you gotta be able to protect Kyle McCord.
16:05 You know, I think that if those two things can happen,
16:08 that puts everything else at ease.
16:10 Like, if you can run it successfully,
16:12 we can throw it off the run.
16:13 And if Kyle's not under pressure,
16:15 I think that's a big advantage.
16:17 So I'm excited to see how this offensive line
16:19 performs today.
16:20 And that's really the last thing that stays on my mind.
16:24 Like, I think Kyle's gonna have a good day.
16:25 I think Travion's gonna run hard.
16:27 I think we're gonna catch the ball on the outside.
16:28 But if this offensive line can show up,
16:30 you know, I think that that's a great thing for Ohio State.
16:33 - It's funny, I mean, every time I start thinking
16:35 about one player, it's like, well, his success
16:38 is largely impacted by his or theirs or whatever.
16:42 And that's the best part about this, man.
16:44 It's the ultimate team sport, right?
16:45 As a team, you gotta go play.
16:47 And if there's a weak link along the way,
16:48 it could really hurt the whole group.
16:51 You gotta be at your best.
16:53 And both teams have figured out a way to be unbeaten,
16:56 you know, thus far in the season.
16:57 And they've got everything at stake.
16:59 Look, I don't wanna take an easy way out
17:02 and put it on Kyle's shoulders either at quarterback.
17:05 But I will say the combination of the offensive line's
17:09 protection of McCord and Kyle's execution,
17:12 I guess it's similar to how you're feeling here.
17:14 When Kyle is clean, he's one of the top 10 quarterbacks
17:19 in the country in EPA, expected points.
17:22 When he is under pressure, statistically,
17:26 he's one of the five worst.
17:27 And I can't imagine that Michigan is gonna let him
17:32 sit back and try to find those receivers
17:35 and just have a day.
17:37 Like, I have to imagine they're gonna try to get after him.
17:40 So yeah, Josh Simmons and Josh Fryer,
17:45 in particular on the outside, gotta bring it.
17:49 They've got to be good today.
17:51 - And just to your point, like they're gonna add on,
17:53 Michigan's gonna try to heat it up.
17:55 So running backs too, like it's a huge day in protection
17:58 from all the offensive line and the running backs, man.
18:00 You gotta be communicating well.
18:02 When you see pressure, get pressure.
18:04 And I think, you know, without being cliche,
18:08 you know, it's gonna come down to what Kyle does,
18:10 you know, and it's a quarterback game.
18:12 You know, if he has a good day today,
18:14 and you and I, we talked about it maybe on a show
18:16 or maybe over the phone, but if he can be accurate today,
18:20 it's, that's the changer.
18:21 That's the game changer.
18:22 - And look, to your point, I mean, Travion Henderson,
18:25 like as good as he is running the ball,
18:28 he is excellent in pass pro.
18:30 That's a huge advantage for Ohio State,
18:32 that they don't have to bring the running backs
18:35 back off the field if they need additional help
18:38 protecting Kyle.
18:39 And think back to Travion's,
18:42 his impact in the pass game as well.
18:44 One of the things too about, you know,
18:45 getting into these robbery games
18:46 and how important it is for Kyle is,
18:48 hey, you don't have to be Superman on every play.
18:50 You don't have to throw it 60 yards down the field.
18:52 If they have it covered up and you're protected,
18:53 drop it down, hit a check down,
18:55 get Travion the ball in space,
18:56 because that's when those big plays really happen.
18:59 So, you know, at the end of the day,
19:00 we can talk everything we want,
19:02 and I'm talking about the offensive line,
19:04 but it's gonna come down to what Kyle McCord's able to do
19:06 to see what Ohio State,
19:09 if Ohio State's able to come out with one.
19:11 - All right, man, we've talked key players,
19:13 we've talked key moments, we've talked key situations.
19:17 Time to give a final score prediction.
19:18 What do you think?
19:19 - I'm up first, 27-13 Bucks.
19:21 I think it's close for a lot of the game.
19:23 I think you go into the fourth quarter,
19:25 late in the third, either tied at 13, maybe tied at 10,
19:29 and Ohio State gets two late touchdowns.
19:32 One to kind of separate,
19:33 and then one to shut the door, slam it shut,
19:36 come back to Ohio,
19:37 being one of the best teams in the country.
19:41 - You know, it's funny,
19:42 you look at any potential weaknesses on both of these teams,
19:46 and I feel like their weakness is against a strength
19:51 for the opposition in both cases.
19:53 And so I kind of expect,
19:56 not just the normal rivalry game feel,
19:59 but like some big swings, some big punches,
20:02 because when Ohio State, you know,
20:05 where they might be a little vulnerable,
20:07 Michigan's really good, and vice versa.
20:10 I expect this to be an even bigger emotional rollercoaster
20:14 than a normal rivalry game would be.
20:17 But I think the score is going to be pretty tight
20:19 all the way through.
20:20 I actually really like the spread.
20:22 It's basically a pick 'em where Michigan's got a,
20:25 you know, a three-point edge, roughly,
20:27 because they're playing at home.
20:29 I like Ohio State to win 23 to 20.
20:33 I'm pretty confident,
20:34 pretty confident that I'm picking that more
20:36 with my head than my heart.
20:38 I'm sure there's a little bit of that involved too.
20:40 But ultimately, in my opinion,
20:43 a healthy Travion Henderson is just,
20:46 it's just enough of the difference
20:48 from what Ohio State was missing the last two years.
20:51 I know Travion at times hasn't been the best running back
20:56 between the tackles,
20:57 but I think he's going to get enough touches
20:59 and get enough opportunities,
21:00 even if it's in the screen game,
21:03 to get in space.
21:04 And when he gets space, man,
21:06 you've seen what he can do, look out.
21:08 So ultimately, I think Ohio State
21:11 has slightly better skill position, guys.
21:14 Even though last year you could certainly argue
21:15 the game was won in the trenches
21:17 where Michigan was better on both sides of the ball.
21:19 The Buckeyes, the combination of their improvement
21:24 on the defensive line,
21:26 not giving up the big plays
21:28 the way they did in critical moments last year,
21:31 and their physicality this year,
21:33 along with the explosiveness in the run game,
21:35 I think it's going to be enough for the Bucs
21:37 to get it done.
21:37 So Ohio State 23, Michigan 20.
21:40 - I was just about to say,
21:41 we went 20 minutes without saying
21:43 the words big play at all,
21:45 because it's totally gotten taken out of our vocabulary.
21:48 It's just the way that this defense has played all year.
21:51 You got to have it today.
21:53 Doesn't matter that you didn't give up big plays
21:54 against any of those other teams.
21:56 You got to have it today. - For sure.
21:57 And that's the point.
21:58 It's like, okay, good.
21:59 You got 11 good games on tape.
22:01 And I hate the idea of thinking about this
22:04 as you're playing a one game season,
22:07 'cause that's really not what this is.
22:10 But there is an element of,
22:12 you've got all these chances to get it right, get good,
22:15 when you know both programs
22:16 have generally pretty equal talent, for sure.
22:20 I mean, there's not a huge talent gap here.
22:23 So it becomes an executional thing.
22:28 And when you have two teams that are pretty equal
22:32 from a talent perspective,
22:34 fundamentals matter more than ever.
22:36 So which team is more fundamentally sound?
22:39 Which team will sink to the level of their training better
22:42 rather than rising to the moment?
22:45 And I think both programs have shown this year
22:47 that in some adversity, they can play well.
22:49 But I just like the way Ohio State's trending.
22:52 And I think the Bucs are going to get it done today.
22:55 I do. - I love it.
22:56 I love it.
22:57 I love it.
22:58 Man, we finally got here.
22:59 (laughing)
23:00 - It feels like a national holiday, man.
23:01 This is the best. - It sure does.
23:03 - The absolute best.
23:04 - It's awesome.
23:05 We're at the grocery store this morning
23:06 getting ready for the day.
23:08 And everyone's decked out in their Ohio State gear.
23:10 It's awesome, man.
23:12 It's great.
23:13 It's the best day.
23:14 It's the best game of the season.
23:16 And it's finally, finally here.
23:18 - Well, we got you covered wall to wall
23:19 here on Buckeyes Now.
23:21 BuckeyesNow.com.
23:22 We've got a ton of written content
23:23 from all week leading up to this game.
23:25 And certainly we'll have a bunch of stuff
23:26 over there today as well.
23:28 And plenty of video content just like this coming your way.
23:30 We will live stream Ryan Day's post-game press conference.
23:34 Anticipate that we'll also have a few players
23:35 come to the podium.
23:36 That's typically what they do
23:38 when Ohio State plays up here in Ann Arbor.
23:41 If we have a chance to get away from the podium
23:43 for any additional players,
23:44 we'll try to do that for you as well.
23:46 But know that we will have that for you live.
23:49 And then as soon as we can, when that wraps up,
23:51 we're going to come right back here
23:52 and we're going to talk about it.
23:53 'Cause I'm sure no matter what happens,
23:55 this could be an awful lot to break down
23:56 from this afternoon's contest.
23:58 Have a bunch of fun.
23:59 Enjoy the game wherever you might be watching.
24:01 If you're with family and friends,
24:03 that's the best way to do it.
24:04 And if you're a neutral observer, you are one of few.
24:09 There are an awful lot of people
24:11 that have a rooting interest in this game.
24:13 And that's what makes this so much fun.
24:15 We've got you covered again on Buckeyes Now.
24:17 Please subscribe to this YouTube channel
24:18 and we can continue to bring you coverage just like this.
24:21 For Anthony Meglin, I'm Brendan Gulick.
24:23 Have fun.
24:24 See you inside the big house here in a little bit.
24:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]