OSU defenders anxious for their shot at Michigan

By Tim May

The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

Zach Boren with his arms flexed, his head cocked indicating he’s letting out a primal yell as he stands over Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner — that’s the iconic photo from last year’s Ohio State win in The Game.

How much motivation it will serve for Gardner in the 110th renewal Saturday in Michigan Stadium remains to be seen. But for the returning Ohio State defenders, the image of Boren, the outgoing senior team leader of a year ago, is indelible.

“That was a huge play, Zach coming in and just hitting the crap out of him,” OSU defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. “That photo’s really cool.

“But everyone wants that feeling when playing that ‘team up north,’ getting that big hit on the quarterback and just feeling like you just, I don’t know, dominated them.”

Now check the stats on Gardner and the 2013 Michigan offense. The Wolverines lead the nation in the ignominious category of tackles for loss allowed. They’ve given up 103, an average of 9.36 per game, helping explain the lackluster offensive showings in the slide to 7-4 this season, including losses in four of the past six games.

Enter Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier and an Ohio State defense that’s prided themselves on a more aggressive approach the last half of the season. Shazier individually is coming off a career-high 20-tackle game against Indiana in the No.3 Buckeyes nation-leading 23rd straight win, a day in which Shazier had five tackles for loss.

Talk about a matchup made in tackles for loss heaven.

“That sounds good to me, but like every week, we’re always going to get their best,” said Shazier, a finalist for the Butkus Award. “I know they probably gave up a thousand tackles for loss this season, but I know going into this game they’re going to try to give up the least possible.”

What’s “kind of crazy for me is that they’re having struggles, because they have good players on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive side,” Shazier said, naming Gardner and wide receiver Jeremy Gallon as examples.

But the Michigan offensive line has been a revolving door of personnel and varying lineups the last half of the season, and defenses have taken advantage, attacking the middle of the front especially.

“Watching film they’re a good group of O linemen,” Bennett said. “I don’t know what motivates them day by day, but I know that they will be motivated against us, so we’ve got to come to play, too.”

Shazier said he knows the OSU defensive front of Bennett, Joey Bosa, Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence augmented by Tommy Schutt, Joel Hale, Jamal Marcus and Steve Miller will be motivated, too.

“They’re doing an amazing job right now,” Shazier said. “Those guys are opening so many lanes for us to run through, they’re making so many plays in the backfield, just causing so much disruption to the offense.

“It makes it easier for the back half of the defense to play, those guys making all that noise in the front.”

Another motivating factor, Shazier said, will be memories for the OSU upperclassmen such as himself and Bennett of the last time they played at Michigan in the tumultuous 2011 season, a lead and losing 40-34.

“We had it, and we let it get out of our hands,” Shazier said. “I know that was the first time we lost to them in a while (snapping a seven-game win streak in The Game), and I don’t play on losing to them any more.”