Alex FrankFri, November 28, 2025 at 11:31 PM UTC·8 min readBy now, every Buckeyes fan is ready for The Game on Saturday. They’re ready for this infamous streak to end.
Ryan Day said leading up to the season that they’re not defending anything. This is a new team. It’s about what this team will accomplish, not about them being measured and compared to last year’s team.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementForget that the Buckeyes bounced back from that devastating loss to That Team Up North to win a national championship in 2024. Saturday, it’s about winning The Game. It’s about restoring order in Columbus.
Let’s waste no more time and take a look at this Wolverines team, keys to The Game, and score prediction.
Quarterback, No. 19: Bryce Underwood
6-foot-4, 228 lbs. Fr., Detroit; Belleville High SchoolStats: 62.2 Cmp%, 2,166 yds, 9 TD, 5 INT; 68 rush, 322 yds, 5 TD
Regardless of the opinions of Bryce Underwood, there’s no denying that he has made the Wolverines’ offense much better than it was last season. Michigan is averaging 29.3 points per game and 420.4 yards per game this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUnderwood throws a really nice ball. There is a zing on the ball when he throws it. He’s the fourth true-freshman to start at quarterback for the Wolverines and the first since Tate Forcier in 2009.
In his third start this season, Underwood threw for 235 yards and a touchdown, while also adding nine rushes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. For his performance, he was named Big Ten Freshman and the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Player of the Week.
While at Belleville High School, Underwood threw for over 11,000 yards and was the No. 1 player nationally, according to 247Sports, for the Class of 2025. He was the 2023-24 Gatorade National Player of the Year as a Junior and was invited to the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl.
Four players to watch on Michigan
1. No. 23: Running Back, Jordan Marshall
5-11, 216 lbs. So., Cincinnati; Archbishop Moeller High SchoolStats: 143 rush, 871 yds, 10 TD; 8 rec., 82 yds
With Justice Haynes out for the remainder of the season with an injury, Marshall is now the Wolverines’ leading rusher.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMarshall didn’t play in the game at Maryland last week, but he has four straight 100-yard rushing performances coming into Saturday. He also has five touchdowns over his last two games.
In high school in Cincinnati, Marshall was named Mr. Football in Ohio in 2023 and the 2022 Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year. In addition, Marshall was a two-time Ohio Division I co-state Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for nearly 5,000 yards over his four seasons, shattering the previous Moeller record that stood for over two decades.
2. No. 4: Wide Receiver, Andrew Marsh
6-0, 190 lbs. Fr., Katy, Texas; Katy Jordan High SchoolStats: 42 rec., 641 yds, 3 TD; 2 rush, 13 yds
Marsh is having an outstanding freshman season, and he’s not far removed from a 12-reception, 189-yard performance at Northwestern.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile at high school in Katy, Texas, Marsh accumulated over 3,500 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns.
3. No. 8: Edge Rusher, Derrick Moore
6-3, 260 lbs. Sr., Baltimore; St. Frances AcademyStats: 9.5 sacks, 10 TFL, 28 TKL, 3 PBU, 3 QBH, 2 FF, 1 FR
A two-time Big Ten Honorable Mention and team captain this season, Moore is one of Michigan’s most experienced defensive players. He has multiple sacks and tackles for loss in three of his last five games.
Moore was the 2021 Under Armour All-American Game MVP after having two sacks in the game. That same season, he was named the MaxPreps Maryland High School Football Player of the Year.
4. No. 1: Linebacker, Jaishawn Barham
6-3, 243 lbs. Sr., District Heights, Md.; St. Frances (Maryland Transfer)Stats: 4 sacks, 10 TFL, 31 TKL, 3 PBU, 5 QBH, 1 FF
Barham stands out when you watch the Wolverines because of his quickness and knowledge of where the ball carrier is on any given play.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe’s in his second season with the Wolverines, after playing his first two seasons at Maryland, where he started 23 games at linebacker.
So far this season, Barham has three games with multiple tackles for loss and another game with multiple sacks.
Head Coach: Sherrone Moore (2nd Season, 18-7) — 39 years old
It’s not too early to say that Moore has become just as synonymous with The Game as any head coach in Michigan history. Prior to 2024, he was Michigan’s acting head coach for The Game in 2023, and he was the co-offensive coordinator in the previous two editions of The Game before that.
Moore has been with the Wolverines since 2018, starting as the tight ends coach for three seasons and then moving to offensive line and co-offensive coordinator for the next two seasons. He was the sole offensive coordinator in 2023 when the Wolverines won the national championship.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Moore was coordinating the offense and coaching the line, Michigan averaged 38.4 points, 207.5 rushing yards, 3.52 tackles for loss allowed, and 1.18 sacks allowed per game. The Wolverines’ offense was top 15 in scoring in all three seasons, and the rushing offense was top 15 twice. In addition, the Wolverines ranked first or second in team rushing touchdowns in all three years.
Under Moore, all five offensive line starters earned some form of All-Big Ten honors, including six first-team honorees. Michigan also became the first program to win back-to-back Joe Moore Awards (2021-22), given to the top offensive line in college football. The Wolverines were top-five in TFLs allowed twice and top 30 in sacks allowed in all three seasons.
Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum each had 1,000-yard seasons from 2021-23, with Corum reaching the mark twice. In 2023, Corum set the single-season rushing touchdowns record (27) and total touchdowns (28).
Prior to Michigan, Moore was the tight ends coach at Central Michigan for four seasons. He started his coaching career at Louisville in 2009 as an offensive graduate assistant. He was the tight ends coach in 2012 when the Cardinals won the Big East and beat Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs a player, Moore played in 14 games at Oklahoma and was a part of two Big 12 Championship teams with the Sooners in 2006 and 2007.
Offensive Coordinator: Chip Lindsey (1st Season) — 51 years old
Best known for being Drake Maye’s and Omarion Hampton’s offensive coordinator at North Carolina in 2023 and 2024, respectively, Lindsey is now in Ann Arbor to be the catalyst for Bryce Underwood’s development.
Hampton was a two-time All-American at North Carolina, while Maye became the No. 3 overall pick by the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Prior to Chapel Hill, Lindsey was the offensive coordinator at Central Florida in 2022, ranking in the top 11 in both total offense and rushing touchdowns.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLindsey was the head coach at Troy for three seasons, posting a 15-19 record.
Prior to Troy, he was the offensive coordinator at Auburn for two seasons, at Arizona State in 2016, and at Southern Miss for two seasons. At Southern Miss, he was a catalyst for Conference-USA Player of the Year, Nick Mullens, who threw for over 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2015.
Defensive Coordinator: Don Martindale (2nd Season) — 62 years old
After spending nearly 20 seasons in the NFL, Martindale is back at the college level and has the Wolverines’ defense playing at a high level.
In 2024, the Wolverines were in the top 25 in seven categories. They were No. 5 in rushing defense and kept eight teams to under 100 yards.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMartindale is best known for his work as a defensive coordinator in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens (2018-21) and New York Giants (2022-23). He was also the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2010.
With the Ravens, Martindale started as the linebackers coach in 2012, the same year the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. He coached linebackers for six seasons before becoming the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021.
Keys to The Game
1. Unleash your playmakers
Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate must be factors in this game. Big factors. They need to be the reasons why Ohio State wins this game. It’s that simple.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2. Win the first and third quarters
The Wolverines have been very good in the first and third quarters this season. For momentum’s sake, which is huge in games like The Game, the Buckeyes need to set the tone in both halves.
3. Keep Bryce Underwood in the pocket
If the Buckeyes want any chance at containing Underwood, their defense needs to keep him in the pocket. That’s where he can make mistakes. The Buckeyes have a dominant defense that can take away the running game and then rush the passer. This is the game to cement that defense’s legacy.
4. Be relentless with your strengths
Don’t let up if the aerial attack is working. This is a game of redemption… a long time in the making. Show the Wolverines that you’re swinging for the fences this time against them.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementScore Prediction: Buckeyes 34, Wolverines 24
The infamous streak is coming to an end this season. Ohio State has the better team and the more dominant team. You never know what can happen in rivalry games, but I believe the Buckeyes will win this game with their playmakers and a game-changing defensive play by Arvell Reese.
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