Halftime takeaways from hard-fought first half vs. Ohio State

Michigan struggled to find any sort of momentum in the early going of its top-three clash with Ohio State, but a few key defensive stops and deep touchdown passes kept Michigan right within striking distance going into halftime. Here are three takeaways from the first half.

Prior to the game, it was reported that Blake Corum would attempt to play after injuring his knee late in the first half last week vs. Illinois. Corum registered two carries for six yards before he was apparently removed due to injury.

Much like last week, Michigan's rushing offense struggled to do much of anything without Corum. Donovan Edwards and C.J. Stokes were both held to fewer than 10 yards as Michigan's rushing offense struggled to produce like it did against Ohio State last year and all throughout this season.

If Michigan wants to have any shot of finishing off the Buckeyes in these last 30 minutes, and ultimately winning another Big Ten Championship, it will have to figure out how life is going to work without Blake Corum.

With little-to-no running game, it's J.J. McCarthy's job to go and win this game for the Wolverines. He struggled early on, but he found Cornelius Johnson on a 69-yard touchdown in the second quarter which tied the game.

On the very next offensive play, McCarthy found Johnson again for a 75-yard touchdown. Those two plays epitomized the downfield passing attack that Michigan fans had been hoping for all season.

Michigan was arguably lucky to be within three points of Ohio State at halftime, but alas, it was. If McCarthy is able to continue his rhythm in the passing game, Michigan will be in a much better position to win this game.

The Michigan defense got bulldozed by C.J. Stroud and the Ohio State offense on their opening drive, but the Wolverines did a better job in the ensuing drives of holding Ohio State to field goals.

Michigan took a 17-13 lead over Ohio State with a few minutes to play in the second half, but the Buckeyes struck back when C.J. Stroud hit Marvin Harrison Jr. on a 42-yard touchdown pass.

If the Wolverines will win this game, it will be by holding Ohio State to field goals rather than touchdowns. Last year, the Michigan defense did a great job of holding Ohio State to field goals, which played a major factor in the outcome of the game.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @DavisMoseley, @lucasreimink

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram