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Published Nov 26, 2022
OSU's toughness questioned again: 'You can feel when their will breaks'
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Josh Henschke  •  Maize&BlueReview
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The major storyline coming out of the Michigan-Ohio State game last year was the lack of toughness coming from the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes have claimed that it has addressed the toughness issues, making some changes, including personnel, to avoid something like that happening again.

One year later, it doesn't appear that anything has changed as the talk of toughness surrounding the Buckeyes continues to permeate around the program after consecutive losses to the Wolverines.

It appeared that the Wolverines simply wore the Buckeyes down, bringing consistent physicality and countering every punch, it was clear to the U-M players that the game plan it had heading into the game was effective.

A repeat of last year, of sorts.

"You can feel when their will breaks,” U-M linebacker Michael Barrett said. “When they haven't been used to getting hit or a game as physical as we came to play and you can just feel it go out of them.”

What did the breaking of OSU's will look like?

Defensive back Mike Sainristil brought his defense together for a chat in the fourth quarter and the body language from across the field was obvious.

"Going into the fourth quarter we had a quick defensive talk," Sainristil said. "First thing we did is we looked over at their sideline and they were over there hanging their heads a little bit. We knew they're vulnerable right now and let's go out there and let's keep pouncing on them. Keep taking away the running game, the pass game, and just take advantage of every opportunity."

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