Ohio State vs. Michigan Live Tailgate: Beanie Wells, Chris Howard preview The Game

College Football

Ohio State vs. Michigan Live Tailgate: Beanie Wells, Chris Howard preview The Game

Nov. 24, 2023 1:22 p.m. ET

It doesn't get any bigger than The Game.

So when Ohio State and Michigan take the field for the latest edition of college football's biggest rivalry on Saturday ( noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app ), I'll be here to host a special Live Tailgate edition of " The Number One College Football Show ."

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan Preview

I'll be joined by two special guests: Former Michigan running back Chris Howard, who played alongside FOX Sports' Charles Woodson on the Wolverines' 1997 national championship team, and former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells, who rushed for nearly 3,400 yards across three seasons.

Howard and Wells will provide live analysis of all the action on the field, share stories from their playing days and undoubtedly provide plenty of insight into what makes this rivalry so great.

And to help set up The Game, Wells and Howard both took time this week to help preview the showdown.

PREGAME Q&A

Do you think Michigan had an advantage in knowing Ohio State's signals the last two years?

Beanie Wells: Initially, I thought that this is something everybody does in the country, so it's not that big of a deal. But then when you go back and you dive deeper into it, and you realize the magnitude of what they went to, to figure out these things, not just with Ohio State but with so many other teams, it became larger. It wasn't just about competitive advantage, now you completely diagrammed your gameplan on the defensive side of the ball based on what you know the exact play is going to be. That is way more of an advantage. You're really cheating the game in that regard. It's no longer one of those deals where it's best on best, that this guy just won in the trenches on this certain play. No, you actually knew what was going on, from start to finish.

Chris Howard: Here's what I'll say: It doesn't hurt.

If you know a team's signals, it definitely doesn't hurt. Does it give you a clear advantage? I don't know if it does, because at the end of the day, you still have to make plays.

I was talking to somebody about this the other day. Just imagine if you think you have the perfect play called, but for some reason, they just happen to be in the perfect defense to stop your perfect play. Does that give you an advantage? Of course it does, because it allows you to anticipate what is going to happen and get your guys lined up and get them in the right position to make a play. But at the end of the day, they still have to tackle, they still have to block. All those things still have to happen.

Is that the only reason Michigan beat Ohio State? Absolutely not. I don't think so.

Expectations for Michigan without Harbaugh vs. Ohio State

Does the scandal tarnish what Michigan has accomplished?

Howard: I think from outside looking in, absolutely. Most people simply don't like Michigan. Just like most people don't like Notre Dame or don't like Clemson or don't like whatever their rival is.

But at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. ... The kids, they put in the work. They went out there every day, believed in their coaches, believed in their defensive and offensive schemes that they put together, and they executed. You can't take that away from the kids because they put in the work.

Will it be tarnished to those outside the building? Probably. But inside the building, that's all that matters. And it's not.

How do you think Ohio State can beat Michigan?

Wells: It's going to be tough. Michigan is a juggernaut. We can talk about the sign-stealing, but they are a great football team regardless of any other things surrounding that program. In order to beat them, you're going to have to play smash-mouth football, and I don't know that anybody in the country right now is playing smash-mouth football better than the University of Michigan.

So Ohio State is definitely going to have to bring a hard hat and lunch pail. And I think the last couple of weeks, you can kind of see the transformation of Ohio State's offense, when it comes to running the football, and TreVeyon Henderson being the marquee guy on that offense.

Yeah, we've got Marvin Harrison Jr. and we want to get him the ball, but it's been very nostalgic of Ohio State days when Jim Tressel was there. We're playing great defense, and we're going to run the football down your throat. So I think they've been preparing for that these last couple of weeks.

Rivalry Week scenarios and how they affect the CFP

Speaking of Henderson and Harrison, where do they rank in Ohio State history?

Wells: Marvin Harrison Jr. is probably one of the best ever to come through the university, just from a sheer physical standpoint. You're talking about a guy who's 6-4, but he's able to get in and out of routs like he's 5-10. That doesn't happen that often. Those types of guys rarely ever come about.

When you talk about TreVeyon, it's almost like it's been a disappointment, because now you watch him healthy, he's so good, so dynamic, and I don't think as an Ohio State fan, as an Ohio State alumni, we got that all the time from him because he was banged up. But he's certainly one of the best backs, if not the best back, in the country when he has all of his tools and when he is 100 percent healthy.

Where does he rank? Definitely one of those guys that you sit there and say 'I wish.' I wish he could've been healthy his entire career. I wish we could've seen him as a marquee guy every single game at Ohio State, because he would've blown numbers out of the water.

For Michigan, who needs to have a bigger game, J.J. McCarthy or Blake Corum?

Howard: It's not necessarily J.J. or Blake, it's the offensive line, because it all starts in the trenches. If you can't protect J.J., then J.J. is going to be nullified. If you can't run the ball, Corum is going to be nullified. So it's not going to matter. It's going to matter about the guys in the trenches.

One thing I've always heard, and I believe this wholeheartedly, is that the team will go as far as the offensive line takes it. I think that remains true to this day. The offensive line has to create lanes for Corum and Donovan Edwards, it has to be better in pass protection in order to give J.J. enough time to do J.J. things to be able to push the ball down the field.

If the offensive line is playing well, J.J. will play well and Corum will be effective.

Is Corum the best running back Michigan has ever had?

Howard: The numbers are there, but I think scheme-wise, Michigan has a totally different offense than what Tyrone Wheatley played in, than what Tim Biakabutuka played in. I mean we had guys like Mercury Hayes. We had true No. 1 receivers — Derek Alexander, Amani Toomer, Mario Manningham, Braylon Edwards — so we were able to be more balanced. Whereas with this team, we're so heavy on the run that Blake is put in a position where he to be the guy.

Does that make him the best running back Michigan has ever had? I don't think so. There are a few guys I'd put ahead of him. Blake can definitely hit the home run, but he doesn't have Tyrone Wheatley speed. Wheatley had elite running back speed, elite track speed. He was also 6-1, 225. He could run you over, could shake you in a phone booth. Same thing with Biakabatuka. He was 6-1, 215, had elite speed, was a home-run hitter. I would have to take those guys before I take Blake Corum.

Could Ryan Day actually be on the hot seat if Ohio State loses this game?

Wells: If he loses this game, it means a ton. Just around town, around Columbus, he's going to hear the grumblings about him being on the hot seat. Nobody takes losing to Michigan kindly in Columbus, and especially in the fashion in which they've done in the last couple of years.

I do believe that it's a must-win for him right now this year. I don't mean that it's a must-win or he's out of here, but it's a must-win for how he's judged and how he's graded among these other great coaches. Nobody wants to be a guy that's talked about and loses back-to-back-to-back vs. the University of Michigan. He doesn't want that. He's too good of a coach for that.

I don't think he's coaching for his job at the moment. He's done too many great things for this university. He's recruiting at a very high clip. We've been in the College Football Playoff multiple times with him at the lead. So, there are so many other great things that just pinpoint to say, you know he lost to Michigan three times in a row, it sounds awful. It's ugly, it's nasty, nobody wants that. But I don't think his job will be hanging on this one game coming up this weekend.

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PREGAME READING

Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr.’s long, intertwined paths to The Game: Guided by football-loving fathers and a demanding prep program, Ohio State’s two brightest stars have created big moments together for years. Now they face their biggest challenge .

Ryan Day, Ohio State and the high-stakes pressure to win The Game: Could Ryan Day, 56-6 as a head coach, actually be on the hot seat if he loses to Michigan again? Coaches share thoughts on the very real pressure to beat one’s rival .

Jim Harbaugh, Ryan Day have stoked an already-intense rivalry: Anger, animosity and a dash of paranoia have driven the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry to new heights, largely sparked by the coaches themselves .

CFP scenarios: How Michigan-Ohio State could impact the playoff chase: The Game will play a big role in which teams ultimately reach the CFP. Here are the potential scenarios, and what must happen for each to occur .

Ranking the 26 best NFL prospects in The Game: Marvin Harrison Jr. and J.J. McCarthy are just two NFL Draft prospects in an Ohio State-Michigan matchup loaded with pro talent. See how they compare .

What we’re expecting to see in The Game: Can Ohio State end its losing streak to Michigan? Can the Wolverines overcome the suspension of Jim Harbaugh? Here's what we're looking for in The Game .

The top 25 performances all-time in The Game: Michigan and Ohio State will square off for the 119th time on Saturday. Here are the 25 top performances in the history of this great rivalry .

Can J.J. McCarthy be the greatest Michigan QB ever?: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said J.J. McCarthy is "on path" to be the best QB in program history. A strong performance against Ohio State could help .

Michigan or Ohio State have won the Big Ten in each of the last six seasons.

Number of times Michigan and Ohio State have played (Michigan leads the series 60-52-6).

Michigan has won each of the last two meetings against Ohio State by at least this many points.

The Wolverines have outrushed the Buckeyes by this many yards in their last two meetings (549-207).

Number of times these programs have played in which both are undefeated.

Number of times these programs have played with both being ranked inside the top three of the AP Top 25 poll.

More numbers to know from The Game .

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