EXCLUSIVE: Brady Quinn shares what Michigan football needs to do to beat Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Before it was even a question of whether or not Blake Corum would be healthy for Michigan football entering The Game, it was going to be a tall task to come into the Horseshoe and take down rival Ohio State for the first time on the road since 2000. But with Corum’s status questionable, it’s made for an even more intriguing matchup.

Even so, Brady Quinn, the former Notre Dame quarterback who is now an analyst on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, has reason to believe the Wolverines can pull it out.

One of the big reasons is that he’s high on J.J. McCarthy as well as the Michigan defense. Still, he feels that someone is going to have to take over the run game if Corum is either limited or unavailable.

Quinn spoke to WolverinesWire in an exclusive interview about The Game, what Michigan needs to do, why he likes J.J. McCarthy, and what he needs to see from him on Saturday.

Everything he said is below.

What does Michigan football bring to The Game?

Physicality. No one’s gonna question that toughness on either side of the line. Their offensive line, in my opinion, is the best in the country. I know they won the award last year, but I think this group has played even better.

Defensively, they lost some stars on the edges. Aidan Hutchison, David Ojabo, Daxton Hill kind of playing in their secondary as well. And they’ve been able to replace all that production with some talented players and a group that’s playing just as good, if not better, than what they were last year.

So I think really — almost have the exact same identity or blueprint of what they were a year ago. The only difference is probably the J.J. McCarthy factor in his ability to run.

How confident is he in J.J. McCarthy if he needs to take over the game?

I’m confident in his skill set, he’s an incredible athlete. Yeah, he definitely does add as a dual-threat quarterback to the rushing attack. I think he’s a good decision-maker, I think he takes good care of the football, he’s got plenty of arm strength, he can throw the ball with different arm angles. They just haven’t asked him to do that, he hasn’t really had to do that this year. This is the game that I think he’s going to have to — especially not knowing the status of Blake Corum and how healthy he’s going to be. Donovan Edwards, as well, for that matter.

And so it’s gonna be a big test for him. And I think this year has really built up to that on offense for him this game,

Can Michigan win this game without Blake Corum?

Yeah, I think in a rivalry game like this there’s always a shot. And we’ve seen all kinds of stuff happen in college football this year. So if Blake can’t go, if Donovan can’t go, can C.J. Stokes step in as a freshman running back? And it’s J.J. McCarthy probably having to add more sort of to the rushing attack that he’s had to this year. And like I said, it doesn’t change anything on the offensive line. I know they’re a little banged up up front too. And that’ll play a factor, but this group, the way they played defensively, the way they’ve been able to run the football with that offensive front it’ll still be able to keep them in the ballgame.

Michigan wins if...

Michigan wins the game if they take care of the football and they rush for almost 300 yards like they did last year versus Ohio State up in Ann Arbor.

Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire