Michigan vs. Ohio State: Keys to Securing Jim Harbaugh's First Win Over the Buckeyes

Michigan. Ohio State.

Jim Harbaugh. Urban Meyer.

The time for talk is over. The Game is upon us. Here are the keys to a Wolverine victory:

Unleash Jabrill

Harbaugh and company have teased us all season. Jabrill Peppers made his true debut on offense against Michigan State and his presence was so frightening that Mark Dantonio burned timeouts on consecutive plays.

He's that good.

He's been so close to busting a return on special teams and has been good in spurts on offense, scoring a few touchdowns so far this season and showing the ability to turn nothing into something.

Harbaugh said "things could get crazy" with how Peppers is used on the field in year-two, but look for it to happen on Saturday. The Game has been home to some of the most iconic moments in college football history. Perhaps Peppers' legacy is cemented Saturday.

Feed Butt

Jake Butt has been one of the best tight ends in the game this season and Saturday has the chance to be a banner day for him.

OSU has had problems covering the middle of the field this year and Michigan should exploit that in this game.

Butt has had nice games against the Buckeyes in his career. In 2013, he had four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. Last year's game saw him finish with five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Jake Rudock has hit his stride as Michigan's quarterback and Butt's production has picked up as a result. The Wolverines will need him to continue that on Saturday.

Contain Zeke

Ezekiel Elliott is a Heisman-type player and by far the best running back that Michigan will see all season long. He was upset, and rightfully so, last week in the loss to Michigan State because he didn't get the ball enough.

That won't be an issue in this game.

Elliott's going to get the ball early and often as the Buckeyes will try to exploit Michigan's recently-leaky-at-times run defense.

There's no shutting down a player of Elliott's caliber completely. All you can do is your best to try to contain him and limit his damage. Which plays into the last and most important key to this football game.

Win the Trenches

Michigan State gave the Wolverines the blueprint to beating the Buckeyes, and it is not just taking advantage of bad playcalling.

The Spartans punished Ohio State up front on both sides of the ball in Columbus last Saturday. Michigan has to be the hammer and not the nail in this edition of The Game. Mason Cole will have his hands full with Joey Bosa, but he did a nice job as a true freshman last season in Columbus.

On the flip side, Michigan's defensive line must put together one of its best efforts of the year, led by Chris Wormley, Willie Henry, Maurice Hurst and Taco Charlton. They have the guys to get it done, so now it's all execution.

What do you think Michigan has to do to beat the Buckeyes? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!