The 121st meeting between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes, simply “The Game” to fans across the country, delivered its usual intensity on Saturday, but this time it was Ohio State that controlled the rivalry. After four straight Michigan victories, the No. 1 nationally ranked Buckeyes came into Ann Arbor and proved to be the superior team, outplaying the Wolverines in nearly every facet on their way to a 27–9 win at Michigan Stadium.
With the match up played in late November each year, it’s typical that it will be frigid temperatures. This year, snow was also in the forecast and the flurries started after the first quarter, which ironically seemed to be when the Wolverines early momentum fizzled as well. The Wolverines opened the game with a promising drive highlighted by a 36-yard burst from Running Back Jordan Marshall and a 10-yard catch soon after, but they stalled in the red zone and settled for a field goal to take a 3–0 lead.
Not to be outdone by the offense, the Michigan defense had an early spark of its own. On Ohio State’s second offensive snap, cornerback Jyaire Hill stepped in front of a Julian Sayin pass intended for Jeremiah Smith, giving the Wolverines the ball at the Buckeye 39. Again Michigan drove deep into OSU territory, reaching the 7-yard line and threatening to score, but again Michigan failed to find the end zone, leading to another Dominic Zvada field goal and a 6–0 advantage.
Despite taking off over five minutes of clock time, Ohio State would march downfield fairly easily on their second possession. Behind a mix of efficient pass and run plays, the Buckeyes were at first and goal from the Michigan 2-yard line. But the Wolverine defense stood their ground keeping OSU out of the end zone and forcing them to kick a field goal.
A stingy Ohio State defense then forced a three and out and the ball was quickly back in the hands of Sayin and the Buckeye offense. The opening quarter would come to an end with the No. 1 Buckeyes trailing 6-3 to the Wolverines, but the tide had already begun to turn.
From the second quarter on, it was all Ohio State. The Scarlet and Gray team from Columbus scored touchdowns on both of their second quarter possessions while Michigan mustered only their third field goal make by Zvada. Long possessions by both teams limited total opportunities, but the Wolverines had just one meaningful drive in the quarter, the one that produced their final points of the day. Their second drive of the quarter started with only 16 seconds remaining in the half and Ohio State entered the locker room leading 17-9.
The Buckeyes continued their dominant performance against the Wolverines through the second half as Michigan looked to have made no meaningful adjustments at the break. OSU controlled both sides of the ball, making play after play on offense and getting stop after stop on defense. Despite the fans in maize and blue hoping for a comeback, the Wolverines crossed midfield only once after halftime and never mounted a legitimate scoring threat. Meanwhile, Ohio State stretched its lead with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Carnell Tate and added a field goal from Jayden Fielding.
Ohio State suffocated Michigan’s offense, and the result was a zero point second half for Michigan. The Buckeyes strategy was obvious, limit the opportunities of the Wolverines. They successfully did just that in the second half, similarly as they had done in the first thirty minutes. Michigan’s four second half possessions produced little. Two ended without a first down, including an interception, another reached a single first down before stalling, and the last crossed the 50 by only four yards before ending in a punt. The time of possession disparity told the story as Ohio State held the ball for 40:01, nearly doubling Michigan’s 19:59. Undoubtedly, it was a long and challenging afternoon for the home team and in the end, Ohio State would snap the four game win streak by Michigan with a 27-9 victory to stay undefeated.
Michigan never really found a rhythm in the game as they failed to gain any momentum in moving the ball downfield besides the two drives in the first half. A disappointing offensive performance by Michigan coupled with solid defense by Ohio State resulted in a game with zero touchdowns by the Wolverines. The stat sheet was padded by Ohio State, who gained 419 yards of total offense compared to just 163 total yards by Michigan. Underwood threw for only 63 yards, completing 8 of 18 passes and surprisingly freshman standout Receiver Andrew Marsh was held without any catches, or targets, in the game. Marshall ran for 61 yards, all in the first half, showing the dominant defensive performance by the Buckeyes.
In contrast, the Buckeyes consistently controlled field position, tempo, and physicality. Sayin threw for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns in a balanced offensive attack that also saw Running Back Bo Jackson gain over 100 yards on the ground as he finished with 117 yards on 22 carries.
The Wolverines were man handled for the most part, from start to finish. The growing pains of a team battling some key injuries and a young roster was apparent. With one of the youngest teams in the country and another top-10 recruiting class arriving next year, the Wolverines expect growth, development, and improvement. When “The Game” shifts to Columbus next season, the maize and blue faithful will hope this loss becomes fuel for a much stronger response.
Michigan’s regular season ends with a 9-3 record, certainly nothing to have their heads down about. Although they will miss the College Football Playoffs for the second straight year following their national championship, they will look to still achieve a 10 win season with a win in a post season bowl game. That location and opponent will be announced in the coming weeks.
Ohio State (12-0) looks to continue the great year they are having. They head to the Big Ten Championship next week in Indianapolis and will face No. 2 ranked Indiana (12-0) before preparing for the playoffs with the goal of winning back-to-back National Championships still in play.
Final Score: Ohio State 27 – Michigan 9