Michigan crusher…Carnell Tate’s 50-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter silenced the Wolverines’ hopes…and the ‘Big House’. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Dan Harker)
The No. 1 Buckeyes controlled every facet of the game, did the little things well and made big plays to dominate Michigan 27-9 and end a four-game losing streak in The Game.
Ann Arbor, MI – Sonny Styles – linebacker, senior, captain, Columbus kid – allowed himself a moment to enjoy the soon-to-be victory he had only dreamed of.
And why, in the name of O-H-I-O, not.
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For four straight years, his Ohio State Buckeyes had lost The Game to Michigan. He endured the last three of them. No way would he and his brothers leave college without a victory over the Wolverines and the symbolic pair of gold pants.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
So, he sat on the sideline in the fourth quarter, warmed by a heated bench and daydreamed.
“I was talking to Payton Pierce, and I’m like, ‘Man, playing in The Game right now, both teams trying to get to the Big 10 championship, it’s snowing, it’s end of November, like stuff you dream about,” Syles said. “I daydreamed a little bit on the sideline, but it means so much.”
Not too many minutes later, Styles and his teammates rushed the snow-covered field to celebrate a 27-9 victory over Michigan. They were victors again in the game that means everything to them and every Ohio State fan.
“We wanted to take this rivalry game back this year,” head coach Ryan Day said. “The way that our guys played certainly spoke to that, and they played with great passion and great physicality.”
Could anyone have played better in this game as a first-time quarterback…run and pass…than Julian Sayin?
The No. 1 and 12-0 Buckeyes dominated in every way possible, built momentum after some early stumbles, and shut down any thoughts Michigan had of scoring in the second half, burying the narrative that Day can’t beat Michigan.
“Before this game, we talked about not caring what happened in the past, saying this team is different, and going out there to play for the love of your brother, not for the hate of the other team,” Styles said. “We did that today.”
Now 2-4 against the Wolverines, Day and his team can move on to goals No. 2 and No. 3.
Next is a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup – the kind that used to be labeled Game of the Century – against 12-0 Indiana next Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship, a title the Buckeyes haven’t claimed since 2020. Then it’s onto the College Football Playoff where the Buckeyes will seek to win a second straight national championship.
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“We’re going to enjoy this one, but we’re more excited about the future and what’s coming up next,” Styles said.
The Buckeyes’ memories of Saturday’s triumph will be replete with enjoyment.
Jeremiah Smith being cleared to play created excitement…and he scored the Buckeyes’ first touchdown on this Sayin pass in the second quarter.
Not that they needed motivation, but when wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were cleared to play, following undisclosed injuries, their presence created excitement.
“We had a lot of confidence going into the game whether they played or not, at least for the defensive side of the ball,” Styles said. “We felt like we were going to win the game on defense no matter what. But, obviously, having two elite receivers out there helps a lot.”
Tate finished with five catches for 82 yards and Smith had three for 40 yards. But their big-play touchdowns put Michigan’s defense in a defensive mode, one that allowed the Buckeyes to finish them off in the second half with one successful run play after another.
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Day said Smith, who missed the last game and a half, was limited in practice this week. But when the moment presented itself early in the second quarter, he trusted Smith and Sayin enough to make an aggressive call that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown pass for a 10-6 lead. Smith’s 11th touchdown catch wasn’t just any pitch and catch. It happened on fourth-and-five.
Big hits on defense…Michigan tight end Marlin Klein experienced the Buckeyes’ reputation as the nation’s #1.
Smith sprinted off the line, faked hard to the inside, then got open to the outside in a route-running clinic. Sayin’s pass was on target just inside the 10, and Smith cruised into the end zone.
“That wasn’t a play that we got a ton of practice in on this week,” Day said. “But we talked about it, we walked through it. You got to give our guys credit for putting it on the field.”
The play was reviewed because of a slight bobble of the football at the goal line. The discussion was whether Smith had sufficient control in the end zone before he stepped out of the side of the end zone.
Referee Kole Knueppel issued the following statement after the game: “We did not have a camera angle to determine when the ball was loose as opposed to when it crossed the goal line. So by rule, if we don’t have an angle to confirm by obvious video evidence that the ball was loose before he crossed the goal line, then the play is going to be upheld.”
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Tate, who missed three games, played the part of possession receiver in the first half. He made third-down catches twice on the drive that led to Smith’s touchdown. Then in the third quarter, with Michigan still close enough to keep Ohio State fans nervous, he broke wide open down field for a 50-yard touchdown catch for a 24-9 lead.
“If you really know how much work they put in to get on the field, and how gutsy they are, I’m sure the fans and everybody would just appreciate what they did in going out there and putting it on the line,” Day said of his future first-round draft picks.
Sayin, playing in his first Michigan game, showed that a redshirt freshman can stand up to the pressure and adversity, especially when he had never played in less than 50 degrees growing up in southern California. He threw an interception in the first quarter that led to Michigan’s second field goal and a 6-0 lead.
“We put our defense in a really bad spot with that interception, and they ended up forcing three,” Sayin said. “No panic. Let’s go down and score. And credit to our defense. Man, they played great all game.”
Sayin responded with the two long touchdown passes and finished 19 of 26 for 233 yards. His third touchdown was a four-yarder on a slant to wide receiver Brandon Inniss for a 17-9 lead with 16 seconds left in the first half.
Brandon Inniss celebrates his first half touchdown in the Buckeyes’ 27-9 win over Michigan.
The Buckeyes also did something they didn’t do in the four-game losing streak. After Michigan gained the game’s first 70 rushing yards, the Buckeyes finished with a 186 to 100 advantage. Freshman Bo Jackson established career highs with 22 carries for 117 yards.
When the Buckeyes needed to remove all doubt, they embarked on a 20-play, 81-yard drive in the third quarter that erased 11 minutes and 56 seconds from the clock. Jayden Fielding capped the drive with his second field goal, this one from 23 yards with 8:10 to play. Sixteen of the plays were on the ground, and the lead required Michigan to score three times.
“Those guys played really physical,” Sayin said of the offensive line. “All season long they’ve just had an edge to them and played nasty. You see guys getting thrown on the ground it looks like carnage out there.”
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Speaking of carnage, after the Wolverines managed to hit on a few plays to kick three first-half field goals, their offense had no chance. Day said the start clearly wasn’t the plan, but no one panicked.
Victory march…While Michigan guarded its Block ‘M’, post-game, the Buckeyes left the field with that for which they came.
“The physicality of the line of scrimmage, running from sideline to sideline, making plays, it was just great,” Day said. “They had a great look in their eye. I don’t think there was any doubt when we walked into the stadium what was going to happen.”
The Buckeyes held Michigan to minus-eight rushing yards in the second half. Quarterback Bryce Underwood couldn’t escape for big runs and was sacked twice. He completed only 8 of 18 passes for 63 yards. The Wolverines’ 163 total yards marked the 11th consecutive opponent to be held under 300 yards and the seventh overall under 200. And by one yard, Michigan avoided being the 11th to be held under 100 yards rushing.
“We talked about it before the game that we got to win in the second half,” Styles said. “The past few years we lost the second half, so that was a big thing. We came in the second half and whooped ’em.”
And everyone from Ohio traipsed home through the snow happy to have witnessed such a whoopin’ that, for each of them, was a long time coming.
“I’m happy for our players, I’m happy for the coaches, all the fans who were at the game,” Day said. “It was great to hear the O-H-I-O in the stadium. It was a great moment for our players. They deserve it.”
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