'The gap was pretty big' in Michigan football's win over Ohio State in 2021
Michigan Wolverines football manhandled Ohio State to the tune of 297 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground in a 42-27 win last November at The Big House. On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes recorded just 64 rushing yards, their least amount accumulated in a game since 2011.
Simply put: Michigan dominated the line of scrimmage.
The Wolverines’ offensive line, which won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top group in the trenches, got the push it needed to control the game.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said he “didn’t remember” if he expected that to be the case.
“I remember that’s what we were shooting for,” he added.
Senior quarterback Cade McNamara had seen his offensive line and running backs perform at a high level all season long, but it even caught him off guard a little bit just how easy it looked that last Saturday of November.
“In a sense, I was surprised at how kind of out of hand I thought it was,” McNamara — who completed passes to nine different receivers, finishing 13-of-19 passing for 159 yards — said. “I thought the gap was pretty big during that game, and I’m sure Ohio State didn’t feel very good about that.
“I know that the O-line was very confident in themselves going into that game, and that was our identity last season — that we’re going to be physical. And I do not see that changing.”
That’s a big difference from the 2019 game, a 56-27 Ohio State win. Afterwards, Harbaugh was asked about a “talent gap,” something he took exception to.
“I wasn’t surprised,” senior tight end Erick All added of the 2021 win.
“I watch a lot of film, and I watched a lot of film on us, too, and practiced with the guys. We were expected to do what we did, and we’re going to expect to do the same thing this year.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day switched his defensive play-caller earlier in the season, so he was bound to make major changes on that side of the ball regardless, but the Michigan loss gave even more reason to fire coordinator Kerry Coombs in favor of former Oklahoma State D.C. Jim Knowles.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Curt Cignetti
Indiana agrees to raise, extension for HC
- 2New
Mike Neu
Report: NIU fires head coach
- 3Hot
Jake Paul tops Mike Tyson
Netflix fight ends in Paul victory
- 4
Nico Iamaleava update
UT QB status revealed vs. Georgia
- 5
Nick Saban
Coach regrets leaving LSU
The Buckeyes enter the 2022 season “scarred” by the Michigan loss, Day said at Big Ten Media Days, while the Wolverines are riding high and looking to keep their momentum going.
More reflection on Michigan win over Ohio State
U-M just finished up its trip around the state of Michigan, which included stops in Flint, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Arcadia, Traverse City, Mackinac Island, Drummond Island and more. While traveling around the state, McNamara realized just how important it was the Wolverines to beat the Buckeyes.
“It was extremely meaningful,” McNamara said of the win. “As we’re going around Michigan right now, we’re able to see the impact that it left, not just with our team but the fan base itself and the state itself. A lot of the guys are starting to realize the platform that we have, especially when Michigan football is winning — what that means to the state and the people in it. A lot of us have grown an appreciation for that, and we just want to continue to do that for our fans and for our state.”
All is a Fairfield, Ohio, native, but didn’t grow up an Ohio State fan. The win was a bit more important to him than some others, he says.
“Yeah, it did [mean more],” All explained. “Growing up in Cincinnati, the guys out there are all Ohio State fans, and you hear a lot of talk about them all the time.”
