Game balls from Michigan football's win over Ohio State
The Michigan Wolverines walked out of Ann Arbor with a 30-24 win over the rival Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship game next weekend in Indianapolis. All hands were on deck for the U-M victory, which had no shortage of standout performances.
The Wolverine’s team of Chris Balas, Clayton Sayfie and Anthony Broome chime in with their game ball picks after the 12th win of the 2023 campaign.
Chris Balas: Graduate kicker James Turner
Michigan brought in James Turner, a Saline native, from Louisville to step in and replace Jake Moody, which was an impossible task. Moody will likely go down as the best kicker in modern program history, but Turner has been incredibly clutch this season, and his 3 field goals on Saturday afternoon were huge in helping the Wolverines secure the win.
Turner made all of his kicks on Saturday and hit a massive 50-yard field goal right after halftime to extend U-M’s lead to 17-10. He had two kicks in the fourth quarter from 38 and 37-yards out, respectively, that kept Michigan in front and put all the pressure on Ohio State. Turner is now 12-for-14 on the season and has not missed a kick since the Rutgers game on Sept. 23.
Clayton Sayfie: Senior offensive lineman Zak Zinter
It absolutely crushed Michigan players, coaches and fans to see beloved senior right guard Zak Zinter go down and get carted off. But the Wolverines rallied after he got hurt, with senior running back Blake Corum running for a 22-yard touchdown to go up 24-17 on the very next play. The crowd was even more juiced up, and it was clear this Michigan victory would be in part for Zinter. Players said they’re excited to visit him when they can and make sure he feels supported. The ‘next man up’ mentality worked out, with graduate Karsen Barnhart sliding down to right guard and senior Trente Jones coming in at right tackle. The offensive line still performed at a high level.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
DJ Lagway
Florida QB to return vs. LSU
- 2
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 3
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 4New
SEC changes course
Alcohol sales at SEC Championship Game
- 5
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
It was an emotional day overall for the seniors. Corum delivered, and so did countless others. As Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said last season in Columbus, they didn’t need one or two heroes, they needed a whole locker room full of ’em. And that’s what Michigan got. Short-handed, without Corum, without Harbaugh.
Anthony Broome: Senior running back Blake Corum
Blake Corum is the heartbeat of this football team, and not having him down the stretch last year was a death blow to U-M’s national title chances. This year, he finally got a healthy crack at the Ohio State Buckeyes, and while he did not put up gaudy numbers (22 carries, 88 yards, 2 TD), all that matters are touchdowns. He scored his 21st and 22nd on the year in this game, the first giving Michigan a 7-0 lead. The second was the emotional swing that turned the game.
Right after Zinter went down with an injury, Corum scored from 22-yards out to give the Wolverines a 24-17 lead and bring the Big House back to life. It is the stuff that movie scripts are made of, and Corum got his Hollywood ending after coming back to Ann Arbor for one more ride. Now, there are bigger fish to fry.
