Michigan takes down Ohio State for third straight year, will play for Big Ten title vs. Iowa

The Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes’ yearly tilt on the last Saturday of November lived up to the hype, and U-M walked out of the Big House with a 30-24 win. The Wolverines head back to Indianapolis next weekend for a Big Ten Championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It was the third game in a row without head coach Jim Harbaugh, but it did not wind up mattering. When the game was on the line and a play needed to be made, every man on the home sideline stepped up and got the job done to secure the program’s third straight win over the Buckeyes.

Here is the full game recap from Ann Arbor.

First quarter

Michigan won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, putting the Ohio State offense on the field first. After a TreVeyon Henderson 5-yard run, the Buckeyes went three-and-out and punted away to Michigan at its own 40-yard line. U-M matched with 5 yards from Blake Corum, but would end up with a three-and-out of its own, punting down to the OSU 24-yard line with 12:34 remaining.

The next Buckeye possession went 22 yards in five plays before the Buckeyes elected to punt on fourth-and-1 from their own 46-yard line, sending the ball back to Michigan at its 21-yard line with 9:37 to go. The Wolverines would be off the field quickly after another three-and-out with Tommy Doman’s punt going into the end zone. OSU took over at its own 20-yard line with 7:41 to go.

On the next series, OSU QB Kyle McCord stared down star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and threw a pick to Michigan corner Will Johnson, who jumped the route and returned it to the 7-yard line. Four plays later, the Wolverines took their first lead of the day on a one-yard Corum touchdown run, his program-record 21st of the season. After James Turner’s extra point, Michigan jumped ahead 7-0 with 5:36 to go.

The Buckeye offense was able to generate a bit more on its next drive, going 51 yards in nine plays to set up a 43-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding. U-M’s lead was trimmed to 7-3 with 2:05 left in the quarter. The first chapter of the game would come to a close with Michigan driving at the OSU 46-yard line facing a third-and-8.

Michigan 7, Ohio State 3

Second quarter

The Wolverines closed out the drive that started in the first quarter with a 22-yard strike from J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson, their 11th scoring connection of the year. After the review and the extra point, Michigan jumped ahead 14-3 with 10:22 to go in the half. OSU wasn’t going away, though. It responded with a seven-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a three-yard pass from McCord to OSU wideout Emeka Egbuka. Following the extra point, Michigan’s lead was cut to 14-10 with 6:27 to go in the first half.

U-M’s offense wasn’t able to extend its advantage on the following possession after 24 yards gained on five plays. Doman punted down to the OSU 2-yard line, where the Buckeyes would take over with 3:23 remaining. OSU would knock on the door of adding points before halftime, headlined by a 46-yard connection from McCord to Harrison to put the Buckeyes in scoring territory. Facing a fourth-and-2 with the first half clock set to expire, the Buckeyes attempted a 52-yard field goal that missed after a timeout was called to ice the kicker.

Michigan 14, Ohio State 10

Third quarter

Michigan started the second half on offense after deferring its choice from the opening kickoff. The Wolverines went 46 yards in six plays before settling for a 50-yard field goal attempt from Turner, which was good. U-M’s lead expanded to 17-10 with 11:43 to go in the quarter after the score. The Buckeyes would have a physical answer for it, going 75 yards in 12 plays to tie the game on a three-yard touchdown run from Henderson and extra point. The teams would be knotted at 17-17 with 5:35 to go in the third quarter.

The game was stopped with Michigan driving with 2:19 left in the quarter after starting offensive guard Zak Zinter was carted off the field due to a lower-body injury. One play later, Corum found the end zone for the second time today on a 22-yard rush. After the extra point, Michigan took the lead back at 24-17. On the next defensive series, the Wolverines forced a three-and-out and took over at their own 36-yard line. The quarter would end with the Wolverines driving.

Michigan 24, Ohio State 17

Fourth quarter

The Michigan drive that carried over ended in a 38-yard field goal from Turner, which helped the lead expand to 27-17 in favor of the Wolverines with 12:37 to go. A kickoff out of bounds set up OSU at its own 40-yard line to start its next drive. The Buckeyes took advantage of the field position, going 60 yards in eight plays and scoring on a 14-yard reception by Harrison. Ohio State cut the Michigan lead to 27-24 after the extra point with 8:05 to go.

Michigan responded with a 7-minute drive, but settled for a 37-yard field goal from Turner with 1:05 to go. OSU returned the kickoff to the 19-yard line with a minute to play and no timeouts.

The Buckeyes were able to march down to the Michigan 22-yard line with 30 seconds to play, but junior safety Rod Moore intercepted McCord to seal the win for the Wolverines.

FINAL: Michigan 30, Ohio State 24

Michigan vs. Ohio State final stats, box score