Davis Warren's throw, Peyton O'Leary's ridiculous catch in Michigan win over Ohio State a full-circle moment: 'It was a special thing'
In the biggest of moments — fourth quarter, tie game, at Ohio State — two former walk-ons stepped up for Michigan Wolverines football. Senior quarterback Davis Warren, much maligned, rolled out right on third-and-8 from his own 44-yard line and threw on the run toward the sideline.
Senior wide receiver Peyton O’Leary, Warren’s housemate, knew where the ball was going to be, and he corralled it — barely keeping the pigskin from hitting the turf. O’Leary stood up and hit a third-down celebration.
Tied 10-10, Michigan drove all the way to the Ohio State 3-yard line, before Warren threw an interception in the end zone.
Devastating, but not a deathblow. Michigan’s drive that Warren and O’Leary kept alive still chewed a whopping 9:10 off the clock. The Wolverines dominated time of possession, keeping the football for 13:03 of the 15 minutes in the fourth quarter, sealing the 13-10 win with a game-winning field goal by junior kicker Dominic Zvada.
Weeks later, Warren and O’Leary can laugh about all of it.
“We’ve watched it a couple times — a handful,” Warren said of he and his housemates, including O’Leary. “It always shows up on the YouTube and stuff, so it’s there.
“But can’t pump his tires up too much. Gotta keep him grounded. He’s kinda a pain to be around if he gets too confident.”
Warren and O’Leary have a special connection. Both came in as walk-ons and developed incredible chemistry while on scout team. That became apparent as the two worked their way up the depth chart, starting with the 2023 spring game, when Warren found O’Leary for the game-winning two-point conversion.
“Love him to death, and that was a huge catch when we needed it,” Warren said of the play against Ohio State, in a more serious tone. “I remember the first time me and him were throwing together on the field out there the summer my freshman year, and [tight ends] Coach [Steve] Casula, who recruited us, was kinda watching off to the side.
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“To think that it would progress to us being in The ‘Shoe trying to get a win like that, it was a special thing and a testament to him to all the work he’s put in to get better.
“Hitting the celebration after was a nice touch.”
The win, Michigan’s seventh of the year, completely changed the complexion of the season. While the Wolverines didn’t make the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020, they extended their winning streak against Ohio State to four straight victories. They also cemented that they’ll have a winning record no matter what the result of the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl is.
While some key Michigan players will miss the bowl game while preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft, Warren and those who will suit up have a level of urgency to come out on top.
“We need to win this football game,” Warren said. “It’s important to us as a team. It’s important as an offense for us to do what we do and uphold the standard of Michigan. There are a thousand wins up there — there’s a standard here of winning, and we don’t plan on stopping that, and Michigan needs us to win this football game.”
Michigan made the CFP three-straight years, winning the national championship in 2023, but the vibe at practice has been positive.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve only been in the playoffs, so this is new to me, but everyone’s done a great job,” the starting quarterback said. “You wouldn’t notice a different from last year or the year before to this year, in terms of the intensity, the focus and everything we gotta do.”
