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Five Ohio State stats that mattered in Michigan loss

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•11/27/22•

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Ohio State allowed a season-high 530 yards in its 45-23 loss to Michigan over Thanksgiving Weekend. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles took accountability postgame for what happened. It was the one thing the Buckeyes were so desperately trying to prevent from happening. So much so that they went out and got Knowles from Oklahoma State this past offseason as part of a revamped defense that was designed to be “tougher,” most notably in The Game.

That vision didn’t come to fruition Saturday.

In a top-three showdown at the Horseshoe, Michigan embarrassed Ohio State’s defense, first through the air and then on the ground to win in Columbus for the first time since 2000.

Lettermen Row has the five stats that mattered in the 45-23 defeat.

315

YARDS RECORDED BY THE BUCKEYES IN THE FIRST HALF: Michigan dominated the second half, 28-3. But the first half really should have been lopsided the other way. Ohio State outgained the Wolverines in the opening two quarters, 315-214, in total yards. The Buckeyes picked up 12 more first downs (16) than Michigan (4), had a higher third down conversion percentage (44%) than Michigan (38%) and held the ball for eight more minutes than the Wolverines. Ohio State was humming on the ground, too, rushing for 124 yards in the first half, in part thanks to reserve running back Chip Trayanum, who finished with 83 yards on 14 carries. But the Buckeyes’ woes in the secondary gave life to Michigan’s offense, which was missing Heisman Trophy candidate running back Blake Corum.

9

PENALTIES COMMITTED BY THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State shot itself in the foot in the The Game. Again. Last year, when the Buckeyes suffered a 42-27 defeat in Ann Arbor, they committed 10 penalties. They nearly matched that mark this time around. Ohio State had nine penalties accepted for 91 yards. Three of those were false start infractions (on left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., right tackle Dawand Jones and long snapper Mason Arnold).

The flags that stung the most were on tight end Gee Scott Jr. and safety Ronnie Hickman. After a 24-yard catch and run by Trayanum — which was already being called back because of a holding penalty on left guard Donovan Jackson — Scott headbutted Michigan safety Rod Moore, picking up an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction in the process. Those two penalties pushed the Buckeyes back 25 yards, setting up a 1st-and-35. Ohio State actually gained 30 of those yards back, but, despite quarterback C.J. Stroud’s pleading, head coach Ryan Day elected to punt (the Wolverines scored on the next drive to take a 31-20 lead). On said drive, Hickman committed defensive pass interference on 3rd-and-10 from the Ohio State 13-yard line, extending a Michigan series that would have otherwise ended in a field goal.

The Buckeyes wound up with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and two DPI flags.

47.1%

MICHIGAN’S THIRD/FOURTH DOWN CONVERSION RATE AGAINST THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State started the game 4-of-4 on third down but only converted once more the rest of the way, ending the game 5-of-16 in those situations. Meanwhile, Michigan — albeit with the natural ebbs and flows of a game — was significantly more steady, converting 8-of-17, or 47.1%, of third/fourth downs. Like the Buckeyes, Michigan enjoyed early success, moving the sticks on its first two third downs. The Wolverines also had a stretch in the second half, though, where they gained a fresh set of downs or scored a touchdown on four consecutive third downs. The final leg of that sequence saw Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy turn a QB power run into a goal line score that extended the Wolverines’ lead to 31-20.

3

DROPS RECORDED BY THE BUCKEYES: Everyone knows that Ohio State has become a wide receiver factory. Look no further than last year when the Buckeyes had two wideouts picked in the top half of the first round of the NFL Draft. Even without Jaxon Smith-Njigba — a Biletnikoff Award favorite coming into 2022 — Ohio State has be just fine at the wide receiver position, producing a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in sophomores Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.

That’s why the Buckeyes having three drops Saturday came as a shock. To put that in perspective, Ohio State had just 11 drops in the first 11 games of the season, per Pro Football Focus. Harrison entered last week as the only receiver in the country with at least 90 targets and zero drops. But he had his first in the second quarter. Egbuka had a drop as well, although the most noticeable drop was from tight end Cade Stover, who couldn’t bring down a touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter. Stroud’s pass hit Stover’s hands, except Stover couldn’t secure it through Michigan nickel Mike Sainristil’s stabbing PBU attempt. If Stover had caught that touchdown, Ohio State would have been back within four points of the Wolverines, 31-27 (assuming Noah Ruggles would have made the PAT).

8.83

YARDS PER PLAY ALLOWED BY THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State gave up a season-high 530 yards of offense to Michigan Saturday, 48 more yards than it conceded in its thrilling win over Penn State earlier this season. But what’s jarring is that the Wolverines put up that number in just 60 plays. So Michigan averaged 8.83 yards per play, which, according to Marcus Hartman of the Dayton Daily News, is the most an Ohio State opponent has ever allowed (Maryland averaged 8.63 yards per play against the Buckeyes in 2018 when it almost upset Ohio State in College Park).

The big play doomed the Buckeyes defense. McCarthy had just 10 pass plays of 30-plus yards this season coming into the rivalry clash. What’s more, he had just 36 attempts on throws traveling 20 or more yards through the air. Nine other Big Ten quarterbacks had more attempts in that depth, per PFF. But that didn’t matter Saturday, when he completed four passes of 30-plus yards, three of which traveled at least 20 yards through the air, per PFF.

McCarthy accounted for two of Michigan’s four 60-plus-yard plays from scrimmage. Ohio State had allowed just one of play of at least 60 yards from scrimmage all season.

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