Ohio State Made Michigan Our Bitch Again 2017

They did it. They beat Ohio. After seven years of trying, Michigan found salvation under Jim Harbaugh. And no 24-hour interval in the final 18 years, possibly 24 years, has tasted sweeter for Michigan Football game and its fans. The behemothic has fallen, the Buckeyes are slain.

Let'south Goooooooooooooooo

Remembering what happened in this game is not like shooting fish in a barrel. Euphoria afterwards a win of that nature has a habit of blocking coherent thought. Most of the memories tin can only be conjured in fleeting glimpses, wrapped in stress and mania. But after a couple hours of sitting downwards, thinking, and poring over the box score, your writer has come up with his best try at a epitomize. Let's give information technology a shot:

Ohio Country won the opening coin toss and deferred to Michigan. Getting points was crucial, if only to avoid a scenario like what happened to MSU last weekend, falling downwards multiple touchdowns and having to play an unfamiliar kind of game. The Wolverines got those points on their scripted drive, and what a beautiful script it had. Three times on that bulldoze Michigan encountered third & brusque situations, and every time, Hassan Haskins picked it upwards. His third attempt saw the RB rumble forward for 17 to become Michigan into the Ruby-red Zone. The next playcall was a beauty, a statue of liberty cease-around to AJ Henning that got Michigan six points. Jake Moody righted Quinn Nordin'due south wrong of two years agone by slipping the extra point through, and Michigan led 7-0.

The starting time Ohio State offensive series was every bit crucial to the menses of the game every bit Michigan's was. Over again, the Wolverines got the win and asserted themselves in the contest. A miscue by OSU kick returner Julian Fleming put the football game at the 4, and a snap error by center Luke Wypler put the Buckeyes in a bind. The Michigan pass rush got home and the mighty law-breaking from Columbus was forced to punt from their ain end zone.

AJ Henning returned that punt inside the Buckeye 40, and after Cade McNamara quickly striking a strike to Roman Wilson, information technology seemed as if Michigan was suddenly on the verge of going upwardly 2 touchdowns less than vii minutes in. McNamara targeted Wilson again but did non encounter free safety Bryson Shaw lurking. Shaw jumped the route for a crushing interception that seemed to let a bit of the air out of the hype balloon.

Michigan'due south defense force came up with a huge respond, though. Ohio State'south vaunted offense marched down the field, mostly on the ground, and got inside the Wolverine x-thousand line. As your author outlined in FFFF, slamming the door in the Ruddy Zone was a cardinal to the game and Michigan found that central in this instance. Stroud's laissez passer to Chris Olave was dropped by the star receiver, and so after a false start backed OSU up to the eight, Aidan Hutchinson added his first sack of the solar day by getting inside RT Dawand Jones and bringing downwardly CJ Stroud. A Noah Ruggles FG got the Buckeyes on the board, just Michigan led 7-3 and had dodged a bullet.

CJ Stroud had a solid game for the Buckeyes [Bryan Fuller]

Michigan'southward adjacent two offensive possessions were not practiced enough. Non when you're up against a team with as explosive of an offense as Ohio State. The defense got another stop on the next drive, simply the 2 offensive series sandwiched between that terminate combined for merely 33 total yards over 12 plays. Ohio Land got the football back, still downwardly only seven-3, and stitched together a lightning quick drive that went 56 yards in but 4 plays. David Ojabo was inexplicably asked to encompass slot receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, which went as poorly every bit information technology sounds. On the very next play, tempo defenseless Michigan off guard and Stroud delivered a perfect pass to Garrett Wilson, who made the perfect catch, despite good coverage from Vincent Gray for a TD. OSU led 10-7 with 9:12 to go in the 2nd quarter.

It was at this moment that the game turned. All the momentum was sliding away from Michigan and they trailed for the first time. A poor offensive possession could sink the Wolverines' fortunes and set them further behind the Buckeyes. It was not incorrect to say that Michigan'due south backs were against the wall on that drive, but the resilient law-breaking came up with an answer.

A xiii-play, 82-thou drive got Michigan right back in it. Cade McNamara hit Cornelius Johnson on a crossing route to convert a massive 3rd & iii that gained xi yards. A few plays later, facing a 4th & 1 at the OSU 43, Haskins was able to surge forward for 2 and move the chains. A dissimilar outcome on either of those two plays and it'southward very possible that the visiting squad walks away with a victory in this one.

Two plays later, McNamara targeted Johnson again, this fourth dimension on a deep route, and dropped the brawl in perfectly over the outstretched body of Ohio State's Denzel Burke inside the five. Considering the cold and the snowy weather, in addition to the gargantuan stakes, that was probable McNamara'south all-time throw of the season. Two Haskins rushes later on, and Michigan found the end zone. 14-10.

The Buckeyes were set to get the ball back with under four minutes to go in the first half, representing some other potential pitfall for Michigan, particularly because that Ohio State was set to receive the second half opening kicking. Getting to the locker room with a lead was crucial. Michigan got there. The Buckeyes drove, but again the Wolverines answered in the red zone. Just one play afterward dropping a potential interception, it was safety RJ Moten who made the play that mattered. On 3rd & seven from the 17, CJ Stroud hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a mesh road, and had simply Moten keeping him from the finish zone. Moten fabricated the tackle, and Ruggles was sent out to endeavour a 30-yarder and the score at halftime stood at fourteen-thirteen.

Information technology was the first time since 2016 and only the second fourth dimension in Jim Harbaugh's tenure that Michigan had a atomic number 82 at halftime of The Game.

Hutchinson and Ross: the senior leaders who got it done [Bryan Fuller]

Much like the first half, the kickoff two drives of the second half were destined to have an outsized influence on the game's final outcome. Michigan won those offset ii drives decisively. Ohio State was forced to punt without gaining a first downwardly after senior LB Josh Ross shot through a gap and pounded TreVeyon Henderson behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd & 2. The Wolverines got the football and fed Blake Corum, who had just returned from injury, two times and netted 68 yards, the latter deport producing 55 of those yards. That rush took Michigan down to the thirteen. Haskins was inserted, he got blocks in infinite from Erick All, Luke Schoonmaker, and Trevor Keegan, and the running dorsum trudged into the end zone. Moody made the PAT. 21-13 Michigan.

OSU moved the brawl close to midfield, simply another false first set them back and on 3rd & ix, a blitz got home. Stroud sidestepped David Ojabo but then rolled right into the meaty arms of Aidan Hutchinson for a drive-ending sack. The Buckeyes were forced to punt yet again, and Michigan got an opportunity to put the game in a vice grip. They did but that.

JJ McCarthy checked into the game at QB and took advantage of OSU selling out to cease the run by feathering a perfect pass to Roman Wilson down the sideline for 31 yards. Cade McNamara came back in and Josh Gattis drew upwardly some other genius playcall, a flea flicker that isolated the speedy Mike Sainristil on CB Marcus Williamson, who was belatedly to pick it upwards. Sainristil was wide open up and McNamara dropped it in there. McCarthy came back in and ran backside blocks from Haskins and Ryan Hayes down to the goal line. Haskins punched information technology in on the adjacent play and suddenly Michigan led 28-13. At that very moment, hope began to plough to belief for most of the Michigan fanbase. The Wolverines led their archrival by 15 points with only 20 minutes and 49 left in the game.

To close the game down, Michigan had to do two things. The starting time was to continue scoring touchdowns on offense. The second was to hinder Ohio Country, either get stops or at the very to the lowest degree, brand them piece of work for touchdowns. The Wolverines did both of those things. Ohio Country scored touchdowns on their next two drives, but they needed 30 plays and 11:13 of game time- over half that remained- to go those touchdowns.

Those were gutsy, excellent drives past the Buckeyes to proceed them in it, but nothing came easy from the Michigan defense force. They could not find the explosive plays that were so characteristic of Ohio Land the unabridged residuum of the season. Stroud did not take the time to target deep downwards the field thanks to Michigan's consequent laissez passer blitz, and few of his receivers were screamingly open. OSU converted 5/8 third downs on those ii drives and picked upwardly all three 4th downs they faced, frequently on circus catches by their NFL-spring receivers over stellar coverage from Michigan's DBs. Henderson scored both TDs for Ohio State, simply Michigan'due south defense had drained a significant corporeality of clock.

Hassan Haskins had a 24-hour interval for the ages [Patrick Barron]

Information technology also helped that Michigan just kept scoring, and they were able to chew up time doing it. Their drive later on OSU made it 28-xx took nine plays and well-nigh five minutes to score, helped by more Buckeye errors, including an offsides past Steele Chambers on a third & short, and and so a pass interference on Shush later in the bulldoze. Hassan Haskins on the ground got the residuum of it washed behind a mashing OL.

The next TD drive, the one that came subsequently Ohio State had cut information technology to 35-27, was all Haskins. McNamara did non endeavour a pass, and the Buckeyes knew what coming on every play. They just couldn't stop it. Michigan'southward offensive line paved OSU'south defensive tackles all the style dorsum to Toledo, and Haskins hit each hole with the force of a bullet and dragged tacklers with him. Afterward Haskins got gratuitous and galloped for 27 yards down inside the 5, the Buckeyes recognized they needed to permit Michigan score to have any take a chance to come back. They permit Haskins walk in with ii:17 to go, but once again faced a fifteen-point deficit, now 42-27.

Michigan continued to make life tough on the Buckeyes when Ohio State got the ball back. Pressure forced Stroud to routinely check down and tackles to keep receivers in bounds kept the clock rolling. A David Ojabo rush brought Stroud downwardly for a sack, and Ohio State faced 4th & 18 with 61 seconds left. Some other Ojabo blitz forced Stroud to roll and heave. The Ohio State quarterback connected with a receiver, Chris Olave, but he was five yards short. Turnover on downs, and two Cade McNamara kneel downs later, Michigan had defeated Ohio Land. Salvation.

[AFTER THE JUMP: The takes]

Jim Harbaugh changed a lot of narratives today [Fuller]

This is the kind of result that makes anybody compression themselves to make sure information technology's not a dream. This twenty-four hour period, this game, this moment is what Jim Harbaugh was hired to practice. It took many years of trying and failing, the heartache, the staff turnover, and dozens of different players, but finally this group did it. This grouping of players, coaches, staff, and everyone in between.

They believed in each other, they believed in the plan, the organisation, and showed a mental toughness that has eluded Michigan over Harbaugh's time here. When Jim Harbaugh and Aidan Hutchinson talked about beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten championship this summer, they were laughed at past most everyone- including many Michigan fans. Now, they are vindicated clairvoyants, through hard work, cede, and belief.

Michigan won this game because they had the superior coaches on the sideline, in particular the matchup of OSU offense confronting Michigan defense force. Mike Macdonald was hired to reconfigure Michigan'south defense in a way that would be optimized to handle the modern NFL passing attack that Ryan Solar day has installed at Ohio Land. Macdonald did just that, with a group of canaille players starting underclassmen at many positions. This is a group of players that emerged from the smoldering crater of 2020's disastrous defense and then toppled what was said to be the all-time criminal offense the Big X had ever seen. Macdonald stole Ryan Day's luncheon coin today.

But while the scheme and game program were marvelous, it also required flawless execution from that group of players. The defensive tackles, who had looked good but not fearsome in the preceding several weeks, shut down a vaunted Ohio State rushing attack that was going for over 7 YPC with Henderson in the game. Credit goes to Mazi Smith, Chris Hinton, Donovan Jeter, and many more for that. The linebackers, who had panicked Seth in UFR, had next to no notable coverage busts. The corners were perhaps most shocking, blanketing Ohio State's star receivers and making every catch a difficult one, peculiarly late. And the safeties, including youngsters RJ Moten and Rod Moore, made huge tackles.

Marvelous, marvelous defense [Barron]

Of course, the day on defense belongs to David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, who both likely sealed starting time round draft spots in April's NFL Draft, should they choose to leave Michigan. Those two routinely abused Ohio Country's offensive tackles Dawand Jones and Nicholas Petit-Frere, both of whom have NFL aspirations themselves. We knew that Michigan needed to go pressure on Stroud, and Michigan got it. Hutchinson'due south 3 sacks have made him Michigan'southward best single-flavour sacks leader, while Ojabo got the sweetest sack, the one that essentially concluded it. Both had and then much on the line- Hutchinson coming dorsum to school to win this ane game, and Ojabo had his parents from Scotland watching him play for the first time in his NCAA career. Both had stakes higher than most of u.s.a. tin can imagine, and both delivered in supreme manner. Set your goals high, and believe in yourself, kids.

On offense, the heroes were everywhere. Information technology was a very smartly called game past Josh Gattis, who exploited many of the weaknesses of OSU's defense that I outlined in my column this calendar week, notably testing the Buckeye defense at the boundaries with screens and end-arounds. Cade McNamara played a very solid game, making money throws in several big situations, and shaking off the early interception. JJ McCarthy added a couple positive rushes and so a terrific pass to Roman Wilson. The receivers Sainristil, Wilson, and Johnson had their moments, while Erick All shone every bit a blocker. Donovan Edwards made a dazzling i-handed catch and Blake Corum had the big run to prepare a Michigan TD.

All that said, if nosotros're giving a Galloping Gobbler out on criminal offence, it goes to Haskins and the offensive line, who broke Ohio Country's defense correct down the middle. It was Jim Harbaugh football game- power running, big offensive linemen opening holes, and a menacing RB striking those holes with a vengeance. Haskins' twenty-four hour period will live in Michigan lore, perhaps in the aforementioned breath as Tim Biakabutuka's 1995 functioning: the RB carried it 28 times for 169 yards and five touchdowns.

Haskins personifies so much of what this win means and symbolizes for Michigan, a Who Dat 3* recruit from Missouri who, through difficult work and perseverance, got to be a lead dorsum at a major programme, outplaying seemingly more talented competition to earn it (see: Zach Charbonnet). Today he tore through a defense littered with five stars. Recruiting talent means a lot, but today reminded us that information technology doesn't hateful everything (the same could be said for the unheralded recruit Ojabo trigger-happy through 5* OT Nicholas Petit-Frere).

This offensive line paved the Buckeyes, and stood up for their teammates [Fuller]

Michigan'due south ability to grind the game out on the basis is a prime reason why this twelvemonth's edition of The Game ended differently than 2016'southward. Michigan could not run the ball consistently on OSU's defensive front that year, and thus couldn't milk the clock upward two scores in the second half. This yr they could, and they didn't simply milk the clock… they kept hanging TDs on the Scarlett and Grayness. Credit there goes to Jim Harbaugh, who made a difficult decision to dismiss a longtime friend in Tim Drevno from OL coach duties, then hired Ed Warinner, who recruited near of the maulers that got information technology done today, and so moved Sherrone Moore to OL coach in the offseason, who worked wonders coaching this unit.

Afterward Cade McNamara's interception, and perhaps a boneheaded boot-catch interference penalisation by German Green, execution was most 100% for Michigan. Their criminal offence was very good for all the reasons outlined. The defense was too. Their special teams were great, with swell punt returns from AJ Henning, perfect XPs from Jake Moody, and two strong punts from Brad Robbins playing a role. In every stage of the game, Michigan came ready and did nearly everything they could to win, and they won.

The aftereffects of this win volition be felt for a while, the narrative around the program, the ability to win marquee recruiting battles, and more will all be impacted by winning this game. Michigan has now won eleven games for the offset time in Jim Harbaugh'due south tenure. But the story of this flavor, of this team, and these players is even so beingness written. Michigan will now face up Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game side by side Saturday dark in Indianapolis. A win there would give the Wolverines their starting time outright B1G title since 2003 and would wrap upward a berth in the Higher Football Playoff for the first time in school history. That game is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST on Trick.

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Source: https://mgoblog.com/content/michigan-42-ohio-state-27

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