Michigan 42, Ohio State 27: They did it.
This post is temporarily unlocked to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2021 Michigan-Ohio State game
The wheels were beginning to come off for Ohio State.
Michigan led the heavily favored, 2nd-ranked Buckeyes, 21-13, midway through the third quarter. And the Wolverines were knocking on the doorstep of the Ohio State end zone once again, looking to add to that lead.
The four most recent plays that had gotten Michigan inside the Ohio State 2 yard-line:
A jaw-dropping, one-handed catch from true freshman RB Donovan Edwards.
A picture-perfect pass down the right sideline from the arm of true freshman QB J.J. McCarthy that went right over the head of Ohio State DB Denzel Burke’s head and right into the hands of Roman Wilson for a 31-yard gain.
A play that started as a handoff to Hassan Haskins, was quickly pitched back to Cade McNamara and culminated in a 34-yard downfield downfield flea-flicker connection to Mike Sainristil.
A designed QB run by McCarthy that nearly took him into the end zone.
Michigan’s oft-criticized offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was incorporating everyone and trying everything. And it was all working. A masterclass in playcalling by the guy everyone wanted out last offseason, and now sits as a Broyles Award finalist.
But just as Michigan tried to figuratively step on Ohio State’s neck and expand its lead to a game-high 15 points, Ohio State literally made a play at Michigan’s neck, as Buckeye defensive back Cameron Brown violently ripped the helmet off of Roman Wilson’s head.
At the culmination of the fourth and most recent play, Brown stood over Wilson and yanked his helmet off. No flag was immediately thrown.
Jim Harbaugh witnessed the incident from the sideline and immediately erupted, throwing his arms up in the air in disbelief. But while Michigan’s seventh-year coach couldn’t do much beyond scream at officials and wonder aloud why the hell that was allowed to happen, Michigan’s offensive line did far more than sit idly by and watch Ohio State take a cheap shot at one of their own.
Trevor Keegan was the first one there, running as fast to Brown as you could expect a 6-foot-6, 324-pound offensive lineman to run. Andrew Stueber was just a step or two behind. Then came Andrew Vastardis, Ryan Hayes and Zak Zinter. Tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and Erick All were in the mix, too.
A few white jerseys eventually made their way over to the skirmish, which at its peak looked like a sea of blue trying to swallow up one guy in white who immediately regretted his decision.
The contrast in emotion and camaraderie looked a lot like it did a few minutes earlier when the two teams were headed out of the Michigan Stadium tunnel at the end of halftime. These were two teams that were playing in the same game, battling for the same prizes — a Big Ten East title, a berth into the Big Ten Championship Game and a continued shot at an entry into the College Football Playoff. But similar incentives didn’t mean similar attitudes, and the difference in the way the two teams reacted on this play perfectly sums up Saturday’s game as a whole. The same offensive linemen who ran to the aid of their teammate were the guys who were going to make sure Michigan got across the finish line and ended 10 years of rivalry frustration.
Officials eventually flagged Brown for his transgression. He headed off to the sideline and stood next to Ohio State coach Ryan Day, like a third base coach standing next to a runner on third base (in this case, though, that runner on third base was a pinch-runner — just ask Jim Harbaugh). One play later, the two helplessly watched on as Michigan lined up at the 1-yard line and punched it in for a touchdown. It was Hassan Haskins’ third of the day. There would be multiple more to follow.
Saturday’s installment of The Game will always be remembered for Hassan Haskins’ five-touchdown performance — and rightfully so. And the 2021 season will always be remembered for Aidan Hutchinson’s leadership and record-setting sack total — once again, rightfully so. But this was a game where the tone was set by those same linemen who rushed to the aid of a teammate that had been wronged. The same linemen who beat the living hell out of Ohio State in the trenches for 60 straight minutes. This was not a back-and-forth battle. It was an ass kicking from start to finish from a Michigan team that wanted to send a message on this snowy Saturday afternoon. And that message was made loud and clear:
You’re not going to push around or disrespect Michigan. Not during the whistle. Not after the whistle. Not in the build-up to The Game.
Nobody really knew what to expect going into the 2021 season. But it’s pretty safe to say that nobody expected this.
At least nobody outside of Schembechler Hall, that is.
Jim Harbaugh believed, though. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have gone through the hassle and the embarrassment of taking a very public paycut and in many ways, starting over from scratch six years into a job he took because of what Ann Arbor meant to him, not out of necessity. He stuck around and promised to see this thing through. He turned over 66% of his coaching staff. He made himself the oldest man in the room by a decade and a half.
With a new contract in hand that had a much smaller first number than it had in previous years, Harbaugh was back. He looked different. He acted different. This was going to be a team that beat Ohio State or died trying. This was going to be a team with an identity.
Back in August, here’s what Keegan, the first guy to come to Roman Wilson’s defense on Saturday, said Michigan’s offensive identity would be for the 2021 season: “We’re going to want to run the football, pound it down your throat. We’re going to play physical, we’re going to know our calls, we’re going to communicate, and we’re going to execute.”
Michigan never made this a secret. That much was made clear in the opener against Western Michigan, when it ran 43 times for 335 yards against just 17 passes. It was further amplified in Week 2 against Washington, when the rushing attempts increased to 56 carries, the yardage total was upped to 343 yards and the rushing touchdown total reached four. On the other side of the coin, Michigan’s passing attempts for the game dropped to 15 total passes.
Yet all I heard from Michigan fans at this stage of the season, particularly during the primetime matchup against Washington, was that Michigan needed to pass more, because it’s not going to beat Ohio State this way.
“Who cares about this win if it’s not going to help us beat Ohio State?” was a common refrain.
But fast forward three months to The Game, and Michigan not only won, it won the way that these expert Michigan fans said it could never happen. The Wolverines lined up and ran it down Ohio State’s throat. Then they got up, lined up and did the exact same thing again. And again. And again. A good chunk of that credit goes to Hassan Haskins and his record-breaking performance. But let’s not forget those guys in front of Haskins, either: Hayes, Keegan, Stueber, Vastardis and Zinter. The guys being taught by first-year offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, who got an offseason promotion to keep him in town largely for his recruiting acumen, but who took this offensive line to the next level this season. And then to the next level beyond that during The Game.
Just like when it came to standing up for teammate Roman Wilson, it wasn’t just the five offensive linemen who excelled with blocking, either. Erick All posted a 92.6 grade from PFF, which is nearly unheard of when it comes to run blocking grades by the service. He was joined in the 90s by Mike Sainristil (90.5), whose run blocking I've lauded in this space on multiple occasions already this season. It’s a toughness and a culture that started up front, but it spread and was shared by tight ends and wide receivers. Everyone did their part. Everyone was ready and eager to go to battle in the trenches. And everyone wanted to pave the way for Hassan Haskins to put a cherry on top of this thing.
And that’s exactly what he did in the final four minutes of the game.
Ohio State had just strung together an emotional and clutch 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with four minutes to go, which included multiple clutch plays on fourth down. No matter how dominant Michigan had looked on offense in the second half, even the most confident of fans that had experienced some heartbreaking losses over the past few decades had to be uneasy with just an eight-point lead and with Ohio State having all three of its timeouts. One stop would mean the Buckeyes could drive for a game-tying score.
But it didn’t matter. Michigan simply lined up and ran it down Ohio State’s throat.
Haskins for 15. Haskins for 6. Haskins for 11. Haskins for 27. Haskins for 4. Touchdown. Game over. Streak over.
There was no trickery. No slight of hand. No fortuitous bounces or lucky breaks. Michigan needed to ice this game, so it lined up, bet on its ability to continue dominating in the trenches, and it reaped the rewards. And the reward on Saturday was a Big Ten East title.
The “You can’t beat Ohio State playing this way?” refrain from a couple months before?
Don’t tell that to this offensive line. Or this running back, who just etched his name in rivalry lore with a five-touchdown game in which he single-handedly outscored Ohio State’s unstoppable offense.
Trenches aren’t a one-way street. And while Michigan’s second-half offensive performance was nearly flawless thanks largely in part to what Michigan’s big guys up front on offense did to Ohio State’s big guys up front on defense, you could argue Michigan’s showing on defense was even more impressive, considering the fact that Ohio State walked into the Big House with the best offense in America.
The fact that the Buckeyes still walked out of the Big House as the No. 1 scoring offense in the country despite being held to two full touchdowns below their season average shows you how high-powered of an attack the Ohio State offense is.
It’s an offense that was anchored by two first-round draft picks at WR on the outside in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. When you factor in underclassmen on the offense who are headed for the same fate in coming years, that’s five likely first-round picks, with redshirt freshman and (former) Heisman frontrunner CJ Stroud at QB, true freshman TreVeyon Henderson at RB and true sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the slot WR position.
And those great WRs all had their moments on Saturday where they showed just how great they are. Ohio State’s only touchdown of the first three quarters(!) came when Garrett Wilson made an incredible catch with Vincent Gray providing fantastic coverage. Jaxon Smith-Njigba made two incredible catches in tough situations — the first coming on a 3rd and 19 and the other coming on a 4th and 4.
But it’s tough defense from Michigan that forced Ohio State to have to make these great plays to even keep this game as close as it ended up. And that all started up front with pressure from the trenches. And that was all spurred by Aidan Hutchinson.
It’s almost embarrassing that it has taken so long in this column to mention Hutchinson’s performance. Especially when you consider that it’s Saturday’s game that likely results in Hutchinson becoming a rare Heisman finalist that gets a trip to New York. He needed three sacks to break Michigan’s all-time, single-season sack record. And that’s exactly what he provided.
These weren’t just empty, stat-padding sacks, either. They came in crucial spots and played key roles in how and why Michigan won this game the way it did:
Sack No. 1: Ohio State on the 8-yard line on 3rd and goal, with Michigan ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. Buckeyes have to settle for a field goal.
Sack No. 2: Ohio State near midfield on 3rd and 9, with Michigan up 21-13 on Ohio State’s second possession of the second half. Hutchinson forces a punt, Michigan scores on the next drive to get its first double-digit lead of the game.
Sack No. 3: The lone 1st down sack of the game. It earned him Michigan’s all-time, single-season sack record. It also led to Ohio State facing a 3rd and 19. The Buckeyes ultimately scored, but it was plays like this that helped milk the clock. Ohio State needed 17 plays and nearly seven minutes to find its way into the end zone.
And these are just what show up on the stat sheet. There were also holds he drew. And there’s the pre-snap penalties that the mere threat of Hutchinson (as well as David Ojabo) caused, with rattled Ohio State offensive linemen looking to get an early step back to better prepare themselves to try and take on Michigan’s dynamic pass-rushing duo. And then there were the hurries. All 15 of them.
Pro Football Focus is a service that’s been around since 2014. People chart every single play, and account for things that impact games that don’t show up in your standard box score. In the tens of thousands of games the service has charted since it began, it had never seen a single player provide 15 different QB pressures in a single game.
The three sacks alone are enough to earn him a spot in The Game lore for decades to come. But a 15-hurry performance against anyone, let alone your biggest rival in the biggest game of your career, is the type of thing that makes you a college football legend.
Saturday’s game was a game where we spent all week trying to figure out how Michigan could pick up an upset. But when it was all said and done, we got something better than an upset. We saw the best team win. Convincingly. And the best team on Saturday was wearing blue and surrounded by tens of thousands of frigid-but-ecstatic fans on the Michigan Stadium field three-and-a-half hours after the opening kick.
Now that team heads to Indianapolis with a fresh skin on the wall. But there’s plenty of room on the wall for additional skins. That includes a Big Ten Championship, a College Football Playoff berth, and yes, a national championship.
It may sound like an ambitious goal. An unachievable goal. But so was the prospect of beating Ohio State and heading to Indianapolis on the heels of this program’s worst season in a decade.
Want to bet against Michigan? Do so at your own risk. Ohio State learned that the hard way on Saturday.
On to the takeaways…
Takeaways
A beautiful contrast
Most of these takeaways will focus on the game itself, but I feel like I have to start with this given the 72 hours that has transpired after Michigan’s generational victory. Simply put: college football has gone into chaos mode.
Coaches are signing nine-figure deals — some fully guaranteed. They’re holding schools hostage and squeezing every last penny of out them, even as the schools themselves are simultaneously cutting faculty, or even entire other sports. Other coaches are completely bailing on their schools and players in the middle of the night, showing loyalty is largely a facade in this sport.
But then you see Jim Harbaugh. Both what he did in the offseason, and in the aftermath of Michigan’s big win.
Harbaugh is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the NFL. That’s not an opinion, it’s backed up by stats. After a breakup with San Francisco, he had a handful of NFL suitors that would have loved to put him in charge of their franchise. But Harbaugh took the less sexy and the more challenging path, heading back to his alma mater, where coaching is more than just preparing for games on Sundays, and includes a lot of annoying tasks like recruiting, fundraising and dealing with administration.
When things went bad during Michigan’s COVID season, Harbaugh had a very easy out if he wanted to take it. His contract was winding down, and his path toward staying included taking a dramatic paycut — something unforeseen in this sport. But Harbaugh swallowed his pride, took a paycut and bet on himself, agreeing to a new contract extension that was low on base salary but high on incentives.
Turns out that “paycut” may not be much of a paycut at all in 2021. Harbaugh will earn a cool $1 million bonus if the Wolverines beat Iowa in next Saturday’s Big Ten championship. A victory in that game will punch Michigan’s ticket to its first College Football Playoff appearance, too — and that’s good for another $500,000 for Harbaugh. If Michigan strings together two wins in the CFP and walks away as national champions, he earns an additional $1 million bonus.
These millions of dollars could offset his offseason paycut and then some. But instead, Harbaugh announced on Monday night that any bonus money he earns this season will be donated back to the athletic department to distribute to those in the department who had to endure pay cuts last year because of Covid-19.
It’s a gesture that’s incredible in a vacuum. But even more incredible when you contrast it with all the selfishness happening around him in college football over the past few days.
Michigan is incredibly lucky to have Jim Harbaugh guiding its program. And its lucky that he has thick enough skin to brush off a lot of the bullshit he’s had to deal with — yes, from national media types, but also from fans, too. And this isn’t my attempt at absolving myself from that list, either. I was far from leading a “Fire Harbaugh” charge last season, but on more than one occasion, I thought the program had gotten to the point where salvaging this thing under Harbaugh and reversing all of the negative momentum was probably going to be too tough of an ask, and the easier path was probably one where the two sides both go their own way and Michigan tries to get back on track with someone else.
I’ve never been more glad to be so wrong. Harbaugh hasn’t just gotten things back on track, he’s exceeded his previous high — all in the span of less than a year.
The good news: He’s going to get rewarded this offseason, and quite handsomely. And he’s going to deserve every last penny he ends up earning from the athletic department.
Saving the best for last
There’s been a lot of chatter about red-zone play in recent weeks. And while I’ve tried tempering some of the complaining about Michigan’s red zone play with some stats and context that shows Michigan’s red zone woes weren’t necessarily as bad as some have been making it sound, I think I’m in the clear when it comes to needing to defend the red zone play anymore after Saturday’s game.
Michigan got in the red zone seven times against Ohio State. And it didn’t settle for a field goal a single time. Outside of the interception Cade McNamara threw on the second possession of the game, Michigan turned every other red zone trip into a touchdown. Seven trips, six touchdowns. Six points per trip. If that was Michigan’s average points-per-trip for the season, it would be the national leader by a comfortable margin.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan’s defense clamped down when it needed to the most. Even though Ohio State scored touchdowns on two of its final three drives, Michigan made the Buckeyes work for it. Those two touchdown drives totaled 30 plays and took up more than 10 minutes. Those long, sustained drives are exactly what you’re looking for when you’re clinching a big win. They’re not as ideal when you’re trailing by two touchdowns. And while Ohio State scored a couple of late red-zone touchdowns (on both occasions, it was trailing by 15 points), the Buckeyes had to settle for field goals on its first two red zone possessions in the first half, when the game was tighter and the stakes were arguably higher.
Field goal No. 1 came in the possession immediately after Cade McNamara’s interception, and was forced by a timely Aidan Hutchinson sack on 3rd down. Field goal No. 2 came in the final seconds of the first half, when Michigan clamped down and was able to carry a one-point lead heading into halftime. Those eight saved points may not seem like game-changers in a game that had a 15-point margin of victory, but they were crucial in the game script, particularly since they both happened early in the game.
Michigan’s defense kept everything in front of it all day long. It yielded one play of 30 or more yards all game long, and that came late in the game. It won the sack battle. And it did so without having to dedicate a good chunk of its defensive players toward going on exotic pass rushes: Three of Michigan’s four sacks came on four-man rushes. That’s particularly crucial in the red zone, when Michigan was able to drop the vast majority of its defenders into coverage and clog up an already clogged up shortened field.
Responding when needed
Michigan only trailed for a little more than five minutes on Saturday. So this wasn’t a game where the Wolverines necessarily needed to make a lot of clutch “response” drives, when a string of momentum-killing plays was needed to slow Ohio State down. But they were called to make a couple such statements over the course of the game. And the team — on both sides of the ball — rose to the occasion when necessary.
The first such time came midway through the first quarter, following Cade McNamara’s red zone interception — one of the very few bad decisions he made all day (though it was really bad). Say what you want after the fact, but if you didn’t have a major pit in your stomach after that turnover and think “here we go again” after a super promising opening 6-7 minutes was seemingly erased by a crippling interception and a subsequent Ohio State drive into Michigan territory, then you’re either a braver person than me, or just a straight-up liar. But there stepped in Michigan’s defense, after an opening-drive three-and-out, being called upon again to come up big after McNamara’s interception with 8:44 deflated an absolutely raucous Big House crowd. That statement from the defense didn’t come instantaneously — Ohio State marched down the field with relative ease, setting up a 1st and goal less than four minutes into the 11-play drive (at the time). But once it came down to a crucial 3rd and goal play where someone needed to make a big play, that play came, and it came from Aidan Hutchinson in the form of a massive, massive sack. Ohio State settled for a field goal, and the Buckeyes’ only chance to get points off a turnover in the game ended with them settling for a disappointing three points.
The second such opportunity for a statement drive came after Ohio State took its first (and what turned out to be only) lead of the game after an absurd touchdown catch by Garrett Wilson over Vincent Gray, who was providing pretty damn good coverage on the play. Wilson came down with it, and Ohio State was suddenly on top. There Michigan sat, down 10-7 with 9:12 remaining in the first half. It’s a Wolverine team that hasn’t been called upon to make many come-from-behind drives. Only Georgia has spent less time trailing in football games than Michigan this fall. When asked to make these comeback drives, Michigan is batting above .500, but at the same time, isn’t perfect. It put together two comeback road wins against Nebraska and Penn State. But failed to do so in East Lansing against Michigan State in the team’s lone hiccup of the season. This drive, a response to Wilson’s demoralizing catch, ended up in the Penn State/Nebraska category, and made Michigan’s missteps late in the Michigan State game look even more like the outlier performance that most of us already knew in our hearts it was.
On this five-minute drive — the only five minutes Michigan trailed all afternoon — Michigan checked a lot of boxes.
Cade McNamara completed his first and only third-down pass of the game: a clutch slant route to Cornelius Johnson where he had the pocket presence and awareness to wait for the second window to throw the ball.
Michigan failed on its only third-and-short rushing attempt of the game — getting stuffed on 3rd and 1 for no gain. But the Wolverines followed it up with a 4th and 1 attempt and gained it with ease.
Cade McNamara thew his best pass of the game — and one of his best passes of the season, particularly considering the circumstances — a 2nd and 8 connection to Cornelius Johnson over the head of Denzel Burke that was good for 37 yards.
Hassan Haskins had his first rushing touchdown of the game. Spoiler alert: it was not his last touchdown of the game.
The Haskins touchdown put Michigan back on top, 14-10, and the Wolverines never relinquished their lead again. In fact, Michigan not only responded on this drive. It responded for the rest of the game. After Ohio State took a 10-7 lead, here’s how Michigan’s remaining possessions on Saturday played out, with end-of-half drives removed, where Michigan’s mission in both cases was simply to run the clock out.
Drive 1: 13 plays, 82 yards, 5:21 — punctuated by Hassan Haskins rushing TD
Drive 2: 3 plays, 81 yards, 1:15 — punctuated by Hassan Haskins rushing TD
Drive 3: 5 plays, 78 yards, 2:30 — punctuated by Hassan Haskins rushing TD
Drive 4: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:51 — punctuated by Hassan Haskins rushing TD
Drive 5: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:28 — punctuated by Hassan Haskins rushing TD
Notice any trends?
Big plays? Advantage: Michigan
One of the biggest concerns I had heading into this game was Ohio State’s ability to create explosive plays out of nowhere.
Even though Michigan was the team that won the ground battle, and even though Ohio State threw for more than twice as many yards through the air as the Wolverines, it was Michigan that won the “big play” battle, posting four of the game’s five plays of 30 or more yards. That’s right: Ohio State’s high-powered offense had a grand total of one play over 30 yards on 79 offensive snaps.
Most importantly, Michigan used all four of its big plays to lead to touchdowns.
Here’s an overview of the five most explosive plays of the game in terms of yardage:
Blake Corum’s 55-yard run that led to Hassan Haskins’ 2nd TD run of the game on Michigan’s first possession of the third quarter.
CJ Stroud connecting with Chris Olave for 39 yards on Ohio State’s final scoring drive of the game, when the Buckeyes trailed 35-20 at the time.
Cade McNamara’s beautiful 37-yard throw to Cornelius Johnson that led to Hassan Haskins’ 1st TD run of the game when Michigan trailed, 10-7.
Mike Sainristil’s 34-yard reception on a flea flicker pass from Cade McNamara, that led to Hassan Haskins' 3rd TD run of the game.
Roman Wilson’s 31-yard reception on an absolute dime from J.J. McCarthy, which was the play that immediately preceded the flea flicker.
Of all the surprising developments on Saturday, this one was near the top. And it bodes well for Michigan’s ceiling going forward into December and (God willing) January.
An interesting twist on 3rd downs
One of the best byproducts of having a strong running game is you stay out of obvious passing situations on third down, and give yourself great looks to keep drives alive with short-yardage situations. Michigan was the poster child for that in the first half.
The Wolverines faced six third-and-short situations in the first 30 minutes of the game. Here’s a look at all of them:
3rd and 2, Q1: Hassan Haskins run for 16 yards (first down)
3rd and 1, Q1: Hassan Haskins run for 2 yards (first down)
3rd and 1, Q1: Hassan Haskins run for 17 yards (first down)
3rd and 2, Q1: Hassan Haskins run for 8 yards (first down)
3rd and 3, Q2: Cade McNamara pass to Cornelius Johnson for 11 yards (first down)
3rd and 1, Q2: Hassan Haskins run for no gain
4th and 1, Q2: Hassan Haskins run for 2 yards (first down)
On the first four attempts, they ran Hassan Haskins up the middle each and every time. And all four attempts resulted in a first down. On the fifth attempt, they flipped the script, took advantage of their tendencies and threw it for a first down instead. The sixth and final third-and-short attempt was the only time Michigan came up short on a third and short attempt — it also served as the only no gain on a rushing attempt all game long. Not only was Michigan only stopped for a no gain once, it wasn’t tackled for a loss at all — the first such time Ohio State didn’t record a TFL since 2008. Immediately after being stuffed on the 3 and 1 attempt, Michigan went for it on 4th and 1 and got it by … you’ll never guess … running it with Hassan Haskins.
It was a near-perfect first half, converting 5 of 6 third-and-shorts and keeping the drive alive on the lone time it was stopped. But as impressive as the first half was, Michigan’s second half was even more impressive, even though Michigan didn’t convert a single third-down conversion all half long.
…and that’s because it never had to.
In the final 30 minutes, Michigan’s official third-down conversion rate was 0-for-0. That’s right. No official third-down snaps. Michigan had the ball in a 3rd and 1 and a 3rd and 2 situation in the second half, but both plays ended up being wiped away by Ohio State penalties (one an offsides, the other a pass interference). Every other snap was a 1st or 2nd down. That’s certainly one way to avoid punting the ball (and Brad Robbins ended up attempting only two punts all game long — second only to the Northern Illinois game for fewest punts all season long).
The next generation
After last year’s game got canceled, there were close to 100 Michigan and Ohio State players who experienced The Game for the first time on Saturday. After there were more than a handful of Wolverine first-timers that made very significant contributions in their first taste of action. Here’s a look at some freshmen and sophomores in Maize and Blue who made strong first impressions, and should be major rivalry fixtures in the years to come:
AJ Henning punctuated one of the most impressive Michigan opening drives in The Game of my lifetime with a beautifully designed and equally as beautifully executed end around to give Michigan a 7-0 lead. He also made a number of nice returns and fielded some tough bounces to give Michigan some nice hidden yards.
J.J. McCarthy only completed and attempted one pass, but it was a beautiful one. He never looked out of place in any of his six snaps. And while that number may seem insignificant, it’s not. A true freshman was trusted to lead Michigan’s offense in a game of this magnitude, and in conditions like this. Those snap counts will only increase in years to come, and I’ve got a feeling he’s going to have a number of memorable rivalry moments before his time in Ann Arbor is over.
Donovan Edwards was in a similar boat as McCarthy, only getting seven snaps. But this guy has shown over the last few weeks that he’s going to make the most of his opportunities, and did so again on Saturday. He made a one-handed catch that somehow toed the line of effortless and breathtaking. And his mere presence made Ohio State overcompensate toward him on the heels of his breakout performance against Maryland. He’s going to be a major weapon in this game for years to come.
Blake Corum was someone I didn’t even expect to play a meaningful down. Word was he’d suit up and play, but I figured it was a smoke screen. But not only did he play, he provided the game’s longest play — a 50-plus yard run that started the opening of the second-half floodgates. He’ll be the guy next year with Hassan Haskins headed to the NFL (something I continue to hear is an inevitability). Between the heart Corum showed in playing with a high-ankle sprain and the things he did off the field this week by using his NIL money to provide Thanksgiving food for the less fortunate, Michigan fans are going to be incredibly fortunate to have this guy serve as a face of the program in 2022.
D.J. Turner continues to look like he’s going to be a very, very special cornerback for Michigan. In fact, he turned a midseason promotion to the starting lineup into an All Big Ten honorable mention nod when the teams were announced on Tuesday. The level of trust he has earned as the season has gone on has been incredible. No Michigan player played more snaps against Ohio State on Saturday than he did. Turner gave up his fair share of catches on Saturday. But when you’re facing Ohio State’s trio of WRs that could be one of college football’s top trios over the past decade-plus, you try to survive that battle — not win it. And Turner more than held his own and survived the day.
R.J. Moten and Rod Moore don’t have the sexiest of stat lines from Saturday’s game, and Ohio State ended up throwing for nearly 400 yards. But they both made key plays on Ohio State’s final drive of the first half, and were the sole reason Michigan headed into the locker room with a halftime lead. Moten had a dropped interception that I’m sure he wished he could have back, but he made up for it with a huge open-field tackle on Ohio State’s last offensive play of the half that led to the field goal attempt. Moore had a big tackle of his own right before that, and ended up playing 77 total snaps in just his third start of the season (just two shy of Turner’s game-high mark of 79). Like Turner, seeing the trust he’s gaining as the season has gone on is pretty incredible. He’s going to be a special one.
Junior Colson did not look out of place on Saturday, either. And what more can you ask for from a rare true freshman that’s given the nod to start in The Game. No linebacker on either side of the ball played more snaps than Colson on Saturday, and that includes Josh Ross. Colson had some pretty visible growing pains toward the middle of the season. But he’s become one of Michigan’s most reliable contributors on defense this season, too.
That’s far from an exhaustive list — it’s just a collection of four guys on each side of the ball. And that’s obviously a great problem to have. It doesn’t include other promising freshmen like Andrel Anthony. It also doesn’t include non-freshman/sophomores who also made their debut in The Game, which includes Cade McNamara. You know, the guy who just quarterbacked Michigan to just its second win over Ohio State in more than 15 years? Yeah, that guy. I’ll have more on him later in the week, but if you’re in the line to be handing out apologies to Jim Harbaugh this week, chances are this guy’s due one, too. This “game manager” is now just a win over Iowa away from leaading Michigan to its first Big Ten title in 17 years.
Quick hits…
A few other quick thoughts that don’t warrant their own section to wrap this week’s column up:
Peaking at the right time
When new polls dropped on Sunday, Michigan found itself in an unfamiliar, post-Ohio State spot. The Wolverines checked in at No. 2 in the AP poll. It ties for the highest they’ve been since Jim Harbaugh was hired, and marks the latest point of the season they’ve been in the top 2 since the Lloyd Carr era. That’s where I expect Michigan to land when the next College Football Playoff rankings drop later tonight, too. Of all the narratives that Jim Harbaugh destroyed on Saturday, one was pretty well earned: it was pretty indisputable that his teams have not played their best football at the end of the season. Yes, it’s largely an Ohio State problem. But there were other late missteps, too. Like the Iowa loss in 2016. And even though I don’t put much weight behind performance in bowl games when they’re in bowls that don’t matter, Michigan’s bowl record is pretty bad, too. So it’s great to see a Michigan team peaking when it matters the most. This November run has been fantastic, and it’s been a perfect response after a disappointing loss to close October. Now it’s time to play meaningful December games for the first time since … forever?
Hats off to Michigan fans
I need to take a quick second a give a tip of the cap to Michigan fans for how great of an environment everyone made the Big House on Saturday. Snowing weather, below-freezing temps — not exactly the most “fun” of environments to stand around in for the day. But Michigan’s crowd made a dent on the game right out of the gates, forcing a three-and-out deep in Michigan territory. Over the course of the game, the crowd helped cause five pre-snap penalties. And Michigan’s team was oft-energized after big plays and even during breaks that would otherwise result in lulls at lesser environments. Michigan Stadium’s reputation as a very large crowd with a so-so impact on games was earned for decades of good-but-not-great crowd showings. But that looks like that’s a narrative that appears to be headed to the wayside along with a handful of anti-Harbaugh narratives that died on Saturday, too. Just ask Matt Leinart:
Up next: Iowa
I’ll have plenty on Iowa in the next few days leading up to next Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game, but my two front-of-mind thoughts are as follows:
Michigan can’t take Iowa lightly: The team worked so hard to get over the Ohio State hump, you can’t waste that effort by not sealing the deal the final week. Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week and he’s using the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team as an example for his team to follow. You just took out the mighty Soviets last week. But to get the gold (i.e. the Big Ten title), you need to take care of business the next game, too. Luckily, the leadership on the field and on the sidelines makes me very confident this won’t be a case of a team being too busy to read its own press clippings to focus/prepare for Iowa.
This is a good matchup for Michigan: I was definitely cheering for Minnesota to beat Wisconsin on Saturday night. I know Michigan beat Wisconsin by 21 in Madison earlier this season, but the Badgers had been playing really well as of late. Iowa has picked up some nice wins this season, but I don’t see this being a great matchup for the Hawkeyes. They’re a team that makes opponents pay for turning the ball over. Michigan is one of the best ball-protecting teams in America. They’re also just not a high-scoring team. There’s a good chance this won’t be a very aesthetically pleasing Big Ten Championship Game as Iowa has this annoy knack of being able to muck up games and walk away with ugly wins, but I like Michigan’s chances in this one.
You finally got my $70, I just can't read enough about Saturday. Thanks!
Outstanding recap and insights, as usual.