Observations on the humiliating loss to the Buckeyes, 39-62
Michigan was pounded by a superior Ohio State football team who made big plays in every quarter, and scored the most points ever in the history of the series with 10 scores on Michigan's heralded defense as they ended their "revenge tour." Michigan turned the ball over twice on interceptions, and the Buckeyes capitalized for 14 points as well as another touchdown on a blocked punt; Ohio State gave us 6 points on a kickoff turnover shortly before half. Ohio State was 5 of 6 in the red zone with 3 touchdowns and two field goals as they chose not to score in the game's final minutes; Michigan was 5 of 5 in the red zone with four touchdowns and a field goal.
Offense gained 401 yards with 161 on the ground, and was 6 of 14 in 3rd down conversions with 28 first downs; the offense played decently, and certainly didn't lose this game. They brought the Wolverines from a 0-7 deficit after the Buckeyes first drive to 6-7, and then 19-21 late in the second quarter; however, that was as close as the offense could get the team as Ohio State took a 24-19 halftime advantage to 41-19 before the offense could answer, 41-25, late in the 3rd quarter. The offense started each half with a "3 and out;" Ohio State scored after each defensive stop. Shea Patterson was 20 of 34 for 187 yards, 3 TDs and an interception; Patterson was pressured all afternoon, and was sacked 3 times netting him 13 yards in 6 carries. Karan Higdon had 15 carries for 72 yards; Chris Evans ran 8 times for 33 yards, and caught 3 passes for 25 yards and a TD. Donovan Peoples-Jones had 7 catches for 64 yards. Nico Collins had 4 receptions for 91 yards and 2 TDs. Zach Gentry had 3 drops including one in the end zone. Michigan had 11 minutes of time of possession advantage that resulted in 9 more offensive plays; the Wolverines were forced into two turnovers, and 5 punts by the Buckeye defense. Tuf Borland led the Buckeye defense with 10 tackles; Jordan Fuller had 8 tackles and an interception. Malik Harrison had 7 tackles, 2 for loss with a sack. Brendon White returned one pick for 49 yards.
Defense was not prepared, and played their worst game of the season! Ohio State rolled up 567 net yards with 249 on the ground and 318 in the air, and 28 first downs; they were 5 of 11 in 3rd down conversions. Dwayne Haskins was 19 of 30 for 318 yards and 6 TDs; he experienced next to zero pressure from the famed Wolverine defensive line, and no sacks or quarterback hits. Freshman Chris Olave had 2 catches for 48 yards and 2 TDs plus he blocked a punt that resulted in a 33 yard TD by Sevyn Banks. Paris Campbell had 6 catches for 192 yards and 2 TDs. K.J. Hill had 4 catches for 51 yards. Johnnie Dixon caught a 31 yarder for a TD. Mike Weber gained 96 yards on 13 carries for a TD. The Buckeyes had 11 offensive "big plays" of 20+ yards or more with 3 by Paris Campbell including his 78 yard TD scamper; in addition, they had two more big plays that led to scores with a 33 yard blocked punt and a 49 yard interception putting them in the red zone. Tyree Kinnel led the defense with 8 tackles; Josh Ross had 7 stops.
Special Teams gave up a punt block for a 33 yard touchdown by Sevyn Banks that negated the earlier turnover shortly before half by Demario McCall on their kickoff team. Each team made two field goals. K.J. Hill returned 2 punts for 23 yards. They Buckeyes were only forced into 3 punts while we punted 5 times. Ohio State took 12 penalties for 150 yards that gave the Wolverines 6 first downs; Michigan was flagged 7 times for 72 yards which gave the Buckeyes 4 first downs. Ohio State was superior in all three phases including special teams.
Ohio State has maintained the "mental edge" in this series since 2001 when Jim Tressel was hired, and they continue to maintain that edge under Urban Meyer. Michigan needs to do some serious soul-searching because we will not beat the Buckeyes until we gain back the mental edge that we had when Bo Schembechler coached, 1969-1989, and his assistants, Gary Moeller, and Lloyd Carr maintained the edge through 2001. Jim Harbaugh is now 0-4 in this series, and we are no closer to gaining the mental edge than when Brady Hoke coached, 2011-2014, in the previous four seasons. One thing is clear: we will not beat Ohio State until we have a tougher team both mentally and physically! The Buckeyes had the superior offense, and better defense on the field today; they were better coached, adjusted during the game better, and felt all week long that they could beat us in the important matchups. They executed their game plan and proved they were the better team mentally and physically. We are off to a probable Rose Bowl while the Buckeyes will pound Northwestern for another Big Ten Championship! If Georgia and Oklahoma lose their games next week to Alabama and Texas, the Buckeyes could find themselves in the playoffs against Alabama on December 31.
Press Conference for Ohio State on November 19: Harbaugh Devin Bush Tyree Kinnel Karan Higdon & Zach Gentry Ben Bredeson Carlo Kemp