Observations on the win over Ohio State, 42-27
Michigan converted 7 red zones for 42 points; Ohio State gained 20 points off 4 red zones. The Buckeyes scored 3 points off one Wolverine turnover.
Offense was phenomenal! The Wolverines gained 24 first downs, 487 yards in 61 plays; the Wolverines were 6 of 9 in 3rd and 4th down conversions, and scored 4 touchdowns in 4 possessions in the second half with their final possession taking two "knees." Hassan Haskins and the Wolverine Offensive Line powered through the Buckeyes for 169 yards on 28 carries for 5 TDs. Cade McNamara was 13 of 19 for 159 yards with one interception; he ran once for a 9 yard gain. J.J. McCarthy was 1 of 1 for 31 yards, and ran twice for 12 yards. Blake Corum ran 6 times for 87 yards including a 55 yarder setting up a red zone. A.J. Henning had a 14 yard TD run, and had a 9 yard reception. Donovan Edwards ran once for 8 yards, and had 2 catches for 12 yards. Cornelius Johnson caught 2 passes for 48 yards including a 37 yarder that set up our final red zone TD at the 2 yard line. Roman Wilson caught 2 passes for 55 yards. Luke Schoonmaker caught 2 passes for 15 yards. It was very critical that the offense didn't turn the ball over in the second half; they played with poise and composure, and were well-prepared by our offensive coaches. Ronnie Hickman had 12 tackles for the Buckeyes.
Defense did a nice job holding the Buckeyes under 30 points which was a key for the win! Ohio State had 23 first downs, and 394 passing yards in their total of 458 yards; the Buckeyes were 10 of 21 in 3rd down conversions. C.J. Stroud was 34 of 49 for 394 yards and 2 TDs with 4 sacks. The Buckeyes held a 3:30 time of possession advantage, and it gained them 18 more offensive plays than the Wolverines. Jaxon Smith-Nijba had 11 catches for 127 yards. TreVeyon Henderson ran 17 times for 79 yards and a TD, and caught 5 passes for 54 yards and another TD. Garrett Wilson caught 10 passes for 119 yards including a 25 yard TD. Rodney Moore and Brad Hawkins led the Wolverine defense with 9 tackles each; Moore had a TD saving tackle. D.J. Turner had 8 tackles and 2 pass break ups. Aidan Hutchinson had 7 tackles including 3 sacks. Dax Hill had 7 tackles. Coach McDonald did a great job preparing the squad for the Buckeyes, and held them in one key category by limiting the Buckeye explosive big plays of 20+ yards.
Special Teams did a great job! Jake Moody hit 7 kickoffs with 5 touchbacks, and stubbed one at the 4 yard line. Brad Robbins only had to punt twice due to the great offensive play, and hit one inside the 20. A.J. Henning had 2 punt returns for 17 yards, and 4 kickoff returns for 67 yards. Ohio State punted 4 times with two downed inside the 20 with 6 kickoffs and no touchbacks; they hit two field goals, had 2 kickoff returns for 11 yards, and only had one punt return for 5 yards.
Hallelujia! Praise the Lord! The Buckeye streak is finally over. Harbaugh has this team clicking on all cylinders! He was rectified the coaching problems, and has also alleviated our terrible recruiting issues. The future looks bright! On to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship! We hope the Buckeyes do well in their Rose Bowl game with Oregon or Utah; if we win the Big Ten Championship against Iowa, we'll be in the BCS playoff with a December 31 Bowl game with Cincinnati, Georgia, Notre Dame or Alabama. Go Blue!