Observations on the win over Ohio State, 45-23
Ohio State had 4 red zones, but only converted them into 13 points; Michigan had only one red zone for 7 points, but came up with 5 "Big Play" touchdowns of 85, two for 75, 69, and 45 yards to upset the "mighty" Buckeyes in their own stadium in Columbus. The Wolverines turned two Buckeye turnovers into 7 points. Michigan outscored the Buckeyes in the second half, 28-3, and completely took control of the game in the 3rd quarter. It was the most points scored by a Michigan Football Team in Columbus since 1946, and the largest margin of victory in THE GAME since 1976 for the Wolverines. It was the most points scored against an Ohio State football team since 1999.
Michigan gained 530 yards with 252 on the ground plus 278 in the air; they only had 16 first downs with four "3 and outs" but converted several big plays into long TDs. J.J. McCarthy was 12 of 24 for 263 yards with 3 TDs plus he ran 6 times for 27 yards for another TD; he accounted for 4 TDs on the afternoon, and was 8 of 17 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. We can now refer to McCarthy as the "Buckeye Killer." Cornelius Johnson had 4 catches for 160 yards and 2 TDs; this was the best day of his Wolverine career. Ronnie Bell had 3 catches for 46 yards. Donovan Edwards exploded in the second half for 216 yards on 22 carries for 2 TDs including 75 and 85 yard romps. The Buckeyes handled our running game in the first half, but couldn't stop our running attack in the second half. Freshman Colston Loveland started his 4th game in a row, and caught a 45 yard TD pass. Kalel Mullings completed a 15 yard pass astonishing the Buckeyes on a 3rd and 2 conversion. Tommy Eichenberg led the Buckeye defense with 7 tackles.
The Buckeyes had 492 total yards with 143 on the ground and 349 in the air with 23 first downs; they were 5 of 17 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. C.J. Stroud was 31 of 48 for 349 yards and 2 TDs with 2 interceptions. Deamonte Trayanum had 14 carries for 83 yards. Miyan Williams had 8 carries for 34 yards. Xavier Johnson had 2 carries for 24 yards. Emeka Egbuka had 9 receptions for 125 yards and a TD. Marvin Harrison Jr. had 7 catches for 120 yards and a TD. Julian Fleming had 5 catches for 47 yards. Cade Stover had 4 catches for 13 yards, and had a sure TD catch batted away in the 4th quarter by Mike Sainristil. What a play!!! Ohio State held a 3:30 minute time of possession advantage that resulted in 17 more offensive plays, but Michigan did a much better job in the second half keeping the ball and reducing their first half advantage. Michael Barrett led the defense with 11 tackles. Will Johnson had 8 tackles; Junior Colson and Mike Sainristil had 7 tackles each. Rod Moore and Kris Jenkins had 5 tackles each, and Moore also had 2 pass break ups. Taylor Upshaw and Makari Paige had late 4th quarter interceptions that put the "stake" in the heart of the Buckeyes attempted comeback. Jesse Minter really deserves a lot of credit for second half adjustments that bottled up the Buckeye attack.
Ohio State got 3 field goals from Noah Ruggles, but Jake Moody hit one of two missing a 57 yarder. Both teams punted 5 times each, and Xavier Johnson returned 4 kickoffs for 76 yards. The Buckeyes had a slight special teams advantage, but it couldn't overcome our "Big Play Offense."
Bring on the Boilermakers! Go Blue!
