Ryan Day is still searching for a second win against Michigan.
The Wolverines stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday to deal a crushing blow to the Buckeyes’ Big Ten title chances and hopes of a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds to go to give the Wolverines the lead for good. Ohio State had a chance to tie or take the lead with no timeouts but failed to get a first down.
A skirmish broke out after the game as Michigan players went to go celebrate at midfield with a Michigan flag. The fracas appeared to be broken up until a Michigan player was celebrating with the flag again and Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer ripped the flag from his hands. That reignited the shoving as coaches, police and security personnel had to break up the conflict.
The defending national champions entered the game as 19.5-point underdogs and have now beaten Ohio State in four straight games. All four of those have come with Day as the Buckeyes’ head coach after Ohio State won seven straight games over Michigan in Urban Meyer’s tenure. Day’s only victory against Michigan came in 2019.
It’s the first four-game win streak for Michigan since Ohio State won in 1992 to end a streak for Michigan that had dated back to 1988. Sawyer and other Ohio State players had been outspoken about their desire to beat Michigan before closing out their careers. Instead, the Buckeyes simply couldn’t do anything on offense.
Not only did Ohio State fail to get a first down on its final drive, the Buckeyes failed to get a first down the entire fourth quarter. OSU’s last first down came with 8:24 left in the third quarter when Will Howard hit Emeka Egbuka for a six-yard gain on third down.
It was an ugly offensive display for both teams. Each QB threw two interceptions and three of those four picks came in the red zone. The most egregious was thrown by Michigan’s Davis Warren, when Sawyer picked him off at the goal line.
It was an ugly offensive display for both teams. Each QB threw two interceptions and three of those four picks came in the red zone. The most egregious was thrown by Michigan’s Davis Warren, when Sawyer picked him off at the goal line.
The two offenses combined for 486 total yards and 29 first downs. Michigan threw for just 62 yards on 16 attempts and rushed 42 times for 172 yards. Howard was just 19-of-33 passing for 175 yards and Ohio State mustered 77 yards on 26 attempts.
A mistake that potentially cost Ohio State time
Ohio State could have had far more than 45 seconds remaining after Zvada’s field goal if it wasn’t for a personnel blunder.
The Buckeyes called their first timeout with 1:55 to go and Michigan facing a third down. After the timeout, Ohio State didn’t have the right defensive personnel on the field and Day tried to call a second timeout. But college football rules now prevent coaches from taking consecutive timeouts.
The ensuing illegal substitution penalty gave Michigan a first down and allowed the Wolverines to run over a minute more off the clock than they would have been able to if Ohio State could have stopped UM on third down.
Ohio State’s playoff hopes
It’s not much of an overstatement to say that Ohio State’s remade offense failed miserably on Saturday. Yes, the Buckeyes played the game with an offensive line that was missing two starters. But Howard and RB Quinshon Judkins were brought in to beat Michigan on the way to a national championship. Judkins rushed 12 times for 46 yards.
A national title should still be in play, however. Though it’s possible the Buckeyes may have to go on the road to start the postseason. Given the losses among the SEC’s frontrunners and Clemson’s loss to South Carolina on Saturday, the Buckeyes should still be safely in the 12-team playoff field at 10-2.
A Big Ten title is likely out of reach, however. Ohio State needs both Penn State to lose to Maryland and Indiana to lose to Purdue to make the Big Ten title game against Oregon.