Michigan shocks No. 2 Ohio State for 4th straight rivalry win: What went wrong for Buckeyes?

By Austin Meek, Cameron Teague Robinson and Ralph Russo

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michigan extended Ohio State’s rivalry woes by upsetting the No. 2 Buckeyes 13-10 Saturday at Ohio Stadium after Dominic Zvada hit a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left. It is the Wolverines’ fourth straight win against Ohio State, their longest winning streak in the series since 1988-91.

After Michigan completed the victory by stopping Ohio State’s final possession, members of the two teams engaged in a lengthy postgame altercation.

After The Game, a fight broke out between Michigan and Ohio State pic.twitter.com/XPwdAjfYzN

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024

The loss likely costs Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) a spot in the Big Ten title game, as No. 4 Penn State can now advance to Indianapolis to face No. 1 Oregon with a win against Maryland on Saturday. If the Nittany Lions lose, No. 10 Indiana would get the nod with a win over Purdue.

So with a Big Ten title at bay, Ohio State should continue to compete for an at-large bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff. According to The AthleticsAccording to Ohio State’s forecast model, Ohio State still has a 99 percent chance of making the Playoff after Saturday’s game, with a 92 percent chance of hosting a game, although that could depend on other results from Rivalry Weekly and Conference Championships.

Ohio State was a 21-point favorite heading into the game against the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4), who have struggled for much of their first season under new coach Sherrone Moore following last year’s national championship. But despite finishing with just 235 yards, Michigan shocked Ohio State on Saturday thanks to strong defensive play and several Buckeyes missteps, including a pair of missed field goals and two interceptions thrown by Will Howard.

Michigan’s winning drive covered 57 yards in 11 plays, with an illegal substitution penalty for Ohio State allowing it to convert a key third down at the 9-yard line to run more clock and set up Zvada’s field goal. Ohio State’s second-half drives resulted in a punt in Michigan territory, an interception, a missed field goal, a three-and-out and the eventual turnover on downs, as it gained just 1 yard in four plays with the match at stake. .

Ohio State’s 10 points were its fewest against an unranked opponent since 2011. The loss ended a 47-game winning streak against unranked teams dating back to 2018 against Purdue, making it the Buckeyes’ first loss was against a team outside the AP Top 25 under coach. Ryan Day.

GO DEEPER

Michigan, Ohio State players and police involved in post-game fight after shocking upset

Here are some immediate takeaways from Michigan’s upset win:

Michigan owns the state of Ohio

In Michigan’s past three wins against Ohio State, these teams have been on relatively even footing. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State last year with a senior team headed to the national championship. This year, with Michigan rebuilding and Ohio State boasting one of the most talented rosters in college football, the Buckeyes would get their payback.

If it wasn’t clear before, it’s clear now: Michigan has a huge psychological advantage over Ohio State. These games bring out the best in Michigan and the absolute worst in the state of Ohio. For this Michigan team that lost five games, beating this Ohio State team as an underdog by three touchdowns is one of the biggest upsets in the history of the series. For Moore, Michigan’s first-year head coach, this is a signature victory that turns this season from a disappointment to a year that will be remembered for the way it ended. — Austin Meek, Michigan beat writer

Dominic Zvada connects to give Michigan the late lead over No. 2 Ohio State 🙌#B1GFootball on @CFBONFOX 📺 pic.twitter.com/GfQzAmv2pO

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2024

Ohio State is once again staggering in the trenches

Injuries on Ohio State’s offensive line have been an issue all season. The Buckeyes are missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, and their reshuffled unit didn’t give them a chance to run on Michigan’s defensive line.

Ohio State ran for just 77 yards, an average of three yards per carry. Despite the struggles between the tackles, the run stuck with the idea that it would tire Michigan’s defensive front. However, Michigan never wore out and it made Ohio State one-dimensional. Once again, the Wolverines won the game in the trenches with superior physicality.

The highly touted running back duo of Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 67 yards, and Howard didn’t add much more on the ground, finishing with just 10 yards.

Michigan’s biggest advantage in the game was always on the defensive line. If it wanted to win or at least stay close, it had to dominate at the front. It did exactly that.

With the run game taken away, Ohio State had to rely on Howard, and he had one of his worst games of the season, throwing two interceptions and completing just 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards. -Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State beat writer

Ohio State had a season-low 252 yards. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Especially bad special teams

One of the few advantages Michigan had in the game was on special teams, and in a close game it made a huge difference.

Ohio State started drives inside the 10 twice as it failed to properly field a punt, the first a punt and the second a second-half kickoff. Add in a short Ohio State punt that put Michigan in range for a 54-yard field goal by Zvada in the second quarter and Buckeyes kicker Jayden Fielding missed kicks of 34 and 38 yards, and the Wolverines dominated that part of the game .

Add to the special teams blunders two more interceptions from Howard – one that set up Michigan’s only touchdown and another in the red zone that could have cost the Buckeyes points – and Ohio State did everything it could to give Michigan its best chance to give to win. – Ralph Russo, national college football writer

“You hate seeing stuff like that after the game. It’s just bad for the sport, bad for CFB… They have to learn how to lose man. You can’t fight.”@JennyTaft speaks with Michigan’s Kalel Mullings after a post-game fight broke out between Ohio State and Michigan ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/z6rmxu2YJQ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024

What about Ryan Day and the Buckeyes now?

The strangest time in Ohio State football history has arrived.

Day and the Buckeyes did not complete the mission. They have now lost four in a row against Michigan, the last as a home favorite by three touchdowns, with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line against the worst team the Wolverines have fielded since the pandemic.

Ohio State has no more games on the schedule, but the Buckeyes’ season is not over yet. They lost the game they absolutely couldn’t lose. And yet the national championship is still on the table.

In 2022, the second game of the streak, Ohio State received a reprieve after losing The Game and still made the four-team Playoff. CJ Stroud then nearly led the Buckeyes to a semifinal victory against Georgia. With seven at-large spots available in this Playoff and the contenders being split left and right, there’s probably still room for Ohio State now as it’s 10-2 and has a pair of wins against top-10 Penn State and Indiana teams. .

So what next for the Buckeyes? A nervous week where they hope to dance while fans crush Day for falling to 1-4 against Michigan.

This would be the team that not only got over the Michigan hump, but won the Big Ten. Instead, it once again faltered under the pressure of the rivalry game. Day will find a way to explain it, but after four straight losses, the Buckeyes still haven’t closed the gap on Michigan, even in a worst-case scenario.

Do Buckeyes fans even want their team to make the Playoff?

It’s impossible to know how the selection committee will sort things out with so many impactful games still to be played. Maybe the Buckeyes will get squeezed out depending on how things develop in the SEC and ACC. But it’s more likely that the Buckeyes will spend this week ruminating on what could have happened and hoping for another chance at redemption.

At this point, perhaps only a national title will do for Day. – Russo

This story will be updated.

(Top photo of Sherrone Moore: Jason Mowry/Getty Images)