I have watched football for a long time. Not as long as most of the people who will read this because I am 23 years old. But still, plenty long enough to have a massive sample size of football games to draw from. I'm sure there may be a more extreme example somewhere in the reaches of my memory, but as I sit here now in the aftermath of Michigan's decisive 45-23 victory over Ohio State, I am not sure I can recall a game with a more stark difference between the first half and the second half. Ohio State pushed Michigan around in the first half, outgaining the Wolverines by over 100 yards and whipped them routinely on a down-to-down basis. Michigan got to the break only down three thanks to two massive plays through the air, but it felt like Michigan was fortunate not to be down by more.

The second half? Total domination. Michigan outgained OSU by nearly 140 yards and outscored them 28-3, turning a game where it felt like Michigan was hanging in there into one where they ran the Buckeyes off their home field entirely. The big plays just kept coming, more success was found on the ground, Ohio State's offense was kept in the yard, and several key miscues (penalties and questionable punt decisions) by the Buckeyes had the effect of shooting themselves in the foot. The game began slipping, the Scarlet & Gray got even tighter, and turned it over twice late. A game that was tense only a half-hour earlier suddenly was a three score blowout. Remarkable. 

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[Patrick Barron]

Michigan won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, allowing Ohio State's vaunted offense to take the field. The Buckeyes looked to establish themselves on the ground and got better results than some may have expected. Giving carries to both Miyan Williams and half-LB/half-RB Chip Trayanum, the Buckeyes gained chunk yards through the rushing game by targeting the weakside of Michigan's defense. Toss in a beautiful contested catch by Marvin Harrison Jr. on a 3rd & 1 and the Buckeyes quickly drove into the red zone. After Michigan got stops on the first two plays, Ohio State was faced with 3rd & Goal from the four. Michigan's defensive alignment paid additional attention to Harrison and left Mike Sainristil isolated on Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka had inside leverage against Michigan's slot corner and CJ Stroud delivered an accurate ball for a TD. 7-0 Bucks. 

The first Michigan offensive possession was a big test for Blake Corum's health. His first carry went for four yards. His second one went for just two yards and he appeared to lack explosion and the ability to jumpcut on his bruised left knee. Michigan yanked Corum off the field and that would be the end of his day. The Wolverines would be without their best offensive player the rest of the way. On 3rd & 8 from the Michigan 43, JJ McCarthy faced pressure, rolled to his left, and hurled a ball for an open Ronnie Bell down the sideline and Bell held on. 33 yards and Michigan was moving. Unfortunately, on the very next play a blitz from OSU got home and McCarthy was flagged for intentional grounding and a loss of 10 yards. The Michigan offense had no answer after being backed up and settled for a long Jake Moody field goal attempt. The steady veteran kicker banged it through from 48 yards away and Michigan was on the board. 7-3.

Ohio State got right back in the groove on offense. A 17 yard passing play to Egbuka on first down got it going and a Junior Colson facemask penalty tacked on moved the Buckeyes into Michigan territory right away. Miyan Williams remained effective on the ground, picking up a 3rd & 3 a few plays later, and Ohio State was right inside Michigan's red zone again. Jesse Minter's crew knew they needed to be bend-not-break and this time, they did not break. A first down screen to Xavier Johnson was blown up, a Miyan Williams rush was stuffed and on 3rd & 9, Stroud's pass for Egbuka fell incomplete as the receiver got tangled up. Ohio State settled for a 32 yard Noah Ruggles field goal to make it 10-3. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: The better part of the game]

[Patrick Barron]

Michigan's next offensive possession seemed foreboding. The rushing game was not working, as limited rushing lanes available were missed by CJ Stokes and it set Michigan up in 3rd & 6. Ohio State played their base off-man coverage and ceded a first down if JJ McCarthy could make a relatively easy pass for Ronnie Bell. The throw was too high and Bell's attempt at a circus catch was unsuccessful. Michigan would send out Brad Robbins to punt and the collective sighs from the Michigan fanbase could be heard worldwide. 

The ensuing OSU offensive possession could be considered a moment the game turned. A Buckeye TD in that situation would have put Michigan in major trouble early in the second quarter. The defense needed to pick Michigan up, and they did. The Buckeyes swiftly drove into Michigan territory, but a backwards pass to Cade Stover on first down was tackled behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of three by Rod Moore. Miyan Williams would gain a big chunk back on a stretch running play, but OSU was faced with 3rd & 5 from the Michigan 37. They ran Williams again, who was stopped short, and on 4th & 2, Ryan Day went for it. Stroud targeted the TE Stover again, but the ball was too far in front of his outstretched arms amid good coverage from Jaylen Harrell. Incomplete, turnover on downs. Michigan's defense saves the game. 

Still the offense couldn't answer. A first down rush was stuffed, Zach Harrison batted JJ McCarthy's pass, and McCarthy well overshot Colston Loveland on third down in double coverage. Michigan punted it right back to Ohio State and to that point, had no answers on offense. The defense rose to the occasion to pick up its offense again, though. After a quick first down pickup, they slammed the door, with Mazi Smith providing pressure on Stroud on 3rd down. Ohio State punted for the first time and Michigan's offense got another chance to make something happen. They did. After two runs were stuffed, the game turned again: JJ McCarthy felt pressure, delivered a laser to Cornelius Johnson, who broke a tackle and with no safety help over the top, was long gone. 69 yards, touchdown. In a game Michigan had been getting smacked around in for the first 21 minutes, they were now tied. 10-10. 

[Patrick Barron]

The bend-not-break defense got going again right after that. They'd let Ohio State drive into Michigan territory, but once more they'd slam the door when it mattered. A long run for Trayanum and a chunk pass to Harrison got the Buckeyes going but they encountered resistance inside the Michigan 30. A crucial false start by OSU RT Dawand Jones turned 2nd & 6 into 2nd & 11 and that's the window Michigan needed to get off the field. A great PBU by native Ohioan Rod Moore on Egbuka made it 3rd & 11 and good coverage on that down forced an incompletion and a field goal. Ruggles nailed a 47 yarder and Ohio State led 13-10. 

Michigan's next drive lasted exactly one play. On first down McCarthy waited in the pocket, stepped up, and launched it deep to Cornelius Johnson, who was wide open. The ball was dropped in perfectly and Johnson rushed the final ~30 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, Michigan had their first lead, 17-13. Ohio State's quick-strike offense came right back. They needed just four plays, a 15 yard pass to Egbuka, a 7 yard run by Trayanum, a 15 yard pass to Fleming, and then the dagger, a 42 yard bomb to Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison wasn't open by much against Gemon Green, but a dead-on throw from Stroud got it done for a TD. 20-17, Ohio State. 

Michigan got the ball back with 3:49 to go in the first half and after two successful Donovan Edwards runs set up 3rd & 1, Michigan tried to pound it inside with LB Kalel Mullings at RB. He was stopped in the backfield and Michigan was forced to punt. The defense did its job picking up the offense again, forcing an Ohio State three-and-out after Braiden McGregor dropped into coverage to break up a slant. OSU punted it back to Michigan and the Wolverines offense seemed content to bleed the remaining time in the half and go into the break down three. They did just that and after some timeout-related buffoonery/refereeing confusion, punted with under 15 seconds left. Stroud kneeled it down and the halftime score was 20-17. 

[Patrick Barron]

At halftime it was apparent that Ohio State was the better team in the first 30 minutes. They were outgaining Michigan 317-216, and were whipping them down-to-down. Michigan got 144 of 216 yards on two plays, with the remaining plays going for just over 3 yards per play. The Wolverines were now without Blake Corum and had 10 total rushing yards as a team. Ohio State was surprisingly rushing for 6.2 YPC, but failures in the Michigan half of the field prevented them from scoring more points. It felt like Michigan was moderately lucky to be down three and that something major would need to change to keep it going. For OSU, it felt like all they had to do was shut off the big play and they'd be on their way to a comfortable win.

Spoiler alert: they wouldn't shut off the big play. 

The first possession of the second half for Michigan was another example of Michigan owning the high leverage plays. They were faced with a 4th & 1 right off the bat, went tempo, and Donovan Edwards plunged forward for a first down. After a JJ McCarthy keeper picked up 19, high leverage play #2 would appear: Michigan went play-action, had Colston Loveland wide open, and McCarthy hit him again. Loveland sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone. 45 yards, TD. 24-20 Michigan. A lead they'd never relinquish. 

Ohio State got the ball and continued to find rushing room on the ground, getting out near midfield and Trayanum gained eight yards on first down. On 2nd & 2 he would be brought down for a TFL by Braiden McGregor to force 3rd & 3. Ryan Day dialed up a toss play to Trayanum, which Colson and Sainristil wrapped up for no gain. Ryan Day had a decision to make on 4th & 3 at the OSU 49 and opted to punt. AJ Henning made the fair catch at the Michigan 13 and the Wolverines now had the ball and a lead. 

[Patrick Barron]

To the chagrin of Michigan fans, the Maize & Blue were unable to add on. McCarthy's first two passes were incomplete and a quick check-down to Edwards was promptly tackled and the Wolverines went three-and-out. The following OSU drive was one undone by massive errors and was another inflection point in the game. Their defense gifted them excellent field position at the Michigan 48 yet they went straight backwards through penalties. A good pass rush from Kris Jenkins drew a holding call from OSU G Donovan Jackson and then at the end of the play, TE Gee Scott headbutted a Wolverine and was hit with a personal foul call. Since that came after the play, both penalties were enforced and OSU went 25 yard backyards. Michigan played softer defense on the next few plays considering it was 1st & 35, and the end effect was Ohio State having another big decision: 4th & 5 from the Michigan 43. Ryan Day opted to punt and Mirco's boot went into the end zone for a touchback. 

Michigan's next drive began with 6:01 remaining in the 3rd quarter, still up 24-20, and it was a drive for the ages. For the first time all game, they found rushing room, mixing McCarthy reads with Edwards between the tackles. The newfound rushing success allowed Michigan to bleed the entirety of the third quarter as they plodded into OSU territory. On 3rd & 1 from the Ohio State 38, Michigan subbed Mullings back into the game at RB. McCarthy handed it to him and Mullings then threw the ball on a trick play to a wide open Luke Schoonmaker for a 15 yard gain. A better throw would have resulted in a TD, but considering it was a half-LB/half-RB who threw it... not bad.

Donovan Edwards rushes got Michigan inside the 15 and that's when OSU tried to clamp down. They forced Michigan into a 3rd & 10, which McCarthy heaved for the end zone. The ball looked plausibly uncatchable, but Bell was interfered with and the referees enforced DPI anyway. Michigan got it on the 2 and after two plays were unsuccessful, called a JJ McCarthy design run. The QB surged past his lead blocker Trevor Keegan into a hole and was contacted right at the goal line. TD Wolverines, 31-20 with 13:10 to go. 

Ohio State would go three-and-out on their next drive and punted again, giving the Michigan offense a chance for a kill-shot after another personal foul on the Buckeyes set Michigan up at their own 43. On the first play of the drive McCarthy looked deep for Cornelius Johnson, who was interfered with by safety Lathan Ransom. Another DPI penalty was enforced and Michigan moved into Buckeye territory. They were unable to finish the deal, with a Donovan Edwards slip on a 2nd down run nixed a chance for a first down into comfortable field goal range. A JJ McCarthy zone read was stuffed at the 39 on 3rd down and Jim Harbaugh sent out Jake Moody to attempt a 57 yard FG, rather than pin OSU deep. Moody's kick came up slightly short and slightly to the left. 

[Patrick Barron]

With 9:21 left, Ohio State had been gifted a chance to climb back in it. Michigan made a couple quick stops but on 3rd & 8 Stroud hit Emeka Egbuka deep against Sainristil, a pinpoint pitch-and-catch that brought the Buckeyes to the Michigan 15 and a chance to make it a game again. Minter's defense rose to the occasion. On 3rd & 4 from the 9, Stroud rolled and looked for Cade Stover leaking in the end zone. Stroud delivered another crisp ball, landing in Stover's hands, but then a punch from Sainristil poked the ball free for a PBU. Ohio State was forced to kick a FG to make it 31-23 with 7:23 left. 

At this juncture, it felt like Michigan would need one more score to get the game to the finish line. No one knew it would come so quickly. On first down, Michigan gave it to Donovan Edwards, who found a hole, cut it to the open field, and was gone. He tight-roped down the sideline and into the red-painted end zone. 38-23 Michigan, 7:11 remaining.

Michigan's defense then understood the assignment: keep OSU in front of you. They allowed the Buckeyes to methodically move down the field without much resistance, but no big plays and many players being tackled in bounds kept the clock running. Ohio State moved into the Michigan red zone and their first down pass was incomplete thanks to good coverage from Sainristil. On second down, Stroud rolled and threw behind Egbuka in the end zone. On 3rd & 10 from the Michigan 16, Stroud felt pressure from Mason Graham, began to get hit, and tried a bizarre underhand flip in the direction of Xavier Johnson. The ball glanced off Johnson and right into the arms of Taylor Upshaw for an interception with 4:19 remaining. 

The visitors could taste victory now and on 3rd & 3, the final nail would be hammered into Ohio State's coffin: Edwards got free again, broke it into green grass, and was gone. 85 yards, another Michigan TD, and the celebration was on. 45-23, with 3:19 remaining. Ohio State attempted one final drive, coming to an end when Stroud overshot Stover by a sizable margin, with the ball landing in the arms of Makari Paige, the second INT of the game. JJ McCarthy kneeled it down after Blake Corum was inserted for the final ceremonial play, and Michigan had a resounding win. 45-23... two in a row. 

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[Patrick Barron]

The final box score is reflective of a game where Michigan had the answers when it mattered and overcame OSU's down-to-down success with explosive plays, a script few would have believed just one day earlier. Ohio State often went on multi-play drives that moved into Michigan territory, but they failed to score touchdowns once within scoring range. On the flip side, Michigan didn't need many long drives because they had TD plays of 69, 75, 75, 45, and 85 yards. Total those five plays up and they account for 349 of Michigan's 530 yards for the game. Their other 55 plays went for just 3.29 YPP. Ohio State sold out to stop Michigan's rushing attack, something that they did rather well with no Corum, but it had its consequences. For every four or five run stuffs, they gave up one 40+ yard TD created by having no safety help over the top. 

On offense, the heroes for the Wolverines were plentiful but three in particular stand out: McCarthy, Edwards, and Johnson. McCarthy's day was not perfect, but after starting a disastrous 3/10, he made seven of the next eight, three of which for TDs. After failing to hit his deep ball most of the year, he did not miss one today, putting them in positions that his receivers could not just catch, but run for TDs with. McCarthy finished 12/24 for 263 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs. Good enough to get it done, and a major moment for the young QB. Johnson was the recipient of one of those deep balls, and scored another TD after breaking a tackle and doing the rest himself. As for Edwards, he was noticeably better in the running game than the not-quite-ready-for-primetime CJ Stokes, and his two long TD runs were the daggers. Despite playing with one hand wrapped up, Edwards was good enough to rush for 216 yards and two scores. 

On defense, Michigan allowed 492 yards, but some of that is attributable to score effects on the final drive. They did not do an incredible job against the OSU rushing attack, but just like in pass defense, made the high leverage plays and didn't make a horrible mistake. There were no massive coverage busts allowed, with both OSU passes of >30 yards being despite solid coverage from Green and Sainristil. In other words, Ohio State got the big plays that their talent provided them, but Michigan weathered those and allowed nothing else. When it came time to slam the door, they kept everything in front of them and didn't crack.

Pass rush was minimal and Minter surprisingly blitzed rather occasionally, but interior rushes from Jenkins, Smith, and Graham all popped up in key moments and Eyabi Okie had a very late sack. Not exactly how your author envisioned it, but it was a performance that kept Ohio State's offense in the yard for the second straight year and that's what the offense needed. I want to close this paragraph with a shoutout to Mike Sainristil, who got beaten a few times but also made several huge plays. The PBU on Stover in the end zone was a magnificent, game-changing play. A signature moment in a remarkable season for the senior nickel. 

[Patrick Barron]

Special teams were fine all-around. Brad Robbins' punts were not as prolific as some would have liked but he did fine, while Jesse Mirco was also alright. Jake Moody and Noah Ruggles both made their doable kicks, while Moody missed the 57 yarder, which is perhaps notable for NFL scouts but should not be an indictment of him. It was an exceptionally difficult kick. As for the coaching, I thought that Jim Harbaugh coached another excellent game. Though Joel Klatt was incensed at the clock management late in the first half, I agreed with Harbaugh. Michigan needed to get to halftime in one piece and ensuring that OSU couldn't see the ball again did that. 

The decision looks doubly smart when you see how the rest of the game played out. Michigan made needed adjustments in the second half and Ohio State did not. The Wolverines cemented their reputation as a second half team with a 28-3 showing in the second half of the game and getting to halftime down only three was needed. Jesse Minter in particular deserves huge praise for the second half, as Ohio State's first four drives of that half were a punt, punt, punt, and FG. Those drives gained 17, 0, 7, and 52 yards. That sort of performance against this offense is Broyles-worthy. 

Speaking of punts, all the heat will now be on Ryan Day in Columbus. For the second straight year, OSU was soundly outcoached by Michigan. They had the better plan of attack in the first half and prepared well, but Michigan's coaches adjusted and the Buckeyes' coaches did not. New DC Jim Knowles gambled to stop the run and played with fire. It burned Michigan for a while, but eventually it was Knowles' house that went up in flames as zero coverage resulted in countless devastating big plays against. And Day? His offense gained plenty of yards but cracked in plus territory for the second straight year. More concerning was the lack of discipline showed by his players, with two brutal unsportsmanlike conduct penalties haunting the Bucks, one of which unraveling an offensive drive.

[Patrick Barron]

And the game management from Day? Baffling. Those who watch Ohio State as closely as your author know that Day is a remarkably conservative coach when it comes to decision-making. Punting twice at midfield or in plus territory, despite having an offense that has set records for two straight years, was stunning in the abstract but for Day, all too predictable. Fans in the Shoe were riled up throughout the second half, booing their team and their coach for punting.

The hot seat has now been turned up to 1,000° F. Losing to Michigan once could be chalked up to the Wolverines having the emotional edge, or overlooking the That Team Up North after so many years of winning, or to the "snow" or the "flu". But this? There are no excuses. It was clear weather, at home, after a year of preparation vowing "never again". And what happened? Day's Buckeyes were blown off their home field. This was a game that Ohio State had to win and they lost it by three scores. Last year's edition of The Game was a tremor in Columbus. This is a full-blown earthquake and we won't know the effects of that 'quake until the coming weeks and years. 

For Michigan, they are 12-0 for the first time since 1997's national championship team. They are B1G East Division Champions for the second straight season and are headed to Indianapolis yet again for next Saturday's B1G Championship Game. This time they will face the 8-4 Purdue Boilermakers, a solid opponent but a team Michigan will be massively favored against. The Wolverines are likely already into the College Football Playoff, but a win over Purdue would lock up a top-two seed for the semifinal games on December 31 in either Atlanta or Phoenix. Everything this team hopes to accomplish is still on the table, national championship included. 

Oh, and what about Ohio? Beaten. Again.