In what was billed as the most anticipated game in the history of the rivalry, Michigan and Ohio State lived up to all the hype. It was an instant classic in Ann Arbor today.
Nail Biting Finish
After a seven-minute drive late in the fourth quarter ending in a James Turner field goal that put Michigan ahead 30-24 Ohio State was left with no timeouts and a six-point deficit with just a minute to go. The Buckeyes would quickly make their way down the field getting all the way to Michigan’s 35-yard line and putting themselves in a position to potentially break the hearts of all Michigan fans in attendance and across the nation. Instead, the Wolverines got pressure and were able to hit Ohio State QB Kyle McCord forcing an errant throw that was intercepted by Michigan DB Rod Moore sealing a third straight victory for the Maize and Blue over the Scarlet and Grey.
On To Indy
This victory puts Michigan in the Big Ten Championship as East division champs for the third straight year as they will take on Iowa next Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. But more importantly, this victory gives Michigan three straight wins over their bitter rivals.
Validation
The build-up for this game was like none other before it. There have been previous games where both teams came in undefeated like they did this afternoon, but there has never been the amount of animosity between the two teams like there was in the weeks that led to today.
Michigan has been surrounded by controversy over a sign-stealing cheating scandal that led to the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh. It can be argued about the severity of the rule violations that Michigan was deemed guilty of and if the punishment was justified but often times perception is reality and the perception nationally of the Michigan football program was that their recent success and specifically their wins over Ohio State in ‘21 and ‘22 were suspect. The game today felt more like a validation of Michigan’s accomplishments not only this season but for the last three years.
Day on the Hot Seat
While this win for Michigan may bring validity to their program for Ohio State this puts them in a state of despair. For the third straight season, the Buckeyes have lost to Michigan. They are left with nothing to lean back on, and no excuses of sign stealing. They simply lost, again. For Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, this will put him firmly on the hot seat if not with OSU administration certainly with Buckeye fans. Day will undoubtedly now be compared to former Buckeye coach Jon Cooper who was tremendously successful overall but he could not escape his poor record against Michigan. This loss now makes Ryan Day 1-3 against the Wolverines.
Sherrone Moore
It cannot be understated the coaching job performed by acting head coach Sherrone Moore. Moore has been tasked with leading the Wolverines over the last three weeks of the season during Harbaugh’s suspension. The three games were the toughest on their schedule with back-to-back road games against Penn State and Maryland and culminating with Today’s home game against second-ranked Ohio State. Moore was put in an incredibly tough position as he already serves as the offensive line coach but also the offensive coordinator. Moore did a phenomenal job balancing all his roles and guiding the Wolverines to three wins. Jim Harbaugh will now resume his role as head coach as his suspension has concluded. Harbaugh will lead Michigan on the sidelines next week against Iowa and will look to win a third straight Big Ten championship.
Game Highlights
Here are all the key plays from today’s tremendous game.
