Ohio State stands tall in a 29-7 win (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Ohio State made all right in the college football universe by earning some Gold Pants with a 27-9 win in Ann Arbor on a snowy Saturday.
#1 Ohio State 27, michigan 9
The Buckeye defense gave up a quick 3-0 lead, and Julian Sayin threw an interception on his second pass of the game. The defense held UM to another field goal, and Ohio State was down 6-0 after only 5:18 into the first quarter. The Buckeyes got their first good drive going behind Bo Jackson. A pass to Jackson, and the Bucks were in enemy territory. Jackson then had a big run to the three-yard line. The offense stalled, though, when they took Jackson out and could get nowhere without him. On seven plays inside the three with no Jackson, the Buckeyes got three points.
Second Quarter
Ohio State would get an early second-quarter drive going, moving the ball with tough yards into enemy territory. The drive seemed to stall with fourth down and five at the wolverines 35-yard line. Ohio State went for broke, and Julian Sayin found Jeremiah Smith for a 35-yard touchdown pass, and the Buckeyes took a 10-6 lead, with 11:42 left to play in the first half.
The michigan offense would get a drive going, running the ball well, cracking the century mark on the Buckeyes mid-way through the second quarter. This was the first time in 10 games that Ohio State gave up 100 or more yards on the ground. Arvell Reese would make two straight tackles for a loss to force a michigan field goal on fourth down and 15. The 49-yard field goal would make it a 10-9 game.
Ohio State would answer with a Carnell Tate 10-yard reception. A 25-yard pass to Will Kacmarek and a 16-yard run by Bo Jackson would follow that. Brandon Inniss would convert a big third down. Jackson would get Ohio State to the four-yard line, and then Sayin would find Inniss for a four-yard touchdown pass, and the Buckeyes would lead 17-9 at the break.
Second Half
The teams would exchange punts to begin the third quarter as the snowfall began to become heavy in Ann Arbor. Carnell Tate would make a catch on first down on the Buckeyes’ second possession, and follow it up with a 50-yard touchdown catch for the Buckeyes!
Shortly later, the Buckeyes would have the ball again, late in the third quarter. With the snow falling, Ohio State was determined to run the ball. The Buckeyes went on a run-heavy drive, that saw Bo Jackson get over the 100-yard mark in the game. The drive went for 20 plays, 18 of them rushing the football, that took 11:56 off the clock and was paid off with a Jayden Fielding field goal. The Bucks would lead 27-9 with 8:10 to go in the fourth.
The Buckeyes never let michigan back in the game. They would stop michigan with a fourth-down stop and an interception of Bryce Underwood, and Ohio State would win The Game 27-9. The Buckeyes dominated the time of possession, 40:01 to 19:59! Ryan Day would get a much-deserved win, despite more shenanigans from the cheatingest team in football. Day would conduct himself with class in victory and led his team to do the same!
Ohio State Heisman Watch
Julian Sayin threw his fifth interception of the season on his second pass of this game. It was all Sayin after that. From there, he’d go 19 of 24 for 233 yards and three touchdown passes. Sayin finishes the regular season 258 of 327, completing 78.9% of his passes for 3,065 yards and 30 touchdowns and only five interceptions. With a good game and a victory next week, Sayin makes a strong case for the Heisman.
He’s not going to win the Heisman, but I have to show some love to an embattled Buckeye who’s had a much-improved season, especially in this game. Kicker Jayden Fielding struggled late last season while playing injured, missing two kicks against that team up north. Today, he made two big ones, getting the Buckeyes on the scoreboard and making the lead three scores late. His bookend kicks should be remembered, and he showed love by Buckeye Nation! The senior is 13 of 15 this season and perfect on 50 extra points.
Bo Knows the Buckeye Ball
Freshman running back Bo Jackson might be the player of the game, even with Sayin’s performance. Jackson had 27 carries for 117 yards and added four catches for 49 yards. His season totals are 151 carries for 952 yards and five touchdowns, 17 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown receiving. Bo Jackson has 1,139 total yards and six total touchdowns this season. Ohio State needs to let him cook in the Red Zone. Jackson finds openings better than anyone on the team.
The Buckeyes’ all-American receivers returned with a vengeance after missing the Rutgers game. Jeremiah Smith got the Buckeye touchdowns rolling with a 35-yard touchdown catch on 4th and 5. Smith would finish the game with three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. His wingman, Carnell Tate would fly just as high. The Ohio Tate would finish the game with five catches for 82 yards, including the back-breaking 50-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. This season, Smith has 72 catches for 942 yards and 12 total touchdowns. Tate has 44 catches for 793 yards and seven touchdown catches.
Indiana and the Big Ten Championship
Ohio State will enjoy this win and then lock horns with the Indiana Hoosiers. Both teams are 12-0 and played a top ten game in Columbus in 2024 that Ohio State won. This time it will be in Indiana for a Big Ten title. This will be the 99th meeting between the two teams. Ohio State leads the series against Indiana 81-12-5. 1988 was the last time the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes. Since then, Ohio State is 31-0-1 against Indiana. This will be the first time a conference championship game will feature the top two-ranked and undefeated teams since 2009.
Ryan Day has led the Buckeyes to 16 straight wins going back to the postseason last year. If they do like they have all season, and play their game and to their strengths, they’ll win the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State is a team that plays great defense. A form of defense that doesn’t force a lot of turnovers, put up a lot of sacks, or pad stats. They just get stops, don’t allow yards, and don’t allow points. The offense protects their quarterback, who minimizes his mistakes, who gets it to his power hitters with precision, and has a solid running game to lean on. That’s who they have been all year, it’s who they were today, and if it is who they are against a very good Indiana team, they will win. Ohio State being true to themselves wins them championships, and that is the brilliant leadership of their head coach. Through ups and downs, Ryan Day has stayed true to Ohio State football.
