3 thoughts that won’t leave my head after Ohio State finally toppled Michigan

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In the 72 hours since Ohio State finally snapped Michigan’s streak in The Game, three things have been living rent-free in my brain (well, four, if you count Brutus sliding through the snow to cross out the M and draw a Script Ohio). One was an answer to questions we’ve had all season, while two were the culmination of things we’ve long known to be true. As the Buckeyes get ready to face Indiana in the Big Ten Championship this Saturday, here are the things I’m still bragging thinking about from their 27-9 win in Ann Arbor that bode well for the rest of the season.

Running down a dream 

Much has been said about the Buckeyes’ struggles on the ground this season, and just last week, I wrote a column about the three possibilities for the run game. Given that the run game has arguably been Ohio State’s downfall against Michigan in recent years, my skepticism was understandable, but because of it, I failed to leave room for a fourth possibility, one in which the run game steals the show even with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on the field.

But steal the show they did, gaining 186 total rushing yards to Michigan’s 100, making it the 24th consecutive matchup between these programs in which the team with more yards on the ground won The Game. These numbers are a testament to both Ohio State’s defense, which gets the credit for limiting the Wolverines’ run game, and the stellar performances of both the running backs and Ohio State’s offensive line. 

Bo Jackson led the Buckeyes with 117 yards on 22 carries (nearly 63 percent of the team’s total rushing yards), including a 36-yard beauty to set the Buckeyes up with first-and-goal. The freshman looked like a seasoned running back, losing yardage on only one play while gaining more than 10 yards on four separate plays in his best performance of the season. Throughout Saturday’s game, he managed to gain a few extra yards on plays that all added up for OSU. 

Credit must also go to an offensive line that, in spite of some struggles this season, also stepped up when it counted with their best performance of the year. It showed in their pass protection, certainly, allowing zero sacks on the day, but it was particularly important for the Buckeyes’ rushing success, especially against a Wolverine defense that was 11th in the nation in rush defense heading into Saturday’s matchup. Prior to facing the Buckeyes, Michigan had allowed just 2.98 yards per carry, on average. OSU averaged 4.0 yards per carry on the day, with Jackson averaging 5.3. 

Last season, Ryan Day faced seemingly unending criticism for failing to make adjustments to the running game as they repeatedly tried to carry the ball up the middle and straight into Michigan’s defensive line. There was no such issue this year, with Jackson and Co. finding ways to make guys miss and rushing with a confidence we haven’t seen from them yet this year. Talk about peaking at the right time. 

Julian Sayin’s biggest asset is composure

Quarterback Julian Sayin has been many things in his first season as a starter: Extremely consistent, incredibly accurate, and perhaps most impressively, great under pressure. 

I’ve long said Sayin’s biggest strength is not how he plays when he’s at his best (though he’s at his best so often he’s a legitimate Heisman contender). It’s how he stays calm in the moments of adversity. This has never been more evident than it was Saturday in Ann Arbor. 

When the Buckeyes’ opening drive was just two plays—an incomplete pass and an interception—I think I speak for all OSU fans when I say there was a collective groan. Here we go again, a perfectly good season down the drain against our rivals. I needn’t have worried. After all, Sayin has proven his ability to bounce back after mistakes before, and Saturday was more of the same. 

In high-stakes situations, mistakes can be costly, and momentum is everything. With Sayin leading the team, those things worry me less. He doesn’t make many errors, but when he does, he doesn’t allow it to impact the team’s momentum. On the drive following his interception, it didn’t take him long to lay out a 23-yard pass (to Jackson, actually), and from there, the machine was back on track. 

It’s impressive for anyone under that much pressure to stay so calm, but it is especially so when you consider his age. At just 20 years old, the sophomore is in his first season as a starter, but his composure puts seasoned vets to shame. This is exactly the kind of level-headedness it takes to win big games, and just like it played out beautifully in Ann Arbor, it bodes well for the Buckeyes’ success heading into the postseason. 

In The Game, Matt Patricia is The Guy

There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said about the Silver Bullets, but they deserve every ounce of recognition they’re getting, so gosh darn it, I’m going to pile it on. 

The No. 1 defense in the country looked it every step of the way Saturday, holding Michigan to just 163 total yards and making freshman Bryce Underwood regret his life choices. Underwood, who has thrown for more than 200 yards in seven games this season, went 8-for-18 and gained just 63 passing yards. They left a completely competent Wolverine offense gasping for air. Even when Michigan seemed to find some semblance of footing (a handful of 20-yard runs and one 26-yard pass that made up a substantial chunk of the day’s passing yards), the Buckeye defense proved too stout, never letting them in the end zone. 

Heading into The Game, I struggled to predict the defensive MVP, toggling between a few guys I thought could make a difference, specifically against this Michigan offense. In reality, I could have named any one of them and not been too far off, since it was really a team effort. 

Sonny Styles led the team with six tackles, including one for loss, to lead the team, but his counterpart, Arvell Reese, was also critical in the effort despite only logging two tackles on paper. Kayden McDonald, my prediction for MVP ahead of The Game, did exactly what I thought he would do in terms of keeping Michigan’s run game off-kilter, logging five total tackles and frankly, making it difficult for the Wolverines to even consider running the ball up the middle. Everyone, mentioned or not, contributed in a big, business-as-usual way. 

When these Buckeyes say they want to “Leave no doubt,” this defense is certainly living that out on the field each week. Their dominance is so intense that it almost lacks the flashiness of other defenses simply because they make it look so easy. Don’t misunderstand me—Matt Patricia’s defense is nothing if not incredibly creative. He’s taken a perfectly manufactured machine and made sure it runs with such consistency and efficiency that it’s somehow outperforming even the most unrealistic of expectations, and Saturday, that resulted in complete domination of our opponents. It’s a level of excellence I am happy to watch every weekend for as long as Patricia wants to provide it.

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