Although it’s been said many times many ways, Ohio State beat Michigan, again.
The only thing keeping this storyline fresh is how the Buckeyes best the Wolverines. Every year brings a unique chapter, and Saturday’s 31-20 victory in Ann Arbor was no different.
In winning 13 of the last 14 clashes between these ancient rivals, OSU has done it with stifling defense (2007) and precious little defense (2013). They’ve done it with overpowering offense (2006) and just enough offense (2009). They’ve won nailbiters (2016) and blowouts (2015).
The names, coaches and players all change, yet the song remains the same. Ohio State beats Michigan, again and again. The latest game merely enhanced that legacy.
This time OSU spotted the Wolverines 14 points, making it the largest deficit the Buckeyes have overcome in the history of the series. Ohio State was inconsistent on special teams: missing a field goal, allowing a punt return of 43 yards to set up an easy touchdown, knocking a kickoff out of bounds and adding a holding penalty to the comedy of errors. None of it mattered.
Then there was a controversial injury to starting quarterback J.T. Barrett, responsible for his team’s only two TDs in the first half. Later it was revealed Barrett was hurt on the sideline by a mysterious photographer banging into his knee before the Buckeyes’ first offensive snap.
“That was a non-football injury. Too many damn people on the sideline,” coach Urban Meyer said. “A guy with a camera hit him in the knee. I’m gonna find out who and think about that. I’m so angry right now I gotta move on … that I let that happen.
“(Barrett is) so tough, he went out there and played … He’s gotta be one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around.”
Barrett was knocked out with the Buckeyes trying to respond to a 20-14 deficit late in the third quarter. Enter redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins, who came in with seven games of limited experience and spotty performance. Meyer pulled him just last week after a Haskins fumble went 55 yards the other way for an Illinois touchdown. Earlier this season he threw a pick-six against outmanned UNLV.
But this week Haskins was dynamite. It wasn’t like Cardale Jones, who largely handed off to Ezekiel Elliott while replacing Barrett in 2014. In that win Barrett broke his ankle and Jones replaced him. His job was to stay out of the way for a fourth-down Elliott TD run and a defensive score that clinched a 42-28 victory.
Haskins was in the thick of this one. The redshirt freshman hit his last six passes, including a couple of key, third-down completions to keep the chains moving and scoring drives alive.
“Dwayne, wow,” Meyer said. “Dwayne came in and hit that third-and-long pass to Austin Mack and had a great couple of crossing routes and handled the ball very well.
“But our offensive line and tailbacks I thought really, really did the job. Rushing yards against that defense, one of the top defenses in America, we ran for 226 yards. That’s a helluva day against that defense.”
Freshman J.K. Dobbins had 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts, while sophomore Mike Weber added 57 yards, including the clinching 25-yard TD late in the fourth quarter. All of that came against a Wolverine defense that was allowing just 116.8 yards rushing (15th nationally).
“Both teams I thought played really well,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It was an emotional game played by emotional guys.
“We all have the same regret that the seniors could have gone out with a win. Both teams played well and made plays. They cracked a few runs and the quarterback got out and made a play. We had a few more mistakes than they did.”
Earlier this week former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn reported Michigan was discussing a lifetime contract for their coach. Harbaugh branded the report Fake News. Yet it called to mind Ohio State extending John Cooper on the eve of the 1991 game in Ann Arbor, when the Buckeyes were throttled 31-3.
To that point Cooper had yet to beat the Wolverines, and wound up his career 2-10-1 against them. Harbaugh is now 0-3 against the Buckeyes and has finished no better than third in the Big Ten East.
COACHING MATTERS: Meyer has never lost to Michigan, becoming the first Buckeye boss to ever start 6-0 against the rival. He also improved to an incredible 47-3 in Big Ten regular-season games, a stunning .940 winning percentage.
Ohio State has won more conference games than any team in Big Ten history, breaking a tie with Michigan. The Buckeyes have now won 504 Big Ten games, to 503 for the Wolverines.
Ohio State moves on to play Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday night in Indianapolis.
BARRETT BLOG: Barrett became the first quarterback on either side of the rivalry to start four victories in the series. Tippy Dye and Troy Smith both went 3-0 for the Buckeyes. Terrelle Pryor did, too, although one was wiped out by the Jim Tressel NCAA sanctions. Meanwhile, Rick Leach was 3-1 for Michigan from 1975-1978.
Barrett tacked on two more touchdowns Saturday, one running and one throwing. He became just the second QB in NCAA history to throw for more than 100 touchdowns and run for 40 or more. He has accounted for 102 touchdown passes and 40 rushing scores in his career. He tossed his 33rd TD pass of the year on Saturday.
The fifth-year senior also tied Art Schlichter for most career wins by an Ohio State starting quarterback at 36. Barrett is 36-6 in his career. Schlichter finished at 36-11-1.
Despite the injury to his right knee, described as a meniscus problem, Barrett insisted he would play next week against undefeated Wisconsin.
PLAYOFF CHAOS: It’s hard to judge how the college football playoff committee will react to top-ranked Alabama’s upset loss at Auburn on Saturday. Nick Saban’s team was knocked out of the SEC championship game after being pounded 26-14 on the road. Saban began lobbying for the Crimson Tide to reach the playoffs as soon as he left the field.
Notre Dame’s 38-20 loss to Stanford on Saturday night effectively eliminated the Fighting Irish from playoff contention.
Clemson, Miami, Oklahoma, TCU, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, USC, Wisconsin and Ohio State are all in the playoff discussion. Next week’s conference championship games will settle a number of those issues.