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Michigan stuns Ohio State football, tops Buckeyes for 4th straight year
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- Michigan stuns Ohio State football, tops Buckeyes for 4th straight year
It happened again.
It really did.
Ohio State lost its fourth straight game to Michigan , and this 13-10 defeat undoubtedly hurts more than the past three.
This was not an elite Wolverines team, limping in with a 6-5 record. The No. 2-ranked Buckeyes were 19½-point favorites. Many of Ohio State's seniors, who delayed going to the NFL for one last crack at beating their archrival, will end their careers without beating Michigan.
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Michigan's Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left for the decisive points after Michigan drove from its 40 in the final six minutes of the game.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw two crucial interceptions and the OSU running game sputtered all game. The Buckeyes ran for only 77 yards in 26 carries. Ohio State was held scoreless in the second half.
Jayden Fielding missed field goals of 38 and 34 yards. Zvada also made a 54-yard field goal.
"We struggled to run the ball," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "We've talked about this many times that we have to run the ball, especially in this game. It was a little windy, and to win the game, you've got to be able to run it. We weren't able to do that.
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"We tried a couple different schemes, (but) couldn't quite get into a rhythm on that. That ultimately, along with the turnovers and the missed field goals, was the difference in the game."
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins (1) celebrates after a first down run against Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
All is not lost for the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2). They're all but assured of making the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes likely will wait to see who they'll play in the CFP, almost certainly in Ohio Stadium.
But the sting from this one will last a long time.
"We've got a locker room full of guys who're just devastated," Day said. "I thought they played with great emotion. I thought the defense played their tails off. I thought everybody played hard. It's just the overall execution wasn't good enough, especially on offense."
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith makes a touchdown catch against Michigan on Saturday.
After the game, Michigan planted its flag on the Block O. Ohio State's players had gather to sing "Carmen Ohio" when they saw that and ran to midfield to confront the Wolverines . OSU defensive end Jack Sawyer ripped the Michigan flag from its pole before tensions calmed.
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Ohio State defense falters at the end
Michigan's offense, particularly its passing game, has struggled all year. Without injured star tight end Colston Loveland, Ohio State figured to be able to control Michigan's offense.
That proved to be true – until it wasn't. Michigan gained 25 yards on its first possession and 72 on its next, which ended with a fourth-down stuff at the OSU 2.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (20) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Kalel Mullings (20) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
After that, Michigan's offense did almost nothing. Caleb Downs intercepted a pass at the UM 16 in the third quarter. Sawyer, a Pickerington native, then made the play of his career when he reached high to intercept an underthrown pass by Davis Warren , who had a receiver open in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.
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But Michigan finally cashed in when it mattered. The Wolverines took over at its own 40 with 6:13 left. It moved to the OSU 44 when it faced third-and-7. The defense appeared to have stopped Kalel Mullings , but he slipped OSU tacklers for a 27-yard gain. On third-and-3 from the 10, OSU was penalized for illegal substitution by having 12 men on the field.
Michigan then bled the clock until Zvada's kick.
Ohio State offense comes up small
Quarterback Will Howard said during the week that while he wasn't here for the three previous losses, he desperately wanted to win it for his teammates.
He couldn't deliver.
Michigan defensive back Zeke Berry celebrates after making a stop on Saturday.
Howard threw two interceptions that proved costly. The first came with OSU leading 3-0. Howard threw a sideline pass that Aamir Hall intercepted and returned to the Buckeyes' 2. Mullings scored two plays later to give the Wolverines the lead.
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Howard's second interception came late in the third quarter with the ball at the Michigan 14. He tried to throw to Emeka Egbuka , but Michigan's Makari Paige read the play and picked it off.
Howard finished 19 of 33 for only 175 yards.
The Buckeyes' last-ditch effort was emblematic of their struggles all game. Howard completed a 1-yard pass to TreVeyon Henderson but threw incompletions on the other three plays.
It wasn't just Howard. The Buckeyes' inability to run the ball proved fatal. Quinshon Judkins gained 46 yards in 12 carries, but Henderson never found room to run. He gained only 21 yards in 10 carries behind OSU's makeshift offensive line that couldn't open holes.
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First half was a sign of things to come
Ohio State took a 3-0 lead on a 29-yard Fielding field goal on its first drive, but most of the rest of the first half bordered on disastrous for the Buckeyes.
The Wolverines drove 73 yards to the OSU 2 before safety Downs and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams stuffed Mullings on fourth-and-1.
But that lift was short-lived. Three plays later, Howard his interception to Hall to set up Michigan's only touchdown.
On Ohio State's ensuing drive, Howard was drilled on a run play and missed one play, a fourth-down conversion by running back Judkins. But the drive stalled and Fielding missed a 38-yard field goal.
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A 68-yard Michigan punt was followed by a 31-yarder by Ohio State to give Michigan the ball at the OSU 39. The Buckeyes didn't allow a first down, but Dominic Svada kicked a 54-yard field goal to give Michigan a 10-3 lead.
Ohio State's offense finally got untracked for a nine-play touchdown drive capped by a 10-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith to send the game to halftime tied.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football falls to Michigan for 4th straight year
