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Before Saturday, it had been a while since Michigan was able to joyfully sing "The Victors" after a game against Ohio State. Not since 2003 did Michigan win a game against the Buckeyes, which made Saturday's 40-34 victory all the more sweeter. The post-game celebration included the players jumping into the student section, the crowd rushing the field and, in the locker room, a rousing chorus of "The Victors." Check it out:
The long regional nightmare is over.
After losing its last seven games versus Ohio State, Michigan finally broke through against its arch-rival with a 40-34 win in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
The Wolverines were led by 336 yards of total offense and five touchdowns from Denard Robinson. Michigan's dual threat quarterback rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, bursting out for big runs and grinding tough short yardage, as well. Robinson also completed 14-of-17 passes for 166 yards and three scores, in what may have been his best passing performance of the season.
Fitzgerald Toussaint added 121 rushing yards on 20 carries. It appeared that he scored a touchdown with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, which would have given Michigan a 43-34 lead. However, officials overturned the call on replay, saying that Toussaint's knee was down at the one-yard line before the ball crossed the plane of the goal line. Video replays looked inconclusive, with Toussaint appearing to score on one angle, but down on another angle, but the call on field was overruled and the touchdown was taken off the board.
On the following play, a one-yard touchdown run by Robinson was wiped out by two penalties. Right guard Patrick Omameh was flagged for holding and tight end Steve Watson was called for a personal foul, moving the ball from the OSU 1-yard line all the way back to the 26-yard line. Brandon Gibbons eventually kicked a 43-yard field goal to give Michigan a 40-34 lead.
The Wolverines made a huge goal-line stand to begin the fourth quarter, following a 23-yard run by Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller that put the Buckeyes on the Michigan 5-yard line. But OSU couldn't punch the ball in on its next two plays, gaining only three yards. On 3rd-and-2 from the 2-yard line, Miller was tackled for a two-yard loss and the Buckeyes had to settle for a field goal.
Michigan dodged what could've been a demoralizing loss when Miller overthrew DeVier Posey streaking down the left sideline on the Buckeyes' final drive of the game. Posey had beaten Wolverines cornerback J.T. Floyd and would've cruised in for a touchdown had he been able to make the catch. The Buckeyes gained 15 yards on the next four plays to move to their own 35-yard line. But Miller's final pass was tipped in the air and intercepted by Courtney Avery to seal a much coveted victory for Michigan.
Miller almost matched Robinson in total offense for Ohio State, compiling 332 yards of total offense. He completed 14-of-26 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. But Miller made most of his big plays on the ground, rushing for 96 yards and a score on 17 carries. While some of that yardage came on designed quarterback draws, Miller also frustrated the Michigan defense with scrambles for big yardage when he couldn't find an open receiver.
Just as the final score indicates, this was a closely contested game. Michigan outgained Ohio State in rushing, 296-132, which may have been the difference in the game. But the Buckeyes had the advantage in passing, 236-166, which helped keep OSU close. The highlight may have been the clash between the team's two quarterbacks. Robinson vs. Miller was one of the best battles between quarterbacks this season, and probably one of the best in this rivalry.
With the win, Michigan ends their season at 10-2, its best record since 2006 when the Wolverines finished with the same record. Quite a debut for first-year head coach Brady Hoke. The question now is whether or not the Wolverines will have earned an at-large BCS bid.
Ohio State, meanwhile, finishes with a 6-6 record under interim coach Luke Fickell, its worst record since 1999. But if all the reports of Urban Meyer taking the head coaching job in Columbus are true, the Buckeyes should turn things around quickly.
As the Columbus Dispatch's infamous countdown clock reminded fans for years, it had been 2,926 days since Michigan had beaten Ohio State in football. (Technically, it's been 736 days since OSU beat Michigan, with last year's 37-7 victory vacated in anticipation of NCAA sanctions.) Time to reset that clock.
Michigan took a 30-24 over Ohio State early in the third quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Denard Robinson to Martavious Odoms. But as the clock ran out on the quarter, the Buckeyes were threatening to regain the lead after a 23-yard run by Braxton Miller to the Michigan 5-yard line.
Miller continues to be a dual threat for OSU, passing for 158 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 87 yards and a score.
But Ohio State has also had difficulty containing Robinson when he runs the ball. After three quarters, Michigan’s quarterback has 124 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint has added another 78 yards on 13 carries.
Shortly before the end of the third quarter, Michigan punter Will Hagerup fumbled the long snap at the Wolverines’ 49-yard line. He recovered the fumble but was tackled by Ohio State defenders after a one-yard gain. The Buckeyes took over at the Michigan 32-yard line, giving them a short field to work with.
It’s 1st-and-goal for OSU at the Michigan 5-yard line as the fourth quarter begins.
A 43-yard touchdown pass from Braxton Miller to DeVier Posey with 1:21 left in the second quarter gave Ohio State a one-point lead over Michigan. At halftime, the Buckeyes lead the Wolverines 24-23.
Michigan took a 23-17 lead with just over four minutes remaining on a six-yard run by Denard Robinson. The big play on that drive was a 46-yard run by Fitzgerald Toussaint.
In the first half, Robinson has rushed for 82 yards on 12 carries, pushing him over 1,000 yards rushing for the season. His touchdown was his 15th on the year. Robinson has also completed 7-of-8 passes for 58 yards and a score. That came on a 26-yard first quarter pass to Junior Hemingway.
Toussaint has rushed for 57 yards on eight carries for the Wolverines.
Michigan has had difficulty stopping Miller on designed runs and scrambles. The Ohio State quarterback has 54 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries in the first half. He’s also beaten the Wolverines with the pass, completing 8-of-15 throws for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
But the Buckeyes might have an even bigger lead had Miller not missed Posey on a flag route early in the second quarter. Ohio State ended up settling for a 45-yard field goal by Drew Basil.
Overall, it’s been a pretty even match between the two rivals. Ohio State has 210 yards of total offense in the first half, while Michigan has 203. The Wolverines have outrushed the Buckeyes, 145-81. But OSU has the advantage in passing yards, 129-58, thanks largely to big plays by Posey and Corey Brown.
Michigan has the lone turnover thus far, which essentially accounts for the difference in the game. Robinson fumbled early in the second quarter, giving OSU the ball on the Wolverines’ 31-yard line. Three plays later, Miller scored on a 19-run run to give the Buckeyes a 17-16 lead.
The Wolverines will receive the ball to begin the second half.
"The Game" started out exactly the way that the Michigan Wolverines did not - trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes 7-0 after a 54 yard touchdown from Braxton Miller to Corey Brown. For a team that hadn't beaten Ohio State since 2003, it was somewhat worrying, but they held in there and responded with a Denard Robinson 41 yard touchdown rush, tying the game at 7-7.
What followed was a good bit of luck and a sizable amount of hilarity, as Ohio State, after an incomplete pass, were called for holding on Zach Boren, then a false start on Jack Mewhort, and after a loss of two on a rushing attempt from Miller, had another holding penalty called on Mike Adams. This final holding call resulted in a safety, putting Michigan up 9-7, and giving them their first lead over Ohio State since Nov. 17, 2007.
Immediately after getting the ball back following the safety, Robinson would hook up with Junior Hemmingway on a 26 yard touchdown pass, and a Brendan Gibbons extra point put them up 16-7. Ohio State were then forced to punt and Michigan took over again as the first quarter came to an end.
The Michigan Wolverines are looking for their 10th win of the season when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. Michigan is 9-2 entering "The Game," and is looking at an at-large BCS berth. This is a stark contrast to last season, when the Wolverines were struggling through a collapse. Their opponents, the Buckeyes, are the ones suffering the collapse this time around, and are sitting at 6-5 on the season. Michigan hasn't beaten Ohio State since 2003, and the chance to really reinforce the fact that they are "back" presents itself in the opportunity to end that losing skid.
The Wolverines haven't had this kind of opportunity to beat the Buckeyes in some time, perhaps even since that last win in 2003. For one of the greatest rivalries in college football, this is almost unacceptable. Michigan will be out for blood on Saturday in "The Game," no question.
Game date, time: 12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, Nov. 26
Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
TV channel: ABC
Spread: Michigan favored by 7.5
Series history: Wolverines lead, 57-44-6
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Maize n Brew for the Wolverines and Along The Olentangy for the Buckeyes. Here’s the complete Week 13 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.
At this time a year ago, Michigan was on the verge of completing another second half collapse and questions were swirling about the future of then head coach Rich Rodriguez. Ohio State, on the other hand, was on its way to another Big Ten title and was playing for a spot in a BCS bowl. Unsurprisingly, given the state of the each team at the time, Ohio State rolled Michigan for a 37-7 victory.
Fast forward to now and the roles have essentially been reversed. Michigan is 9-2 entering the 2011 edition of "The Game" and is a win over Ohio State away from likely locking up an at-large berth in the BCS. Ohio State is the team dealing with questions and rumors about its coaches and is a disappointing 6-5.
A year ago, the situation at hand seemed unfathomable, but with Michigan firing Rodriguez and hiring Brady Hoke and Ohio State dealing with an NCAA investigation that cost Jim Tressel his job and Terrelle Pryor his senior year, the two programs have undergone some drastic changes in the last 12 months.
Although the talk about the BCS for Michigan and Urban Meyer potentially being named the new coach for OSU is interesting, none of it will matter on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Michigan's focus is on simply beating Ohio State for the first time since 2003 and delivering a message on the field that the Wolverines are back. They haven't had this great of a chance to beat Ohio State in a long time, and now is their opportunity to pay back the Buckeyes for seven long years of losing in this rivalry.
Kickoff for "The Game" is set for noon. ABC will have the broadcast.
Denard Robinson Named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player Of The Week
After ending Michigan's seven game losing streak to the Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Denard Robinson knew he would be adored by Michigan fans. The Big Ten Conference was also impressed with his performance, as he shared the Offensive Player of the Week honors this week with Wisconsin's Montee Ball for his efforts in the 40-34 win for the Wolverines:
This is the second straight such award for Robinson, and with four such awards on the season he is expected to be named Offensive Player of the Year for the Big Ten later this week. Robinson was named as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as well.
Nov 28 10:29a by Travis Miller