The Before, During, and After of the OSU – MICHIGAN Game
December 11, 2018
The Before, During, and After of the OSU – MICHIGAN Game
MICHIGAN point of view
Jay Bhati ’20, Sports Editor
Before the game oh boy oh boy I was ecstatic. I was head over heels. For once I actually thought Michigan had a chance against OSU. After that Notre Dame game, Michigan seemed unstoppable, destroying everyone in their path. They went through a three-week span where everyone thought Michigan was down and out and they DOMINATED!!! Went UNDEFEATED, not only winning but pummeling Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Penn State establishing one of the best defenses Michigan had under Don Brown. Meanwhile OSU lost…to unranked Purdue. OSU had suffered all season with Dwayne Haskins being the only one keeping them afloat with superb 
quarterback play. Everything was poised for the Michigan to dominate OSU especially with the way OSU’s defense had played against run dominant teams like Maryland, allowing up to 339 yards against an unranked opponent and only winning by 1. Michigan, throughout the season, had relied on the rushing attack of Karan Higdon along with playing ball control after obtaining the lead. The game was supposed to be on the shoulders of Karan Higdon as he was supposed to have a field day against OSU’s run defense. However, it didn’t turn out this way.
OSU’s run defense was nothing short of dominant. They shut down Karan Higdon, stuffing him at the line almost every play. Now Michigan’s offense was in a hole as their main production was stopped. The entire season, Shea Patterson was kept on a leash, not having to perform in a necessary passing situation as he has always played with the lead. This was a punch to Michigan’s offense. The fact that Michigan’s defense also barely stopped OSU’s offense once didn’t help anything. The score at the half, 19-21, was not at all indicative of how the game was actually playing. In the second half things weren’t too bad until Michigan had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. After that and a couple of key drops Michigan had already lost the game. Michigan played catch-up the rest of the game, and for Jim Harbaugh, it was an utter embarrassment.
After the game and the initial trauma of dealing with such a horrible loss had passed over, the realization had set in that as long as Urban Meyer was at OSU, Michigan would remain winless against them. However, Michigan fans were hit with the best news all year, almost competing with the fact that Shea Patterson would transfer to Michigan and would be eligible to play. URBAN MEYER is retiring as the head coach of Ohio State football because of health issues due to a cyst in his head. It is quite clear to all Michigan Fans that no matter what Urban Meyer will not lose to Michigan, so THANK GOD he’s out. There is hope for years to come that finally Michigan will win against OSU.
OSU point of view
Wynton Jackson ’21, Contributor
On November 24th, the previous fourth nationally ranked team Michigan Wolverines faced a stumbling, almost confused Ohio State team, ranked 10th at the time. The classic rivalry between teams seemed to lean in Michigan’s favor. The Wolverines had one of the best defenses in all of college football, with a mediocre offense, whereas in some moments this season it looked as if the Buckeyes’ didn’t have a defense. Dwayne Haskins is an excellent young quarterback, but he can only do so much without a running game. The only two things in Ohio State’s favor were its home-field advantage and Haskins’s pin-point accuracy. Michigan hadn’t won a game in this rivalry since 2011, right before Urban Meyer became head coach, but many analysts speculated a break in the streak. The exact opposite occurred that Saturday afternoon, shocking many in the college football world, including some OSU fans.
The first 29 minutes of the game went almost perfectly for the Buckeyes. The defense held the Wolverines to two field goals, while Haskins threw three beautiful touchdowns: two to true freshman Chris Olave and one to senior receiver Johnnie Dixon. Then, all in the last minute, Michigan put up a quick 13 points to put them behind by only two. The first was an acrobatic grab in the endzone by sophomore Nico Collins, while the other occurred off another Ohio State blunder, as the kick returner missed the ball after touching it, and Michigan recovered and retained possession. Wolverine QB Shea Patterson flicked the ball over the defense to score, though they did not complete the 2-point conversion attempt, and left Ohio State enough time to march down the field and kick a field goal, placing the Bucks up five points, 24 – 19.
Whatever Urban Meyer and his coaching staff said (or screamed) to their players during the half, it worked. After punts from both teams, the Buckeyes kicked a field goal, then blocked a punt, scored a touchdown, got an interception, and scored yet again, solidifying a 41 – 19 lead. The Ohio State offense had so much momentum, it didn’t matter if the defense messed up at all. At the end of the game, they could have scored another touchdown and gotten a 2-point conversion, potentially putting the Buckeyes up 70 – 39, though they knelt the ball, keeping the final score Buckeyes, 62 – Wolverines, 39. Michigan’s mistakes at the beginning of the third quarter eventually sealed an otherwise decent game. They still scored 39 points, but one can only do so much when Dwayne Haskins gets rolling, even with the top defense in the FBS. Ohio State may not have made it into the College Football Playoffs, but it always feels good to stick it to Michigan each year.
Michigan Point of View Sources:
https://www.maizenbrew.com/football/2018/10/20/18004296/devin-bush-explains-his-side-of-pre-game-altercation-at-msu
https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2017/05/khaleke_hudson_and_devin_bush.html
https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/12/osu-urban-meyer-resign-after-rose-bowl
OSU Point of View Sources:
http://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/roster/
https://www.ncaa.com/video/football/2018-11-24/fbs-football-highlights-michigan-ohio-state
http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401012895