MY THOUGHTS.....MICHIGAN

                

In probably the best OSU-Michigan game I have seen, the Buckeyes came from ten points down and a woeful offensive performance to outlast the Michigan Wolverines 30-27 in two overtimes.  What I witnessed is why Ohio State verses Michigan is the greatest rivalry in not just college football, but in all of sport.  

For three quarters J.T. Barrett looked awful completing just nine of 23 throws for 57 yards and an interception with another 52 yards on the ground on 12 carries. But thanks to a stingy Buckeye defense and three Michigan turnovers, Ohio State was still very much in the game, trailing only 17-14.   After the first drive of the game, which saw Barrett mix it up well against Michigan’s defense (which resulted in a missed FG), the Ohio State offense went nowhere.  Michigan was able to get enough penetration to really affect Barrett.  On several third downs, I noticed Barrett wasn’t getting set, which caused terrible throws, including missing an open Curtis Samuel on what would’ve been a touchdown.  His hurried throwing motion also caused several others to be batted down at the line of scrimmage.  But, something clicked in Barrett in the middle of the fourth quarter on.  He was six of nine during the fourth quarter and overtime sessions for 67 yards with another 73 on the ground and a touchdown.  Barrett was particularly clutch on Ohio State's final drive in regulation as he completed four of five throws for 52 yards including a 13-yard hookup over the middle with Marcus Baugh putting Tyler Durbin in position to force overtime with a 23-yard field goal with six seconds left in regulation. J.T. Barrett continues to step up and make plays with the game on the line.  In addition to scoring the game-winning touchdown, Curtis Samuel made one of the most eye-popping plays I have seen.  Looking like a Playstation game, Samuel took a swing pass from Barrett on third and nine in the second OT, avoided Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers, stopped on a dime, reversed fields and started running toward the Ohio State sideline.  It was a modest 8-yard gain, but he probably ran close to 40 yards to get it.  This set up Barrett’s fourth-down conversion and them Samuel’s game winner.

The Ohio State defense forced three turnovers, despite Michigan QB Wilton Speight gutting out his shoulder injury he suffered two weeks ago.  His injury may well be a factor in the fumble at Ohio State’s two-yard line, costing the Wolverines a sure score.  While inconsistent, the Michigan running game was able to move the chains on a regular basis. By the end of the third quarter they had built a 10 point lead on the back of a touchdown conversion after an ill-advised fake punt call by Coach Urban Meyer.  Jerome Baker probably deserves the defensive player of the game honors, for his third quarter interception.  It led directly to an Ohio State touchdown two plays later and gave the Buckeyes new life.  There was a dramatic change to the Ohio State defense as a result.  Including the drive that led to that interception, Michigan has four drives to finish the game that totaled a mere 30 yards.  They punted three times and had two three and outs, and including overtime, only managed two more first downs for the rest of the game. Notably, for the entire 4th quarter and two overtime periods, Michigan had 25 yards of rushing. It was a massive turnaround for a defense that allowed a 55 yard touchdown drive at the end of the first half and looked to be on its heels.

Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh was a liability to his team during this game.  His sideline antics finally caught up with him as he was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Ohio State’s offensive possession following Baker’s interception, which put Ohio State on the doorstep for Mike Weber’s touchdown run.  Harbaugh also showed a complete lack of class during his post game interview, blaming the officials for Michigan’s loss, when replay after replay clearly shows J.T. Barrett picked up the first down on a fourth down play before Samuel’s game winner.  Harbaugh’s actions reflect poorly on the fine football program at the University of Michigan and reflect a lack of leadership ability at the top that has unfortunately plagued this program for the last decade.

Next up, the Buckeyes await the playoff selection committee who will make their final picks on Sunday December 4.  Ohio State figures to be included and they should be included, despite not playing for a B1G championship.  Their resume includes wins over a top 15 Oklahoma team on the road, a win over a top 10 Wisconsin team on the road and a win over number three Michigan.