"Dad, I don't think I can go to this game again."
My son was only saying what I myself felt. It was November 2019 and we had just finished watching yet another drubbing for Michigan at the hands of the hated Ohio State Buckeyes. This time the score was 56-27. The Wolverines came out on fire, held the lead after the first quarter and
only trailed by 12 at halftime. Then, as was usually the case, Ohio State blew the doors off them in the second half. We stuck around until it was utterly pointless, then filed out to the jeers and ridicule of disrespectful Buckeye fans. In Michigan Stadium.
div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Each year the team from the state to the south would smack around the once proud maize and blue, and we as alumns, season ticket holders and fans would just sit there and take it. Some were pure beatdowns, like the previous two contests, the one I just mentioned and the 62-39 bloodbath in Columbus the year before that (I saw that in person too). Or the one a few years back where some guy named Ezekiel tore back and forth across the Big House turf in the last two quarters of a 30-point rout. Truth be told, they all blur together.
But among the annual defeats, some were legitimate toss-ups, the kinds that crushed your spirit and tore your heart right out of your chest cavity. There was that time in 2013 that the heavy underdogs in blue stood with mighty Ohio State punch for punch, all the way to the game tying touchdown in the final seconds to bring it to 42-41. Instead of tying it up with an extra point and heading to overtime, they went for the win and, thanks to communication issues between quarterback and receiver, lost. The blown call on their potential game-winning two point conversion ended 59 minutes of offensive brilliance.
Or, more famously, there was the only overtime game the teams ever played, when the Wolverine defense stood up Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett on fourth and one. Game over. Finally, victory. I was at the Horseshoe for that one too. Buckeye fans were congratulating me on their way out of the gate when the official (whom we later learned was a lifelong OSU fan) signaled first down. Turns out the network didn't have a camera at the line of scrimmage so no view overruled his call. The Buckeyes scored on the very next play and that was that. Spirit officially crushed.
<
The Ohio State squad that showed up in Ann Arbor for this year's renewal of what was once college football's greatest rivalry looked no different. Despite an early-season upset loss at home to Oregon, coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes were as prolific as they had ever been. As in literally ever. A trio of talented wideouts were each on their way to 1,000-yard sesons, and a freshman quarterback named C.J. Stroud, stepping in after the departure of two-time all-B1G quarterback Justin Fields, was already making his mark on the school's record books. In little over a half's worth of work last week, Stroud threw for 6 touchdowns and 432 yards against #9 Michigan State, moving ahead of Fields into second place all-time in passing. Who'd ever think the loss of a talent like Fields would actually be a gain?
Fortunately, as we were finding out this entire fall, the 2021 Michigan Wolverines team appears to be different from previous years. Coach Jim Harbaugh, having taken a deep cut in salary this season in return for an incentivis-laiden contract, was humbled yet resolute. His squad finished the pandemic-plagued 2020 campaign 2-4 and was heavily unranked entering the season. But slowly, the Wolverines used strength and consistency, partiularly on the offensive and defensive line, and got the attention of the voters with every victory. Even a 37-33 loss in East Lansing (aided by a questionable call that negated an Aidan Hutchinson scoop and score TD in the second half) didn't faze their confidence.
So here they stood on this frosty afternoon, each at 11-1 and ranked in the top 5, the winner in the driver's seat for the College Football Playoff. Would this be the year the demons would finally be exorcised?
Michigan came out sky high (as they've done each year). But it just felt different. They didn't play like they were entitled to a victory (like they had in the "Revenge Tour" season of 2018). They didn't play like they were smarter and poised to repeat the historic upset of 1969 in front of their home fans 50 years later (like they had in 2019). This time they were angry. Bitter. They played like they wanted it more. And it showed from their very first drive of the game, a brilliant reverse run by A.J. Henning that fooled all 11 Ohio State defenders.
With each stunning play, Michigan's offense pushed the Buckeye defensive line back, and their defensive line shredded Ohio's solid pass blocking. As the game progressed, and light snow dusted the field and the 110,000 heavily bundled Wolverine fans surrounding it, a growing sense of anticipation too over. This. Might. Just. Be. The. Year.
This year, things were different. This year, Urban Meyer, who won seven straight games over Michigan in his time on the sidelines as Buckeye coach, was nowhere to be found. Ryan Day took over in 2019 and had his way with the Wolverine defense in his only previous matchup with the team up north. The net result of Ohio State's hiring away of two of Michigan's defensive coaches, co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and linebackers coach Al Washington, who brought with them the playbook of their longtime DC fnd former colleague Don Brown. The Buckeyes scored at will on Michigan in 2018 and 2019, as if they did have the Wolverine playbook.
But Harbaugh's replacement of Brown with former Baltimore Ravens assistant Mike MacDonald, who brought a new attack scheme with him, took away the safety net that Day had enjoyed. This year, he had no idea what he was going to face until it hit him. And hit him, and hit him.
Stroud spent the entire game dealing with the presence of Hutchinson (see my pic above), who rushed and harrassed him and ultimately sacked him three times. One soon-to-be Heisman Trophy finalist, effectively ending the chances of another. The inspired Wolverine defense held the talented freshman quarterback to just two touchdown passes on the day, and while the Buckeyes would get their passing yards, they found themselves playing from behind the entire second half, not able to get enough completions at key moments.
In contrast, Michigan's offense controlled the line of scrimmage all day, pushing the fatigued scarlet and gray defense across the field on six long, punishing drives covering 75, 82, 81, 78, 66 and 63 yards. Senior Hassaan Haskins was the lead horse of the rushing game, carring the ball 29 times for 169 yards and an incredible five rushing touchdowns (see my pic above).
The going got easier as the snow accumulated and the Buckeye defense lost its steam and relented. The OSU offensive line could not hold back Hutchinson or Ojave any longer, and Stroud's limited mobility made him a scarlet-and-gray target. The Haskins touchdowns piled up until there were 5 in all, and as the seconds ticked down, relief overtook the team, the band, the cheer team, and thousands of fans who couldn't help themselves and flooded the field.
My son and me included.
