Michigan shocks No. 2 Ohio State for 4th rivalry win in a row: What went wrong for Buckeyes?

By Austin Meek, Cameron Teague Robinson and Ralph Russo

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Michigan extended Ohio State’s rivalry misery by upsetting the No. 2 Buckeyes 13-10 on Saturday at Ohio Stadium after Dominic Zvada made a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left. It’s the Wolverines’ fourth consecutive win against Ohio State, their longest winning streak in the series since 1988-91.

After Michigan finished off the win by stopping Ohio State’s final possession, members of the two teams got into a lengthy postgame altercation.

A fight has broken out between Michigan and Ohio State after The Game pic.twitter.com/XPwdAjfYzN

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024

The loss is likely to cost Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) a spot in the Big Ten title game, as No. 4 Penn State can now advance to Indianapolis to meet No. 1 Oregon with a win against Maryland on Saturday. If the Nittany Lions lose, No. 10 Indiana would get the nod with a win over Purdue.

With a Big Ten title a long shot, Ohio State would thus be left fighting for an at-large bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff. According to The Athletic’s projections model, Ohio State still has a 99 percent chance to make the Playoff after Saturday’s game, with a 92 percent chance to host a game, though that could be dependent on other Rivalry Week and conference championship game results.

Ohio State was a 21-point favorite entering the game against the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4), who have struggled much of their first season under new coach Sherrone Moore following last year’s national championship. But despite finishing with just 235 total yards, Michigan shocked Ohio State on Saturday thanks to stout defensive play and several Buckeyes miscues, including a pair of missed field goals and two interceptions thrown by Will Howard.

Michigan’s winning drive covered 57 yards in 11 plays, with an illegal substitution penalty on Ohio State allowing it to convert a key third down at the 9-yard line to run more clock and set up Zvada’s field goal. Ohio State’s second-half drives resulted in a punt in Michigan territory, an interception, a missed field goal, a three-and-out and the final turnover on downs, as it gained only 1 yard in four plays with the game on the line.

GO DEEPER

Michigan, Ohio State players and police involved in postgame fight after shocking upset

Here are some immediate takeaways from Michigan’s upset win:

Michigan owns Ohio State

In Michigan’s past three victories against Ohio State, these teams were on relatively equal footing. The Wolverines beat Ohio State last year with a senior-laden team that was on its way to the national championship. This year, with Michigan rebuilding and Ohio State boasting one of the most talented rosters in college football, the Buckeyes were supposed to get their payback.

If it wasn’t clear before, it’s obvious now: Michigan has a massive psychological edge on Ohio State. These games bring out the best in Michigan and the absolute worst in Ohio State. For this Michigan team, which lost five games, to beat this Ohio State team as a three-touchdown underdog is one of the biggest upsets in the history of the series. For Moore, Michigan’s first-year head coach, this is a signature win that transforms this season from a disappointment to year that will be remembered for how it finished. — Austin Meek, Michigan beat writer

Dominic Zvada connects to give Michigan the late lead at No. 2 Ohio State 🙌#B1GFootball on @CFBONFOX 📺 pic.twitter.com/GfQzAmv2pO

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2024

Ohio State falters in the trenches — again

Ohio State’s offensive line injuries have been a problem all season. The Buckeyes are missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, and their reshuffled unit gave them no chance to run on the Michigan defensive line.

Ohio State ran for just 77 yards, averaging three yards per carry. Despite the struggles between the tackles, it stuck with the run thinking it would tire out the Michigan defensive front. Michigan never wore down, though, and it made Ohio State one-dimensional. Yet again, the Wolverines won the matchup in the trenches with superior physicality.

The acclaimed running back duo of Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 67 yards, and Howard didn’t add much more on the ground, finishing with just 10 yards.

Michigan’s biggest advantage in the game was always going to be on the defensive line. If it was going to win or at least keep it close, it had to dominate up front. It did just that.

With the run game taken away, Ohio State had to rely on Howard, and he had one of his worst games of the season, throwing two interceptions and completing just 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State beat writer

Ohio State had a season-low 252 total yards. (Jason Mowry / Getty Images)

Especially bad special teams

One of the few advantages Michigan had coming into the game was on special teams, and in a close game it made a huge difference.

Ohio State twice started drives inside its 10 because of failure to properly field a kick, the first a punt and the second the second-half kickoff. Add in a short punt by Ohio State that put Michigan in range for a 54-yard field goal from Zvada in the second quarter and Buckeyes kicker Jayden Fielding missing kicks of 34 and 38 yards, and the Wolverines dominated that part of the game.

Add to the special teams gaffes, two interceptions by Howard — one that set up the only Michigan touchdown and another in the red zone that might have cost the Buckeyes points — and Ohio State did all it could to give Michigan its best chance to win. — Ralph Russo, national college football writer

What now for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes?

The strangest time in the history of Ohio State football has arrived.

Day and the Buckeyes did not complete the mission. They have now lost four in a row against Michigan, the latest as a three-touchdown home favorite with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line against the worst team the Wolverines have fielded since the pandemic.

Ohio State has no more games on its schedule, but the Buckeyes’ season is not over. They lost the game they absolutely could not lose. And yet, the national championship is still on the table.

In 2022, the second game of the streak, Ohio State got a reprieve after losing The Game and still made the four-team Playoff. C.J. Stroud then nearly led the Buckeyes to a semifinal victory against Georgia. With seven at-large spots available in this Playoff and contenders get dinged left and right, there’s still likely to be room for Ohio State now, as it is 10-2 and owns a pair of wins against top-10 Penn State and Indiana teams.

So what now for the Buckeyes? A nervous week of hoping to get into the dance, while fans crush Day for falling to 1-4 against Michigan.

This was supposed to be the team that not only got over the Michigan hump, but won the Big Ten. Instead, it faltered under the pressure of the rivalry game again. Day will find some way to explain it, but after four straight losses, the Buckeyes still haven’t closed the gap physically with Michigan, even at its worst.

Do Buckeyes fans even want their team to make the Playoff?

It’s impossible to know how the selection committee will sort things out with so many impactful games still to play. Maybe the Buckeyes get squeezed out depending on how things shake out in the SEC and ACC. But more likely, the Buckeyes will spend this week agonizing over what could have been and hoping for another shot at redemption.

At this point, maybe only a national title will do it for Day. — Russo

This story will be updated.

(Top photo of Sherrone Moore: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)