ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes had their dominant win streak over No. 5 Michigan snapped Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor as they fell to the Wolverines, 42-27.
Michigan took an early lead after a 10 play, 75 yard opening drive that ended in a 14-yard touchdown run from A.J. Henning. The Wolverines defense held the Buckeyes to a punt on their first offensive drive, but Ohio State took the ball back with a Bryson Shaw interception.
Ohio State got on the board with a 31-yard field goal from Noah Ruggles and then a back and forth between the two teams ensued. An Ohio State fumble here, a forced punt on Michigan there—then an exchange of touchdowns kept the game tight. Ohio State wrapped up the first half with a 30-yard field goal from Ruggles to make it a one point game headed into the half.
With the Wolverines up 14-13, Michigan exploited the Buckeyes average run defense, gashing them all day with Hasaan Haskins leading the way. With 28 carries for 169 yards and five touchdowns, Haskins dominated the Buckeyes run defense the entire afternoon.
Michigan found the end zone four times in the second half, and while the Buckeyes offense has proven its explosiveness, it wasn't enough to overcome the Wolverines, who came out on top 42-27.
Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud threw 34 for 49 with 394 yards and two touchdowns as Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the way for receivers with 11 receptions for 127 yards. Garrett Wilson followed closely with 10 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. TreVeyon Henderson was the lead rusher for the Buckeyes with 17 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown.
For Michigan, quarterback Cade McNamara threw 13 for 19 with 159 yards and an interception. On defense, Aidan Hutchinson sacked Stroud three times.
The Game, a matchup between two longtime rivals, may not have ended the way Buckeyes fans would have hoped—or really expected after 10 years of winning— but showed that the passion the two teams have to beat each other is still there despite the recent one-sidedness of the rivalry.
Jim Harbaugh got his first win over Ohio State as Michgan's head coach, and his team is headed to the Big Ten Championship Game for their first time since it began in 2011.
With the loss to Michigan, Ohio State's two losses this season would appear to take them out of the College Football Playoffs as well. That, however, is up to the CFP Committee.
The only thing that's for certain now is that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will be sending a shipment of sweets to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after losing his bet on The Game.
RELATED: Gov. DeWine makes sweet wager with Gov. Whitmer over OSU, Michigan game
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