Kirk Herbstreit sends message to Michigan following win in The Game

Even ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, an Ohio State alumnus, can appreciate the dominant performance Michigan turned in Saturday, as Jim Harbaugh claimed his first win in The Game since he took over the Wolverines.

“Congrats (Michigan) on a game well played in every phase — Well prepared — Dominated the line of scrimmage — Defense contained the Ohio State explosive offense,” Herbstreit wrote on Twitter. “Played like they wanted more-with an edge. 4 quarters (for) a Big Ten Football Title & a place in the College Football Playoff. Congratulations!”

Ryan Day, on the other hand, saw Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes crumble on Saturday in Ann Arbor, as the Buckeyes fell to the rival Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State was dominated in the trenches on Saturday, and that was on both sides of the ball. Day’s defense was torn up by Michigan’s rushing attack, which utilized a simple ground-and-pound method that the Buckeyes were unable to stop. Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara only needed 13 completions in 19 attempts for 159 passing yards because of the dominance from Michigan’s rushers: the Wolverines ran for 297 yards and six touchdowns, including 169 yards on 28 attempts from Hassan Haskins, who also had five of the six rushing scores.

For Ohio State’s offense, things weren’t much better in the physicality realm. Ohio State allowed eight tackles for a loss, including four sacks, while the Wolverines also tacked on four quarterback hurries. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had a signature performance, totaling seven tackles (five solo stops) and three sacks — on top of the box-score stats, Hutchinson excelled in advanced stats, too. According to Pro Football Focus, Hutchinson had 15 quarterback pressures against Ohio State, a stat unique to the site, which is the most in a single game since PFF started tracking college stats in 2014. Suffice to say, it wasn’t a great day for Ohio State’s lines — whether the offensive or defensive line.

Ryan Day: Ohio State ‘exposed’ by Michigan

Ohio State simply didn’t look ready to play, Day said, and that’s what happened when you aren’t ready: you get exposed.

“But this game, if you don’t bring it in all areas, you can be exposed,” Day said of the famed rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. “Just like you see week in and week out, this is what happens what can happen when you don’t play your best game. We did not play our best game today, so this is what you get.”

Ohio State was exposed on both sides of the line of scrimmage, with Michigan dictating the pace of play on offense and defense. In the end, Ohio State lost its spot in the Big Ten Championship game, while Michigan earned the spot for itself. Should Harbaugh and the Wolverines pull off a win against Iowa, they will more than likely head to the College Football Playoff and compete for the national title.