Best and worst from Michigan's win over Ohio State

On3 imageby:Clayton Sayfie11/27/21

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Michigan Wolverines football throttled Ohio State Saturday afternoon at The Big House, 42-27.

Here are the best and worst from the big rivalry win.

RELATED

• Defense / ST notes: Michigan bends but doesn’t break in win over Ohio State

• Offense notes: Michigan sticks to its bread and butter, physically dominates Ohio State on the ground

Game’s Top Heisman Contender(s)

Heading into the weekend, Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud was the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But a Buckeye doesn’t win that award without a great performance against Michigan. Conversely, a Wolverine doesn’t take home that hardware without an iconic game against Ohio State — the program’s trio of Heisman winners were all great in ‘The Game.”

Well, junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins had monster performances. According to head coach Jim Harbaugh, the two should be in consideration for college football’s most prestigious individual award, one he was a finalist for back in 1986.

And who can argue with him? As Desmond Howard pointed out after the game, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III was considered a favorite after rushing for five touchdowns against Michigan. Haskins tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns against Ohio State in the biggest game of the year.

“Hassan Haskins for Heisman,” Howard said in a video on his Twitter account. “He’s the frontrunner!”

No team had sacked Ohio State three times this year before Saturday, but Hutchinson got a trio of takedowns all on his own, while also drawing a holding call, and recording one quarterback hurry with seven total tackles. With 13 sacks on the season, he impacts the game in a number of ways and often shuts down an entire side of the field. We know defensive players don’t get the look that skill position athletes do, but it’s become pretty clear he should at least earn an invite to New York.

Best Coordinator

We can’t decide who did a better job between Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Gattis put together a game plan that had his team lean on its strengths. The offense hung 42 points on Ohio State’s defense, while rushing for 297 yards and six touchdowns. The Wolverines were dominant and got stronger as the game went on, scoring on all of their second-half drives other than the kneel-down.

Macdonald, on the other hand, did what so many coordinators try to against the Buckeyes. Michigan bent but didn’t break, forcing Ohio State to kick field goals on two of its four red-zone trips and taking away the run game. Forced to pass, Stroud was sacked four times and hurried on four more occasions, constantly facing pressure. The Buckeyes got some big plays, but Michigan kept them out of the end zone for the most part.

The good news for Michigan: This team has played complementary football all year, including in the most important game. We don’t have to make a choice here — both Gattis and Macdonald deserve game balls.

Amazing Third-Down Stat

Michigan went 5 for 8 on third down in the first half. That stood as the final third-down mark for the entire game, with the Wolverines facing only two third downs in the second half but getting help via Ohio State penalties on both occasions. The Wolverines averaged three yards to go on third down, while Ohio State averaged 7.3 on their 18 tries.

Worst Michigan Mistakes

Give the Wolverines credit for playing a full 60 minutes, because they made two mistakes that could’ve been costly. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara‘s interception in the first quarter while throwing into traffic was a blunder he doesn’t often make. And second-year freshman safety R.J. Moten‘s dropped interception at the goal line late in the second quarter was also a tough one to swallow for Michigan. But they battled and made up for those mistakes and then some.

Best Scene

When the clock hit zero, Michigan’s players and coaches flooded the field, followed quickly behind by their 111,000-plus fans. This scene was straight out of a movie or storybook, except it was real. As our Chris Balas wrote in Notes, Quotes and Observations, this must’ve been what it was like when Bo Schembechler‘s underdog Michigan team beat the ‘unbeatable’ Buckeyes in 1969.

Biggest Win Since…?

There’s an argument to be made that this is Michigan’s biggest regular-season win of all time. Sure, there have been plenty of significant ones, and we don’t want to discount them, but it was the first time ‘The Game’ had this much on the line since 1997. But after 18 years without a Big Ten championship and 10 years without a win over Ohio State, we’re not sure Michigan ever needed a triumph more. The monkey is off the back, and the Wolverines still — still! — have all their goals in front of them.

We’re not willing to definitively say that this is the greatest triumph ever, but it’s up there. And, damn, did Michigan fans celebrate like it.

Most Shade

Harbaugh wanted to move on with “humble hearts” and to “take the high road” after being asked about Ohio State’s bulletin-board-worthy comments over the last couple years. He didn’t discuss specifics or get into a public spat, but he did take what was assumed to be a subtle jab at Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who’s now 1-1 against Michigan. Reportedly, Day told Harbaugh his team was going to “hang 100” points on the Wolverines after Harbaugh called him out for a rules violation on a Big Ten coaches’ call.

Here was the Michigan head man’s quote that made the rounds on social media following the game: “There was definitely stuff people said that spurred us on even more. Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple. But they didn’t.”

And then he got up, hugged his family and took off to celebrate, before shifting focus to Iowa next week.

Best Quotes

Enjoy, Michigan fans.

• “This one is probably one that will go long into the night. I think all of Ann Arbor will be, right? There will be a lot of joy in Ann Arbor tonight. Let them enjoy that win. Got a lot of hours left today. Tomorrow we’ll get on to our opponent.” — Jim Harbaugh on enjoying the win

• “I think that crowd was literally the loudest I heard The Big House, the most invested. Rightfully so, but it was just such an insane atmosphere, and something that … talk about a home-field advantage.” — Hutchinson

• “It feels like the best one, you know? It sure does. It really does. Get ready for next week’s. Maybe next week’s will be the next. But that’s what it feels like, the beginning.” — Harbaugh on where this win ranks among his 60 victories at Michigan

• “Going forward, it’s been so long since we’ve beaten them. It’s been an accumulation of everything we’ve done and put in. We knew that we could beat them. Now we know what it takes. We just have to do that every single year. We even have to get better. They’re human, too, and we proved that today.” — Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara

• “I cried. It’s just so emotional, such a blessing to realize all the hard work, everything you preach about, everything we have inside Schembechler Hall — ‘What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?’ — today we beat them. It’s so overwhelming.” — Fifth-year senior safety Brad Hawkins

Best Steakhouse In Indy?

We’ve been blessed with basketball over the years, with Michigan’s program making runs in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, which has meant some frequent trips to Indianapolis. We’ve been to — and loved — both St. Elmo’s, and Harry & Izzy’s (and Steak ‘N Shake), but we’re taking any recommendations Wolverines fans might have.

In all seriousness, join us on our premium message board, The Fort, for discussion with other Maize and Blue fans for what is set to be an exciting week. Our limited time offer is an entire year of premium access for just $1: CLICK HERE to sign up today!

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