Michigan football podcast: Balas and Skene break down win at OSU, postgame melee, more

Michigan did it to Ohio State again, beating the Buckeyes for a fourth straight year in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry. The Wolverines won in the trenches, especially on defense, and got a heroic performance from Kalel Mullings to pull out the stunner in Columbus.

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We had a feeling Michigan would bring it after a 50-6 drubbing of Northwestern. There was confidence in the building and a game plan that created a path to success. They executed it beautifully, for the most part, and head coach Sherrone Moore admitted the confidence started to grow a week earlier.

“We felt that throughout the [Northwestern] game and we felt it in practice,” Moore said. “I felt it really in the bye week that Max Bredeson dubbed the “buy-in” week. I just felt like the shift, the guys … they always practiced hard. They always practiced physical. The detail was just really, really good. And I thought our coaches did a good job preparing them … preparing them, but more importantly, our guys just played their tails off. 

“All the credit’s to them how they prepared mentally, physically, emotionally. We had Thanksgiving. We had to go earlier. We had to do different things to maneuver it. And those guys just did everything they could to make sure we won this game. I’m proud of them.”

But it was the Michigan defense that won the game. OSU didn’t score in the second half, and the Buckeyes managed only 10 yards in the fourth quarter.

“You look at their stats, their lowest output in total yards all year with 252,” Moore said. “You talk about as a team, we had to win the time possession. We did. We possessed it 33 minutes. They did 26. Outstanding job. See what the third downs were … third downs were 6-16, and just out.

“It started off with stopping the run. They had a hard time running the football. It’s hard to move Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham and Rayshaun Benny and Trey Pierce and all those guys in practice. So, start with that, and then zero in on their on their playmakers and doing things to slow them down. You’re not going to completely stop him, but I thought we did a great job slowing them.”

Chris Balas and former Michigan 5-time Big Ten champion Doug Skene break it down in today’s podcast.