10 important numbers from Ohio State’s win over Michigan

2,191

Our long national nightmare is over! Ohio State’s victory over Michigan on Saturday was its first over the Wolverines since 2019, marking 2,191 days between victories against That Team Up North. Michigan had won four straight games against Ohio State, as the 2020 battle was postponed due to COVID-19.

The win was especially cathartic for head coach Ryan Day, who faced increased vitriol from Buckeye Nation after losses against Michigan in each of the past four seasons. Unlike last year, Day’s squad played its game as order was restored to the rivalry. The series now stands with the Wolverines holding a 62-52-6 edge.

11

With the 27-9 victory in Ann Arbor, Ohio State now has beaten each of its last 11 opponents this season by at least 18 points. The only Buckeye game this season that was decided by single digits was the 14-7 win over Texas in the season opener. Ohio State has outscored its opponents 444-93 so far this season.

Along with holding their last 11 opponents to less than 300 yards of offense after allowing just 163 yards to the Wolverines on Saturday, no team has scored more than 16 points against the Buckeye defense this season. This marked the seventh game this year in which Ohio State hasn’t allowed its opponent to reach double figures in scoring.

6

Early on, there was concern that the moment might be too big for Julian Sayin. The first-year starter was almost picked off on his first throw of the game, and then was intercepted on the very next throw. The interception was just the fifth thrown by Sayin this season, and first since the Purdue game.

Sayin quickly regained his composure and went on to complete all six of his pass attempts on third and fourth down in the first half. The redshirt freshman would only miss on five passes the rest of the day, finishing with 233 yards passing and three touchdowns in snowy conditions in Ann Arbor.

9

The nine points allowed by Ohio State on Saturday marked the first time the Buckeyes didn’t allow Michigan to score at least 10 points in The Game since 2010, when Ohio State won 42-7. The Buckeyes also became the first team to hold Michigan without a touchdown in a game since Notre Dame shutout the Wolverines 31-0 in 2014. The only Michigan points on Saturday came from the foot of Dominic Zvada, who kicked three field goals.

11:56

Following a Michigan punt with around five minutes left in the third quarter, Ohio State truly broke the spirit of the Wolverines with a 20-play drive that went 81 yards and bled nearly 12 minutes off the clock.

The drive started with six straight runs and overall featured 16 runs. Of the 81 yards gained on the drive, 72 came on the ground. The only completed pass was a 9-yard reception by tight end Max Klare on the first play of the fourth quarter. Jayden Fielding’s 23-yard field goal with 8:10 left in the fourth quarter was Ohio State’s final score of the day.

166

Bo Jackson was more than ready for his first battle with Michigan. The freshman running back finished with 166 total yards on 26 touches on Saturday. Jackson came out of the gates hot in Ann Arbor, totaling 67 of Ohio State’s 69 yards on their first scoring drive of the day, which came on the second possession for the Buckeyes after the Julian Sayin interception on the first drive.

The 117 yards rushing from Jackson were a career high, and his third straight game with at least 100 yards on the ground. Jackson is now just 48 yards away from becoming the fifth true freshman in Ohio State history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in their first season in Columbus.

20

Saturday was Jeremiah Smith’s 20th birthday. It was certainly a day the star wide receiver will never forget. Even though the sophomore only had three catches for 40 yards in the game, Smith’s 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter ended up being the game-winning score as it put the Buckeyes up 10-6.

The touchdown wasn’t without controversy since it ended up being reviewed. Michigan fans thought it should have been a turnover after Smith bobbled the football while crossing the goal line, but the referees upheld the ruling on the field. Smith now has 72 catches for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season.

64

While Julian Sayin flourished in his first start against Michigan, the same can’t be said for true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who finished with just 64 total yards in the game. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia had Underwood puzzled all day long. Underwood was 8-for-18 throwing the football for 63 yards. Apparently, Underwood isn’t the best quarterback money can buy.

By failing to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday, Terrelle Pryor remains the only quarterback to start as a true freshman and win The Game.

0

A huge reason for Underwood’s struggles against Ohio State can be attributed to the Buckeye defense taking away Underwood’s top target. Andrew Marsh didn’t have a catch in the game. Just two weeks ago, Marsh hauled in 12 passes for 189 yards against Northwestern, and last week he finished with 73 yards and a touchdown in the win over Maryland.

It’s probably a bad sign when cornerback Davison Igbinosun caught more throws from Underwood than Marsh did all game. Donaven McCulley’s 46 yards on three catches led the Wolverines.

16

Ohio State has now won 16 straight games after losing to Michigan last season. In fact, the Buckeyes haven’t even trailed in the second half of any of those 16 games. The 16-game winning streak also bests the 15-game streak Day had to open up his coaching career. After winning three games as the interim head coach during Urban Meyer’s suspension in 2018, Day’s Buckeyes won 13 straight to open the 2019 season before falling to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.