Michigan Looking To Bowl Game After Embarrassment At Home Against Ohio State
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
If Ohio State's offensive players had wanted to get down on their hands and knees and somersault down the field, they probably would have found a way to do it against Michigan Saturday. The Buckeyes steamrolled Michigan, 42-13, and stacked up 369 rushing yards.
It didn't matter that the Wolverines – and everyone else in the country – knew Ohio State's game plan coming into Saturday's matchup. It still couldn't be stopped.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott -- a week after criticizing the playcalling that only gave him the ball 12 times in Ohio State's loss to Michigan State -- rushed 30 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
"It's disappointing, especially as a defensive line," Michigan defensive tackle Chris Wormley said. "To give up almost 400 yards rushing, it's unacceptable."
Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett also ran the read-option to perfection, tucking the ball 19 times for 141 yards and two scores of his own.
Coming into Saturday, Michigan ranked second in the country in third-down defense, but allowed Ohio State to convert seven of 13. A Wolverines defense that posted three straight shutouts earlier this season wilted in the bright lights of one of its biggest rivalries.
Heading into halftime, the Buckeyes only led 14-10, but had still been gashing Michigan on the ground. Michigan allowed 171 rushing yards in the first two quarters, including a touchdown each from Barrett and Elliott.
It was a far cry from Ohio State's performance last week, where they had only 132 total offensive yards against Michigan State, culminating in an explosion of postgame frustration led by Elliott.
"I think going into this game, we knew they were good," Michigan tight end Jake Butt said. "There was no hiding that. We knew they were a great team. They're highly-ranked in the country for a reason. They're national (champions) last year for a reason. They're gonna come in well-coached. They're coming off a loss like they did last week; we knew they were gonna be hungry. There was no mystery."
For as little as Michigan could stop an Ohio State team with steam coming out of its ears, the Wolverines also couldn't score themselves.
Michigan's lone touchdown came with one minute remaining in the second quarter, when Jake Rudock tossed a five-yard pass to Jehu Chesson near the goal line. Rudock, the fifth-year senior who transferred into the program this year, finished the game on the sideline after landing hard on his left shoulder in the fourth quarter. Wilton Speight finished the game at quarterback, completing 6-of-14 passes for 44 yards and an interception.
It was an ugly end to a season that defied most fans' expectations for Jim Harbaugh's first year as Michigan head coach. The Wolverines finish the season at 9-3 and have a to-be-determined high-profile bowl game next on the agenda. Still, a last-second loss to Michigan State and being on the wrong side of an Ohio State blowout left ugly, rivalry-stained marks on an otherwise solid season.
"We got beat and didn't play well enough in the game to win it," Harbaugh said, stoic and irritable during his postgame press conference. "We'll regroup and come back with the same drive and aspirations in the next game."
"The bowl game is obviously our biggest focus now," Wormley said. "Obviously we're disappointed with the loss but I think there's a lot to look forward to."
