Here’s what we learned from No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes taking down the Michigan Wolverines, 31-20, on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor.
Whenever Ohio State and Michigan square off, it’s always entertaining. We saw how great The Game can be when there’s a Playoff spot on the line when last year’s game went to overtime for the first time ever. But even when Michigan has nothing to play for except pride, they treat it like it’s the National Championship.
That’s why Michigan came out more ready to play than Ohio State. They dominated the first quarter, scoring a touchdown while holding the Buckeyes to -7 total yards. Ohio State answered right back in the second, as they quickly tied the game after falling behind by two scores. Where J.T. Barrett lacked in throws, he made up for by making plays with his legs.
But in an all too familiar sight for Michigan fans, they ended the first half with the refs measuring a spot on a run. Since it was a Wolverines quarterback who carried the ball, the officials deemed him short of the first down marker, which sent the Big House and Twitter into a frenzy.
Once the second half started, it turned into the Rashan Gary show. He had sacks on each of Ohio State’s first two drives, and a bad punt by Drue Chrisman gave Michigan a short field. Karan Higdon scored the go-ahead touchdown, but Quinn Nordin’s extra point was blocked.
But whereas Michigan had to relive a questionable spot, Ohio State had to relive an injury to J.T. Barrett. For the second time against Michigan, Barrett had to leave, turning The Game into a battle of backup quarterbacks when he was replaced by Dwayne Haskins. He has gotten a few reps in this season and is regarded as Barrett’s successor. But could he lead the Buckeyes back from a deficit?
It sure looked like he could be on his first drive. Not only did Haskins throw the ball well, he had a long run which set up the Buckeyes at the one-yard line. J.K. Dobbins punched it in to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game.
Sean Nuernberger extended the lead to 4 early in the fourth. On a later drive, Haskins connected with K.J. Hill, and while he took it to the end zone, it was overturned when he stepped out of bounds earlier. Nuernberger missed the field goal, giving the Wolverines life, but an absolutely awful throw by John O’Korn sealed the Ohio State victory.
With that being said, here are the three takeaways from 2017’s edition of The Game.
Dwayne Haskins is Cardale Jones 2.0
It feels all too familiar to 2014. In Ohio State’s last game against Michigan, Barrett’s excellent season came to an abrupt end when he had to leave the game. He was replaced by his backup, and the rest was history.
It may be too soon to declare Haskins the next great Ohio State quarterback after a quarter and a half, but he showed tremendous poise in leading that comeback. Against Michigan, he threw the ball better than Barrett did. And with Haskins not being trigger happy with his feet, they didn’t rely exclusively on zone reads and keepers. Once he got the Buckeyes’ full complement of offensive playmakers involved, this game was over.
John O’Korn did nothing to justify Harbaugh’s decision to start him
During the first half, it seemed like an easy call on Michigan fans’ part to blame the refs. They were outplaying their opponent and still went into halftime tied due to some questionable calls. But the thing that was consistent throughout the game was O’Korn’s awful decision making.
John O’Korn has now derailed Michigan’s season twice. The first time came after he filled in for Wilton Speight and turned the ball over five times. But when Brandon Peters left the game against Wisconsin, it was as if the Wolverines threw in the towel on their season. A close game turned into a blowout, and against Ohio State, he showed no creativity in the passing game.
Even before that fourth quarter interception, he killed too many drives by overthrowing receivers. His only touchdown was a one-yard toss after they got a short field, and the rare good throws he made were canceled out almost immediately. John O’Korn singlehandedly lost the Wolverines this game.
Barrett is great, but Ohio State can win without him
Dwayne Haskins’ heroics shouldn’t diminish everything Barrett has accomplished this season. Were it not for his superhuman performance against Penn State, they wouldn’t be competing for a Big Ten title. But after seeing the way Haskins played, they should feel confident that they can beat Wisconsin without him.
Wisconsin’s greatest hallmark is their defense. And Barrett’s biggest crutch is the way he tries to win games by himself without getting his teammates involved when the passing game isn’t working. Had the Badgers been able to neutralize his effectiveness, we probably would’ve gotten a performance similar to the Oklahoma or Iowa game from him.
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But given that Haskins’ first meaningful snap of the season came in The Game, you had to admire his coolness under pressure. And while Michigan’s defense was doing a great job of limiting Barrett’s passing game, they had no such luck with Haskins. Is this all to say they’ll beat Wisconsin? No, but their chances shouldn’t be downgraded if Haskins is the starting quarterback.