Ohio State’s Ryan Day exposes Michigan’s No. 1 defense with brilliant game plan

Ohio State managed to pull off another convincing victory over Michigan, thanks to the perfect game plan drawn up by offensive coordinator Ryan Day.

Between quarterback keepers, crossing routes and an angry offensive line, offensive coordinator Ryan Day carved the top-ranked Wolverines’ defense like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Going into their annual rivalry game with No. 10 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan had the top-ranked defense in the country. Defensively ahead of Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia, the Wolverines entered Columbus as 4.5 point favorites and were expected to stifle a struggling Buckeye offense.

The Buckeyes came out the opening drive and set a tone that would last for the rest of the contest. No-name freshman Chris Olave capped it off with a 24-yard touchdown off a crossing route that crushed Michigan the week prior against Indiana. The next quarter, Olave beat the defense again for another 24-yard score.

Ohio State hung 62 points on Michigan, who had only been allowing 13.5 points per game (fourth in the FBS). 62 is also the most points ever scored by Ohio State against Michigan, and the second most by either team all time (second most allowed by Michigan in a game, ever).

But until this point, Ohio State has underachieved on both offense and defense.

Nearly all season, Ohio State was a one-dimensional team, with their run game proving ineffective against mediocre defenses like Purdue, Nebraska and Minnesota. The offensive line also failed to protect quarterback Dewayne Haskins, allowing 16 sacks going into The Game.

In the biggest game of the year, Day designed the perfect plan to expose the lauded Michigan defense and restore Ohio State’s identity. Every aspect of the Buckeyes stepped up to the occasion, leading Haskins to five passing touchdowns, the most ever allowed by a Michigan defense, and nearly 250 rushing yards.

The highlight of the day was the game plan drawn up by Day, who found weaknesses in the stout Michigan defense with crossing routes from his inside receivers Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, and Olave; and with quarterback keepers with Haskins. The Wolverines’ defensive backs, who are used to dominating with man to man defense, were outclassed with speed and rub routes that led to huge gains.

The inability for Michigan to respond also lead to the big Ohio State win. The third quarter proved to be pivotal, where the Buckeyes started the half up 24-19. Following a short field goal, Ohio State scored on a blocked punt and a Mike Weber rushing touchdown on the following possession. The Buckeyes finished the third quarter with a 41-19 advantage.

Outside of a six-second span where Michigan scored two quick touchdowns on Ohio State miscues, the Buckeyes dominated.

The 10-1 Wolverines fell to an unbeaten Notre Dame team in Week One. Following that, they rolled to wins over No. 12 Penn State and other currently unranked teams; they also scraped by Big Ten West champion No. 19 Northwestern. Worthy of the fourth spot in the country might be misplaced, though, as highlighted by this game.

Losses early in the season have proven to hold less weight to the College Football Playoff Committee, as demonstrated by Ohio State’s 2014 loss against Virginia Tech (the Buckeyes would go on to secure the fourth seed and win the National Championship). Notre Dame remains unbeaten, barring a loss to USC. Beyond that, Michigan has remained untested but relied on convincing wins to climb inside the top four. The Game in Columbus was their first test and Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Don Brown laid an egg.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will receive a lot of credit for the win, but the best coach on either sideline was Day.

Before kickoff, the game was Michigan’s to lose. By the end, Ohio State asserted their dominance and extended their win streak to seven as Day raised his stock as Meyer’s potential successor and dashed Michigan’s playoff hopes in the process.