3 players of the game from Michigan beating Ohio State

2. Hassan Haskins, RB

For as well as Cade McNamara has played this season, the crux of the Michigan offense has been their rushing attack. The big questions were A. Would they find success in the rivalry matchup and B. Would it be enough to keep up with Ohio State? Hassan Haskins made sure those questions were answered emphatically in the affirmative.

Haskins was a monster all day long as he rushed for 169 yards on 28 attempts — oh yeah, he also scored a record five touchdowns in the history of The Game, dominating the offensive scoring and making his touches count.

Just as importantly, it was the veteran runner who ultimately iced the game for the Wolverines, breaking off big carries that led to his fifth score of the day that sealed the monumental win in front of the home crowd.

1. Aidan Hutchinson, DE

For as much as the Wolverines offense took the Buckeyes to the woodshed in the Big House on Saturday, their defense put the clamps on the Ohio State offense — a unanimously accepted prolific unit — by almost anyone’s standards. And no one came up bigger than star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

One of the unsung narratives coming into The Game was that OSU hadn’t faced an elite defensive front this season outside of Oregon — another game the Buckeyes lost — and how that would play out. Hutchinson answered that question in dominant fashion.

The surefire first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft notched three sacks, becoming the single-season sack record-holder in Ann Arbor in the process, with a couple of them coming in huge situations when the defense needed a stop. He was the best player on the field for 60 minutes and it wasn’t remotely close.

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