Ohio State Beats Michigan in 2OT Thriller
The biggest game this rivalry week without a doubt was Michigan at Ohio State. In a matchup featuring two of the top 3 teams in the country, this game was set to completely change the landscape of the Big 10 championship as well as the college football playoff picture. We heard all the scenarios throughout the week, of who ends up where if who beats who, but what this game essentially boils down to is the winning team likely punches their ticket to the college football playoffs and the loser is on the outside looking in.
From the beginning, it was obvious the defenses were going to control the game. Michigan was the first to strike with a field goal early in the 2nd quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Later in the 2nd, Ohio State responded on defense with an interception returned for a touchdown by safety Malik Hooker to take a 7-3 lead. After a big kickoff return by Jabrill Peppers, Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight showed that the big interception wasn’t going to affect him mentally, responding with a touchdown drive to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.
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The 2nd half started in a wild fashion. Within the first few minutes of the half, there was a Jabrill Peppers interception to give Michigan outstanding field position, followed by a Michigan fumble recovered by Ohio State at the goal line. Ohio State picked up one first down before being forced to punt on the next set of downs. They decided to fake the punt, failed, and gave Michigan the ball back in great field position again. This time Michigan capitalized with a touchdown pass to Khalid Hill. After forcing Ohio State to punt on the ensuing drive, it looked like Michigan was starting to take control of the game. This is when Ohio State’s defense stepped up once again, intercepting Speight for a 2nd time in the game, and scoring a touchdown to pull within 3 points at 17-14 going into the 4th quarter.
The 4th quarter started with still little action on offense. Halfway through the quarter, Ohio State had a big 4th down and 1 yard to go easily in field goal range down by 3, and coach Urban Meyer decided to be aggressive and go for it on 4th down. The 4th down was converted, but Michigan stepped up on defense and still forced a field goal attempt that was missed, giving Michigan the Ball back with about 6 mins left and up by 3, with a good chance to take control of the game. Michigan almost immediately was forced to punt, giving the ball right back to Ohio State. After the punt, the Ohio State offense that was quiet the entire game suddenly came to life. They easily drove the ball right down the field until Michigan's defense stepped up and forced a field goal. Ohio State converted the field goal attempt to push the score to 17-17 with 0:01 left to force overtime.
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Michigan won the coin toss in overtime and decided to start on defense. It only took Ohio State 2 plays to score, with J.T. Barrett walking right in for a touchdown to take a 24-17 lead. Michigan drove the ball down to the 5 yard line to set up a 4th and goal with the game on the line, and Speight made a great throw to Amara Darboh who made a great catch for the touchdown to tie the game at 24-24 and force a 2nd overtime. Michigan got the ball first in the 2nd overtime, and quickly was forced to kick a field goal. The field goal was good, giving Michigan a 27-24 lead with Ohio State getting the ball next. Michigan's defense quickly forced a 4th down, and Ohio State decided to go for it rather than try the field goal and play for a 3rd overtime. In what could be a controversial call, J.T. Barrett made the first down by inches, and on the following play Ohio State ran the ball in for the game winning touchdown. After two overtimes, Ohio State comes out on top 30-27.
We'll keep you updated on the playoff picture and other key college games this weekend as more results come in. Stay tuned for more current sports stories. Don't forget to follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram @beyondthemetrics, and Twitter @byondthemetrics.
