The Game: M 42 - "The" Ohio State 27 - Not Anymore. Post Game Thread.

[lineygoblue]

My personal undervalued highlight was seeing at least 5 frantic buckeyes desperately chasing after Corum. Yeah, they eventually caught up to him, but there's about 3 seconds of unbridled chaos and confusion there.

There was another one just like that where Anthony takes that jet reverse sweep from McNamara, and trying to catch him from behind is this really tall OSU DL, (#8) who was trying to run Anthony down from behind, but it was hopeless. He's fast, but not faster than Anthony.

And Corum was still not 100%. It was obvious. If he was, nobody would have caught him once he was in the open.

[Tom W]

And Corum was still not 100%. It was obvious. If he was, nobody would have caught him once he was in the open.

That's part of the charm. The injured kid was beating your ass and would have knocked out your mascot if you didn't stop him.

[lineygoblue]

That's part of the charm. The injured kid was beating your ass and would have knocked out your mascot if you didn't stop him.

Speaking of silly looking things from Ohio, .. I didn't notice their marching band being there. Where they up in the stands, or did they not show up? I can't imagine they'd pass up the opportunity to go out and drag their feet during script ohio, leaving their foot imprints on the field.

[Tom W]

The band was there- right behind us in the top of the south end zone. Why they kept playing “hang on sloopy” when they were losing for most of the game is a mystery.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm still so fired up I can't concentrate on anything else.

Totally get that. There's a ton of fantastic stuff out there about how big this win was for Michigan and how cathartic it was ........ 8 frustrating years. I don't think OSU fans understand just how bad OSU got taken to the woodshed. This wasn't a squeeker, the game was not gifted to the victor. It was earned by dominant, ass-kicking physicality directed against bad-mouthing football players who had those words shoved straight up their asses. Watching Ryan Day in the post game presser was pure joy ..... at least he showed up.

After 8 games where Michigan was thrashed, the last two viciously and with malice, pay-back was as sweet as it gets.

...... and there's way more to this win than the sweetness of delivering the ass-kicking on Saturday. There are a couple of good mgo diary entries from older fans, like me, who in a survival mode from the disappointments in seasons of continuing to lose games when expectations were high in August just started tuning out to avoid the emotional roller coaster of following M football. Or, as was the case in several season where M was thought to have a chance to beat OSU, only to have those cruely dashed by various in game circumstances. We suffered.

So this win, while it doesn't erase those 8 years M got waxed by OSU, it restores the optimism of years past for M football....... for a while and reality may strike again. I've read several posts elsewhere where beating OSU, especially in the way that game went down, was the icing on the cake for them and beating Iowa and gaining a chance to play for an NC was just the cherry on top. Winning The Game mattered more than anything that follows.

Maybe. I don't subscribe to that approach. There is at least one more promised championship - if not in word, certainly implied by Jim Harbaugh - to be gained - the BT Conference one. After that and if M wins, I don't think the players or coaches will lose the tremendous focus they apparently had - evidenced by what happened on Saturday - to win it all.

[Mike]

The scope of the ass kicking is still settling in. The score really wasn't indicative when you consider Stroud had 3 fumbles that bounced right back to him, they had the circus catch on 3rd and 19, three straight 4th and medium-to-long conversions, and Michigan had a red zone turnover... A lot of things had to bounce OSU's way for them to get to 27 points.

Michigan played the closest thing to a perfect game I've ever seen. It was just amazing.

Another play/sequence that doesn't get much mention that was great to see is the 4th and 1 in the second quarter. We originally lined up in a goal line formation with a fullback and OSU had pretty much the whole defense in the box. I didn't like it. It seemed very man-ballish and easy to stop. We've all seen it too many times. They called TO and came out with a more base offensive formation and cleared some guys out of the box. Haskins easily picked up the first down. Had they ran into a wall and got stuffed, it would have been a huge momentum swing.

[lineygoblue]

And the real telling point of OSU's frustration at the end, was when they conceded Haskns' final TD, in a vain attempt to get the ball back, get a quick TD, get a onside kick, score again, and somehow claw back into the game. All with about 2 minutes and change to go. To see the mighty buckeyes reduced to playing desperation ball against Michigan was the tonic that this old fart needed to see. Knowing all the disrespect and actual, real, palpable hatred that their players, fans and coaches have for Michigan, and contempt for everything Michigan stands for ... and to see them reduced to giving up TD's in a desperation move to catch up, was something I never thought I'd see. Even in defeat, I noticed many OSU fans leaving the game, and laughing at Michigan fans for celebrating the win. Seen on the Fox post game show.

Well, Michigan got their money, and they got the W. Deal with that while you laugh. Come back in 2023 for another taste.

[Niffla]

I've read several posts elsewhere where beating OSU, especially in the way that game went down, was the icing on the cake for them and beating Iowa and gaining a chance to play for an NC was just the cherry on top. Winning The Game mattered more than anything that follows.

Maybe. I don't subscribe to that approach. There is at least one more promised championship - if not in word, certainly implied by Jim Harbaugh - to be gained - the BT Conference one.

I totally agree with you. Yes, that was euphoric beating them. Not just beating them, but beating them in that fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed that for a few days. But to me that's in the rearview now.

Michigan has come too far to not at least finish the deal as far as the conference title goes. They have never, as we all know -- been this far since the conference championship games has been a thing. Win the game Saturday night. Close the deal on this. These opportunities don't come often. I mean I'd love to say that the program has turned a corner and will reach this point consistently for the foreseeable future, but we all know things often don't work that way. There have been ten of these Big Ten Conference Championship games now (Saturday will be the 11th), and Michigan has never been to one. Well we're here. Win the game.

Seeing these comments out there how some people don't care what happens this Saturday night, and how Ohio State was our true National Championship -- I'm sorry but I think it's crazy to finally reach this point and to be okay or indifferent with losing to Iowa just because Michigan finally beat Ohio State.

[Mike]

A loss in Indy would be entirely deflating. Good thing its not happening. OTOH, if they win the Big Ten at 12-1 with a win over OSU and make the CFP, the rest is icing on the cake. That alone is a great year. An historically great year.

Now if Michigan gets paired up with Cincy or ND in a national semifinal.... I suppose we'd have to win that too. It's strange to sit here and think... KNOW rather, that there is a very legitimate possibility that Michigan plays in the national championship game.

And don't be afraid to assume a victory over Iowa. We're not the ones playing in the game. The players have proven that they can be trusted to prepare and execute properly. The win over OSU was the result of their determination to write a different ending than what we're accustomed to seeing.

BELIEVE.

[THE_WIZARD_]

I BELIEVE you should STFU

[Hannibal]

Michigan Could Win It All | Michigan Defeats Ohio State 42-27

That's an excellent segment. Michigan "embraced being little brother" It's so true. People on our side tend to give Valenti shit for his smugness and the hot-takeyness of his commentary, but he's got a lot of good insights and that was one of them. Too long have we looked down our noses at our rivals for making us their super bowl. This year we finally did it ourselves and look what happened. OSU was clearly caught off guard as Michigan hasn't shown that level of intensity against OSU at least since the 1990s. They won't be caught by surprise next year and they will have the home field advantage, so the dynamics will be a lot different. We're going to be heavy underdogs again and we'll likely be underdogs almost every year for a generation. If we have to embrace the underdog role to win 3 or 4 games a decade, then so be it. It's better than the previous 20 years.

[Hannibal]

Jeff has a propensity to read A LOT into low sample size occurrences. Especially if it's a negative conclusion re Ohio State or a positive conclusion re M. The best approach is to note it and file it away. The best one remans an early November 2018 statement that Peyton Ramsey was better than Dwayne Haskins (based, I think, solely on IU's game at M). Low sample size occurence. Negative for OSU. Somewhat positive for M in that it excused a bad performance. Sort of trademark stuff.

Unfortunately, this analysis of CRD as a potential fraud won't be disproved so immediately. He's lost once to M and to the entire B10 in 3 seasons. He was the entire reason Justin Fields came to Ohio State. He lost to Clemson in a game that if I was a M fan I'd perpetually bitch about getting jobbed by the officials (you know, when replay overturns a clear defensive TD) and lost to a generationally good UAT team. And then this year -- where if anyone read anything I said they'd know that it was year where 2018 and 2019 recruiting would hurt and make it a transition year.

Now, his defensive staff is not good and he absolutely has to fix that. And, TBH, I think he will. UFM had an atrocious defense in 2013 (in part due to roster issues) and he replaced Withers w/ Ash. Further, CRD has already hired a really good DC once in Hafley -- who managed to parlay his one season in Columbus into a BC HC job and 5-year extension. He also demoted his DC after Game 2 midseason. So, it's clear he's not afraid to make the move and it's clear he can hire a really good DC. And, IMO, it's clear that's his priority. I don't think he's going to be forced to do anything of this like, say, another HC was.

I'm not seeing the cracks in the foundation similar to what you sometimes see with guys like Helfrich, who even when Oregon was in the NC game, I could already see some flaws compared to when Kelly was the coach. I would say that we'll get definitive proof next year of whether Day is an elite coach since it will be all his guys by then. If I were to be concerned in one area long term about OSU, it would be the manner in which the DL got pushed around Saturday.

Of course, you could always hire Ed Orgeron if things don't work out with day. I highly recommend it, in fact.

[THE_WIZARD_]

...

[Jeff Buchanan]

I would say that we'll get definitive proof next year of whether Day is an elite coach since it will be all his guys by then. If I were to be concerned in one area long term about OSU, it would be the manner in which the DL got pushed around Saturday.

This deserves comment and it's unlikely you'll get it from a dejected OSU fan-base, at least the three that post here. Yes, sample size of one, but what we saw on Saturday was building and it's happened to OSU in the past when they get punched in the mouth. Under Day that would be Alabama in 2021 and Clemson in 2020. Bama in particular was a bludgeoning, Clemson not so much. M bludgeoned OSU and they went tits-up.

When Harbaugh was hired, Talent rightfully withheld judgement about how good a hire it was pending seeing how he recruited. Days been at OSU as HC for since 2019 - hand picked by UFM. It's turned out pretty well. No denying he's put teams on the field that are solid and he's dominated the conference. But the Big sucks and has for a while so, not entirely sure the dominance is noteworthy in a conference as weak as the Big has been over the last couple of years, probably longer. M's been down for 20 years, the last three being awful. PSU hasn't looked great under Franklin and MSU is, well, MSU. Will Tucker elevate them? Who knows.

I thought Talent was completely upfront about OSU's 2021 defense being weak. The OSU offense is so explosive, by design, that gets covered up in 2021 and maybe last year as well. I wasn't paying attention at all but OSU has struggled when challenged and got trucked by M ..... who did punch them in the mouth and stole Day's lunch money. Can he fix the D? Can he instill renewed confidence among players and coaches on a team that appeared to have a glass jaw v. several teams in 2021 and in particular got pantsed by M, put down for the count, actually.

The Rose - and I assume they'll head out there and have a rematch with Oregon or a newmatch with Utah - is going to tell a lot about Ryan Day. I'm actually hoping Day can pump his boys up and play, maybe, above the ceiling that has been created by Day's management of OSU's D. It will be telling if the team goes to Pasadena and lays an egg. Elite coaches, which Day probably is based on his complete resume, manage the shit that needs managing. Among those is team moral after a pounding by M and a willingness to put in the work to rebound in the Rose. Also, shore up the defense with what he's got on the roster and on his coaching staff. I think that's a tall order based on what we've seen and was exposed on video post the Ann Arbor debacle. Elite coaches get it done. We'll see about that with Ryan Day.

[iam416]

The bowl game is essentially meaningless. What matters is the staff changes, the current roster development, portal signings and, generally, what takes the field in next years absolutely brutal first 5 games.