ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Wednesday, December 3, 2025
A NEW DAY OHIO STATE 27 MICHIGAN 9
Michigan undone by Ohio State offense, drops The Game for the first time in four years ALINA LEVINE Daily Sports Editor
M
ichigan has owned the rivalry for the past four years. Four years of grit, four years of execution and four years of glory. But that momentum came to a screeching halt, and in the lopsided affair, the Wolverines of years past were nowhere to be found. Saturday, No. 1 Ohio State turned the page and authored a new chapter of The Game. Whether it was breaking through the No. 15 Michigan football team’s defensive front for ground gains or overtaking its secondary through the air, the Buckeyes’ (12-0 overall, 9-0 Big Ten) balanced offense delivered
Saturday, steamrolling the Wolverines (9-3, 7-2) to reclaim the rivalry, 27-9, after four years. “Obviously very disappointed in the result,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “Credit to them and how they played and how they executed. We did not (play) to our standard.” Despite Michigan not playing to its standard, it didn’t seem like that at first. Ohio State might’ve dominated for the majority of the game, but it got off to a slow start, and it was the Wolverines who struck first. Michigan notched a field goal on the first drive, then junior defensive back Jyaire Hill intercepted Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin’s second pass of the game for yet another chance to find the end zone. While the
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Wolverines weren’t able to reach paydirt, they tallied another field goal for a 6-0 lead just over five minutes into the game. But Ohio State came to the Big House with the most accurate quarterback in the nation, an elite receiver room and a robust running back. And slowly but surely, they all reared their heads. It started with the aerial game. Sitting at fourth-and-5 at the beginning of the second quarter, Sayin and the Buckeyes risked turning the ball over on downs and decided to go for it. Dropping back in the pocket, Sayin fired the ball downfield to his favorite target, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who took it into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. Shortly
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after, the Buckeyes’ ground game took shape as running back Bo Jackson made significant gains to set up their second touchdown seconds before the end of the half, taking a 17-9 lead for Ohio State. “They had a great look in their eye,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “I don’t think there was any doubt when we walked into the stadium what was going to happen.” From a simple glance at the scoreboard, with Michigan trailing by just over a touchdown, it seemed as though its prognosis wasn’t all that gloomy. But the scoreboard was far from the full picture. The Wolverines’ points in the first half were thanks to 45-, 25and 49-yard field goals by senior kicker Dominic Zvada. While their
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offense moved the ball at times, it consistently failed to reach the end zone. Michigan’s run game faltered repeatedly, and its pass game — with just 16 yards in the air in the first half — was nearly nonexistent. This inadequacy came to define the rivalry matchup. The Wolverines’ defense worked overtime as their offense was plagued by three-and-outs, while Ohio State passed, caught and sprinted all the way into the end zone. After a short, 11-yard punt in the third quarter from senior punter Hudson Hollenbeck gave the Buckeyes the ball at their 43-yard line, all it took was two passes from Sayin to wide receiver Carnell Tate to put the rivalry squarely in their hands. Following a 7-yard gain, Sayin rocketed a 50-yard pass
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down the field straight into Tate’s arms, who made it to paydirt for a definitive 24-9 lead. In that moment, Ohio State sealed its rivalry win. With three touchdowns and 419 yards of total offense compared to Michigan’s meager 163, the Wolverines’ defense was unable to claw themselves out of the grave the Buckeyes had dug. For the remainder of The Game, Michigan didn’t score another point. The Wolverines were outran, outhrown and simply outplayed in the game that mattered most. And because of it, for the first time in six years, Michigan left the field with the bitter taste of defeat.
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