Last Updated: November 26, 2023, 03:00 IST
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With Jim Harbaugh nowhere in sight and a scandal hanging over their heads, J.J. McCarthy and No. 3 Michigan stared down No. 2 Ohio State and ran the varsity’s win streak towards the Buckeyes to a few video games with a 3024 victory on Saturday in perhaps essentially the most consequential recreation within the historical past of the storied rivalry.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.: With Jim Harbaugh nowhere in sight and a scandal hanging over their heads, J.J. McCarthy and No. 3 Michigan stared down No. 2 Ohio State and ran the varsity’s win streak towards the Buckeyes to a few video games with a 30-24 victory on Saturday in perhaps essentially the most consequential recreation within the historical past of the storied rivalry.
Michigan’s Rod Moore intercepted Kyle McCord’s wobbly go meant for All-American Marvin Harrison Jr. on the Wolverines’ 21-yard line with 25 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration on the house group’s sideline.
McCarthy took a knee, Michigan followers poured over the brick partitions of The Big House and onto the sector and the Wolverines (12-0, 9-0) had been off to their third straight Big Ten title recreation.
In a season of excessive expectations that now has a championship-or-bust really feel, Michigan is a victory away from a 3rd consecutive College Football Playoff look.
For coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1), it’s one other yr of lamenting a loss in a very powerful recreation on the schedule for Ohio State and questioning what has occurred to this system that spent a decade and a half dominating Michigan.
Day is now 1-3 towards the Wolverines. Before he took over from Urban Meyer, Ohio State had received seven straight conferences and 14 of 15.
McCarthy went 16 for 20 for 148 yards and a landing. If this was the third-yr participant’s ultimate look in The Game, he’ll end 3-0.
The 119th Ohio State-Michigan recreation was assured to be memorable even earlier than it kicked off. With Michigan being investigated by the NCAA for allegations of in-particular person scouting and signal stealing and Harbaugh serving the final recreation of a Big Ten-imposed suspension, the circumstances round The Game had been traditionally unprecedented.
The solely signal of Harbaugh was on the pregame videoboard montage. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was once more filling for his boss and appeared to make all the proper strikes.
Michigan went 3 for 3 on fourth downs, applied its backup quarterback for a few performs to realize 22 yards on the bottom and executed a halfback go to arrange a fourth-quarter area objective that put Michigan up 10.
After Ohio State lower the result in 27-24 with 8:05 left on a 14-yard landing go from McCord to Harrison, Michigan proceeded drain seven minutes off the clock and kick a 37-yard area objective by James Turner to make it 30-24 with 1:05 remaining.
McCord, Harrison and the Buckeyes had 1 minute to go 81 yards with no timeouts. They made it to the Michigan 37 earlier than McCord’s second interception of the day closed it out.
As anticipated with two of the perfect defenses within the nation, it took some time for the offenses to get rolling.
Will Johnson picked off McCord deep in Ohio State territory to arrange a fourth-and-inches landing dive by Blake Corum. Michigan transformed two extra fourth-and-shorts on a landing drive that ended with McCarthy threading a needle to Roman Wilson from 22 yards out.
Badly needing a response down 14-3 within the second quarter, Ohio State marched 73 yards and McCord hit Emeka Egbuka for a 3-yard rating.
It went to the half that manner after Day handed on a fourth-and-2 from the Michigan 34 with lower than a minute left within the second quarter and elected to attempt a 52-yard area objective that went large left as time expired.
After Michigan opened the second half with a 50-yard area objective by Turner, Ohio State asserted itself with a 75-yard drive, ending it off with eight straight runs and a tying 3-yard landing by TreVeyon Henderson.
McCord was 18 for 30 for 271 yards.
Then it was Michigan’s flip for an extended drive that Corum capped with a 22-yard landing, his faculty-report twenty second of the season.
UP NEXT
Ohio State: Last yr, the Buckeyes snuck into the playoff after dropping The Game. The backdoor shall be a lot tougher to get by this yr with a crowded area of CFP contenders.
Michigan: The Big Ten championship recreation in Indianapolis towards No. 20 Iowa.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and hear at http://www.appodcasts.com. Get alerts on the newest AP Top 25 ballot all through the season. Sign up right here
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
