Dec. 9, 2020 - Rivalry Edition

RIVALRY EDITION STAFF

Editor in Chief Sam Raudins

John R. Oller Photo Editor Mackenzie Shanklin

Managing Editor for Content Jasmine Hilton

Assistant Photo Editor Christian Harsa

Copy Chief Trevor Simpson

Infographics Editor Ivan Kostovski

Managing Editor for Digital Content Jack Long

Design Editor Jordan Conroy

John R. Oller Managing Editor for Design Richard Giang

Social Media & Engagement Editor Gabriela Okhuysen

John R. Oller Sports Editor Keaton Maisano

Director of Student Media Spencer Hunt

Assistant Sports Editor Jack Emerson

General Sales Manager Marie Pierce

Sports Producer

Lantern TV Production Tao Wang

Curtis Grube Assistant Sports Producer Kevin Lapka

HOUSE DIVIDED

Hermanoffs to celebrate Sandy’s Buckeyes with another win and Michael’s Wolverines with another……………… ……

…

20 Creative media

12 08 Usher feature

Despite the loss of th einn-person atmosphere, one stadium usher reflects on the past and future of his job

Ohio State’s creative media team ramps up its eneregy and focus in preparation for The Game

1950 Snow Bowl “The Snow Bowl”: A look behind the most unique UMOSU game in the rivalry’s history

Playing streaks

Running Backs

24

Block “O” Run Eight miles for eight straight wins: OSU studnt sction starts new tradition

The longest win streaks in The Game’s history

16

28

IN THE RIVALRY ISSUE

In The Game, the outcome often comes down to the trench

x 2020: A year without The Game The cancelation of the Michigan-Ohio State football game due to COVID-19 snaps a streak of 102 years Daily and Lantern Sports Editors

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ince 1918, The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has been an annual tradition pitting two of college football’s powerhouses against one another.

However, 2020 will fail to see maize and scarlet clash on the gridiron with a COVID-19 outbreak forcing Michigan to cancel the game. Consistently meeting for 102 years, the rivalry has created countless memories as it has ingrained itself not only in the culture of the two Midwestern states, but the landscape of college football.

The Game’s cancellation came after Michigan’s outbreak forced all team activities to be conducted remotely beginning Nov. 30. The outbreak first caused the Wolverines’ scheduled game against Maryland to be canceled before Tuesday’s announcement that The Game would also not be played.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel declined to provide a specific number of cases.

“At this present time, we don’t have a good enough handle on where this is gonna stop,” Manuel said. “But I can just tell you like I said earlier, we paused last week because of the increase in numbers on a daily basis and those numbers kept increasing through this week, through the weekend, through earlier this week.”

At 2-4 on the season, the Wolver-

ines were historically large 30-point underdogs in the opening line. But Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said that, “to a man,” the team wanted to play.

“Very disappointed,” Harbaugh said. “We were all very much — we wanted to play. And we were all very much, ‘The odds are against us, but let’s go do this.’”

The situation surrounding Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor — which both he and Manuel declined to speak on in depth — now moves to the forefront for Michigan. Harbaugh is about to enter the last year of his contract and has yet to sign an extension.

Manuel said they would sit down to discuss one at the end of the season, but reports indicate an offer is on the table if Harbaugh wishes to accept.

Although Ohio State misses out on the opportunity to win its ninth straight game against Michigan, the rivalry will still remain embedded in the fabric of Ohio.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day — who made his rivalry debut as a head coach in 2019 — said he was quick to learn about the deep roots The Game has in the state’s culture.

“I just think what it means for so many people throughout the country, but more importantly throughout Ohio,” Day said. “It’s a way of life, it’s their identity, it’s who they are and for a whole year after this game when

they walk by and see somebody on the other side, they think about this game.”

Hailing from California, Buckeye redshirt junior guard Wyatt Davis shared a similar rivalry experience with Day. Davis said that the rich history of The Game is what intrigues him the most about the annual contest.

“Once I got here, I really truly understood the history behind it and saw the great players and their stories from when they played in this game,” Davis said. “Just truly what it means, not only to us football players and all of the coaches, but to Ohio.”

With the cancellation of The Game, Ohio State now sits one game below the six-games played minimum set by the Big Ten to be eligible for the conference title game. The Buckeyes attention has turned to either scheduling a new game or hoping the Big Ten lowers the minimum.

“The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is one of the most important rivalries in all of sports. The conference shares the disappointment of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, partners and fans,” a Big Ten release read. “The conference is committed to transparency and will continue to collaborate with its member institution stakeholders to determine Big Ten Football Championship Game participation requirements as well as tiebreakers.”

ALEC COHEN/Daily

An usher and his perch atop Ohio Stadium There are a lot of things that make Ohio Stadium a great place to watch a football game. One of those reasons may just be an usher that sits under the scoreboard.

John R. Oller Sports Editor, Keaton Maisano

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In a normal year, Jamie Kilgore has the best seats in the house on fall Saturdays.

After a brief stint in the 1980s, the 58-year-old has been an usher at Ohio State football games since 1991. However, his familiarity with the position did not start there, as he has continued a familial tradition of working in Ohio Stadium.

Kilgore and his brother Rob Kilgore — who has been an usher since 1978 — grew up going to games with their grandfather Lou Mueller, who served as an usher at Ohio Stadium for around 40 years.

Along with his enjoyment of going to games, Jamie Kilgore said it was his grandfather’s experience that increased his admiration for the position.

“At the time we started doing it, it was one of the few ways you could actually get to every game,” Kilgore said. “I watched my grandfather do it for the longest time, because he always got us tickets for the games when he was an usher, so I watched him do it.”

Kilgore grew up in Westerville, Ohio, and although he did not graduate from Ohio State, he has witnessed some of Buckeye football’s greatest moments.

Giving a nod to Ohio State’s 2018 victory over Michigan — former head coach Urban Meyer’s final game at Ohio Stadium — Kil-

COURTESY OF JAMIE KILGORE

gore said his favorite game to watch has been the 2006 matchup with Michigan. The game saw a No. 1 Ohio State defeat a No. 2 Michigan team in what was called the “Game of the Century.”

Although Kilgore will only refer to Michigan as “the team up north,” he recognizes the heightened atmosphere that comes when the Buckeyes and Wolverines face off.

“I still get just really excited and pumped up and it gets to a point during the game we’re all walking along giving each other high fives,” Kilgore said. “There’s just a totally different sort of energy for that game.”

Kilgore said he also enjoys singing “Sweet Caroline” after a win against Michigan along with his role in assisting fans throughout the season.

Although he is perched in the south part of the stadium just below the scoreboard, Kilgore said his position has evolved since he first arrived.

At the turn of the century, Ohio Stadium’s south end zone seating was converted into permanent seating. Kilgore said he traveled around the new addition to find the best place to watch games.

“When they built south stadium, I actually walked around to every single different vantage point and

looked at it to see if this was a good spot to work,” Kilgore said. “And just right at the top is just a perfect view of the field.”

Kilgore said the late Larry Black, who served as south stadium’s supervisor at the time, allowed him to pick his current spot under the scoreboard.

The landing at the top of the south stands is missing Kilgore in 2020, however. With COVID-19 preventing fans from attending and reducing the need for a high number of ushers, Kilgore said that he has been watching the games with his family at home.

“It’s almost like every year it’s a reunion with all the folks that you work with,” Kilgore said. “You have this seven or eight-week reunion with all those people and just not getting together with them and being able to see them is kinda odd.”

When things return to normal, Kilgore will reclaim his spot overlooking Ohio Stadium in order to watch football and serve fans.

Kilgore said he loves his job because of the game-day atmosphere — something he hopes to experience for years to come.

“My grandfather did it until he couldn’t do it anymore, and I’m kinda on that path,” Kilgore said.

“It’s like until the point it becomes a challenge, you know physically, I’ll keep doing it.”

COVID-19 CANCELED THE GAME. IT HAD ALREADY CANCELED THE EXCITEMENT. Even before cancelation, COVID-19 took the life out of “The Game” Theo Mackie, Managing Sports Editor

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n Monday morning of the week Michigan was scheduled to play Ohio State, there wasn’t an unruly mess of TV cameras swarming Jim Harbaugh’s press conference. Even in this Zoom year, there weren’t four screens of reporters pining for that perfect soundbyte.

On Twitter, there weren’t fans performing the requisite mental gymnastics to convince themselves that this is the year the Wolverines finally win. There weren’t players saying they came to Michigan to beat Ohio State or seniors praying their last shot comes to fruition.

The reason, of course, was a COVID-19 outbreak in the Michigan program put in-person practices on pause since last Monday, ultimately forcing The Game to be canceled on Tuesday.

“It is disheartening that we’re not gonna be able to play Maryland,” athletic director Warde Manuel said last week in a video released to media. “And our hope is that we can play Ohio State and finish the season in the final week.”

On Tuesday, his hopes were officially squashed.

Consider that for a second and let it sink in. For the first time in 103 years, Michigan will not play Ohio State. The last time it happened, there was the small matter of a World War. A year later, despite the Spanish flu pandemic limiting the Wolverines to five games, the two teams faced off at Ohio Field, with Michigan winning, 14-0.

Let’s not have any misconceptions: That result would have been incredibly

unlikely to happen this year, even if The Game were played. As of Sunday night, the Buckeyes were favored by 29.5 — a fair line considering one team is bound for the College Football Playoff and the other is 2-4.

But despite this horrendous year for Harbaugh and Michigan, there’s something inconceivable about The Game being canceled.

From a purely fact-based analysis of the rivalry’s last 15 years, a cancelation would seem to be no great loss. Since 2004, the Wolverines have won just once. Under Harbaugh, Michigan is 0-5. For nearly two decades, it hasn’t mattered whether the Wolverines are a national title contender or bottom-feeding fodder. They do nothing but alternate losses in Columbus with losses in Ann Arbor.

And yet, there’s something impossibly hopeful about The Game. Think about the age-old debate amongst fans: Would Michigan rather finish 11-1 with a loss to Ohio State or 1-11 with a win over Ohio State? As foolish as the question is (and yes, 11-1 is the answer), it highlights the meaning of this game. A few lucky bounces and questionable calls can reverse a season’s lasting feeling.

Consider, for example, the Buckeyes’ 2018 upset of Michigan. Ranked 10th in the country, they weren’t going to the College Football Playoff. By their sky-high standards, the season should have already been a disappointment.

But they spoiled the Wolverines’ Revenge Tour party. That, not its eventual

Rose Bowl win, is Ohio State’s lasting impression of its 2018 season.

And if you think the same can’t happen for Michigan, think back a year further. With three losses before The Game and John O’Korn under center, the Wolverines were 12-point underdogs and had precious little to play for. Yet, they scored the game’s first 14 points, and led midway through the third quarter. Had Josh Metellus held onto a dropped second-quarter interception, Michigan likely would have won.

Do I think that would have happened this year if The Game were played? No. If I had to pick one side of Vegas’ 29.5-point spread, it would’ve been the Buckeyes’. But for this one week, hope would have at least emanated.

“We still have the big team, OSU, at the end of the year,” senior offensive lineman Andrew Stueber said, when asked what Michigan had left to play for after a 27-17 loss to Penn State dropped the Wolverines to 2-4. “We just need to click on all cylinders and we’re in contention for that game.”

Call that a fairy tale impression of Michigan’s chances. I won’t blame you, because I agree. But the pure presence of that word — chance — mattered. It mattered to these players and it mattered to Harbaugh.

And if nothing else positive could have come out of this wretched year, they deserved those five days of annual optimism. It might have been all they had.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily

THE 1950

SNOW BOWL

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Ohio State and Michigan have played in many historical bouts in the 123-year rivalry, but none were as unique as the 1950 meeting in which the Wolverines and Buckeyes battled in the midst of a blizzard for the conference title.

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Assistant Sports Editor, Jack Emerson The Buckeyes and Wolverines have played in several games in adverse conditions in its 123year rivalry, but none quite compared to their meeting in 1950.

Commonly called the “Snow Bowl,” Michigan battled for a spot in the Rose Bowl during one of central Ohio’s worst blizzards in years.

Ohio State’s then-sophomore quarterback and eventual 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz described playing in the game as a “nightmare.”

“My hands were numb. I had no feeling in them and I don’t know how I hung onto the ball,” Janowicz said. “It was terrible.

You knew what you wanted to do, but you couldn’t do it.”

The legendary blizzard — which is what the game is remembered for — began the day before the game and five inches of snow had accumulated on Ohio Stadium’s playing field.

At the time of kickoff, it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of minus 8. On top of the frigid conditions, there was a sustained wind gust of 18 miles

per hour — whipping up snow and impairing the visibility of players, coaches, officials and spectators.

The conditions would only get worse as the game went on and the wind reached a sustained gust of 22 miles per hour toward the later stages.

A record 7.5 inches of snow for Columbus in November fell onto the central Ohio metropolis that day.

Despite talks of cancellation before kickoff, Ohio State and Michigan decided to go forward with the game even with the unfavorable conditions.

Ohio State came into the game at 6-2 and as the No. 8 team in the coaches poll. However, a week earlier the Buckeyes sat as the nation’s best team until they fell in another rivalry, the Battle for Illibuck — losing to the then-No. 8 Illini 14-7.

The Wolverines came in after winning back-to-back games for the first time in the season — beating Indiana and Northwestern. Michigan sat below the Buckeyes in the conference standings, however,

ALLY BOYD | FOR THE LANTERN

due to the Rose Bowl’s “norepeat” rule, they would secure a spot in the game as Ohio State had won it the year prior.

Despite sporting the best offense in the Western Conference — averaging 31.8 points on the season — and Janowicz, the Buckeye offensive attack would be a non-factor in the 1950 iteration of The Game due to the weather.

Held to just 41 total yards, Janowicz would score Ohio State’s only points of the day on

a 40-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes also punted a program-record 21 times, two of which directly led to Michigan points.

The Wolverines would block two punts into the Buckeye end zone — the first of which would only amount to two points as the ball rolled out of the back of the end zone.

However, with 47 seconds remaining in the game’s first half, Wolverine linebacker Tony

Momsen blocked Janowicz’s punt attempt and landed on it in the end zone — giving Michigan the game’s only touchdown and a 9-3 lead that would remain for the rest of the game.

The Wolverine offense never picked up a first down, gaining just a total of 27 yards. Michigan would punt a Big Ten-record 24 times.

The 9-3 result was Ohio State head coach Wesley Fesler’s third loss to the Wolverines in four

tries, as the Buckeyes tied the Wolverines in 1949.

Eighteen days following the “Snow Bowl,” Fesler resigned from his position as head coach.

Fesler left Ohio State with a record of 21-13-3 at the helm of the Buckeyes.

Fesler’s resignation led to the hiring of Woody Hayes in 1950, who went on a historic 28-season run and won five national championships as the Buckeyes’ head coach.

MY HANDS WERE NUMB. I HAD NO FEELING IN THEM AND I DON’T KNOW HOW I HUNG ONTO THE BALL -Vic Janowicz, 1950 Heisman Trophy winner

SCHEMBECHLER LEADS NO. 12 MICHIGAN TO 1969 UPSET OF NO. 1 OHIO STATE Schembechler’s shocking victory over Hayes ignites The Ten Year War Daniel Dash, Daily Sports Editor

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he Michigan football team’s 1969 upset of No. 1 Ohio State is, by all accounts, one of the biggest upsets in the history of college football.

Reigning national champions at the time, the undefeated Buckeyes arrived in Ann Arbor after steamrolling through the first eight games of their schedule. Ohio State had not trailed at any point during the 1969 season leading up to its showdown against the Wolverines. Legendary coach Woody Hayes had assembled one of the most talented teams in the sport’s history, as three Buckeyes finished in the top 10 of the 1969 Heisman Trophy voting.

Ohio State hadn’t scored fewer than 34 points in a game and its narrowest margin of victory came in a 34-7 drubbing of Minnesota. College football ran through Columbus.

On the other side, first-year

coach Bo Schembechler was attempting to save No. 12 Michigan from itself. The Wolverines were once among the country’s elite programs, but they had won only one Big Ten title in the 18 years prior to Schembechler’s arrival. During the previous season, Michigan lost by five touchdowns to the Buckeyes.

When Schembechler was hired, he made his chief goal clear. The Wolverines were going to beat Ohio State under his watch.

And in front of a record-setting crowd of 103,588 at Michigan Stadium in 1969, that’s exactly what his team did. Michigan stunned the Buckeyes, 24-12, ending Ohio State’s bid for a national title repeat and igniting The Ten Year War. “It may sound funny, but we knew before we went out there that we were going to win,” Wolverines’ safety Tom Curtis said after the game.

According to a Michigan Daily story from Nov. 23, 1969, Schembechler was responsible for instilling that belief. He visited each player’s room the night before the game to tell them Ohio State’s players were not “Supermen.”

The Buckeyes, however, took immediate control of the game.

They marched into the red zone on each of their first two possessions, sandwiched by a Michigan three-and-out. Ohio State converted an early opportunity into a touchdown, but the Wolverines answered with a successful run game.

Michigan racked up 267 rushing yards on the afternoon. The Wolverines ran the ball 66 times, compared to just 20 pass attempts — a staple of their gameplan.

“We planned to just run right at them,” Michigan offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf said.

“Everybody else has panicked and

come out throwing, not playing their own game.”

Michigan’s strong first half made a statement that redefined the entire rivalry. The Wolverines put up 17 points in the second quarter alone and took a 24-12 lead into the halftime locker room. Michigan’s defense finished the job, and the Buckeyes were held scoreless in the second half.

As the clock hit zero, the ABC broadcast called it the “upset of the century.”

For Schembechler, the win was sweetened by his personal relationship with Hayes. He played for Hayes during his time at Miami (Ohio) before serving on his Ohio State staff, and after six years coaching his alma mater, Schembechler burst onto the scene of “The Game” in 1969.

“We got outplayed and outpunched,” Hayes said.

But on the other sideline, a legend was born.

THE GAME STACKS UP WITH OTHER RIVALRIES HOW

With the cancellation of The Game, Ohio State and Michigan 102-year streak of playing one another was snapped. Here’s how the run compares to the longest playing streaks in college football and professional sports.

Assistant Sports Editor, Jack Emerson

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hio State and Michigan first competed with one another in 1897, marking the beginning of a rivalry that would span 123 years. The Buckeyes and Wolverines met onand-off from 1897 until 1901 and then met for 11 straight seasons. With the Buckeyes joining the Big Ten in 1912, the two adversaries would not meet again until a year after Michigan’s reentry into the conference in 1918.

1918 would mark the beginning of a 102-year streak in which Ohio State and Michigan would meet annually — making it the second 100-plus year playing streak in the Big Ten to be broken in 2020.

Ohio State and Michigan’s yearly bout has held up as one of the longest running in all of sports.

MLB Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants The longest running rivalry in major American sports lands in the nation’s pastime.

The Dodgers and Giants rivalry has spanned from coast to coast since its beginning in the late 19th century. From 1890 to 1958, the teams were crosstown adversaries in New York City — with the Dodgers based in Brooklyn and the Giants in Manhattan.

In 1958, the Dodgers decided to make the move to Los Angeles and convinced Giants ownership to move to San Francisco to keep the geographical rivalry alive.

The Giants held the advantage in the rivalry before the move to California, however the Dodgers have won more since both team’s expedition out west. The Giants hold a 1,258-1,239 advantage over the Dodgers overall.

1890-2020

NHL

NBA

Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston Celtics and New York Knicks Despite the Lakers and Celtics holding the title as the NBA’s top rivalry, Boston has actually duked it out with the New York Knicks for a longer period of time.

The Celtics and Knicks have played in every season since the NBA’s creation in 1946 — with Boston holding a 332-213 advantage.

Montreal and Toronto hold the longest running rivalry in the NHL, which began in the league’s inaugural season. Starting a year prior to the start of Ohio State and Michigan’s uninterrupted run, the Canadiens and Maple Leafs have been staple teams in the NHL since its creation and are part of the “Original Six.”

FBS Oklahoma and Oklahoma State The Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State stands as the longest running college football rivalry, having played every season since 1910. The Cowboys and Sooners’ rivalry extends past just football, as the name “Bedlam” actually was formulated due to the rowdy crowds at the wrestling meets between the two schools.

Although the rivalry has lost some steam over time, the two Canadian clubs have rekindled the fire since they were placed back in the same division in 2013.

The Canadiens hold a 401-318-88-11 record in their bouts with the Maple Leafs.

Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears own the oldest NFL rivalry — having first met in 1921. But a player strike in 1982 forced an altered NFL schedule and snapped the meeting that had occurred at least once a year since 1923.

With the strike, the Packers yearly matchup with the Detroit Lions became the new leader for consecutive seasons met on the gridiron.

Beginning the streak in 1932, the Packers and Lions have played 179 times over the 88-year span — which was most recently extended with the two teams meeting Sept. 20.

Oklahoma holds a 90-18-7 record against their in-state rival.

Although Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have met for more consecutive years, Ohio State and Michigan played the first iteration of their rivalry seven years earlier than the Sooners and Cowboys.

The two teams have met twice in the postseason, with the Packers winning both matchups. Green Bay holds the overall series with a record of 102-7-72.

Minnesota and Wisconsin’s annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe had previously been played every year from 1906-2019 until a COVID-19 related cancellation ended that streak this year.

1910-2020

NFL

Similarly to Ohio State and Michigan, the Celtics and Knicks are linked through a deep-seated element of the teams’ geographic locations.

1917-2020

1932-2020 1897-2020 Ohio State and Michigan

1946-2020

IN 1991, DESMOND HOWARD MADE THE POSE HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD Howard’s striking of the Heisman pose in the end zone was later backed up by his winning of the award Aria Gerson, Daily Sports Writer

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esmond Howard is originally from Cleveland, deep in scarlet and gray territory. Before his final game against Ohio State, he made his friends back home a promise.

“I told my friends from Ohio that if I got in the end zone against Ohio State, I’d do something special for them,” he said after the game.

Then, late in the first half, it happened. Howard fielded a punt, easily dodged through several defenders, ran untouched into the end zone with his hands up and quickly struck the Heisman pose.

It was an act of sheer arrogance — though one that was later justified when Howard did indeed win the Heisman Trophy.

Michigan coach Gary Moeller didn’t see the pose at the time — the TV cameras caught it up close — and didn’t even believe it when he was told, going as far as

to say, “One of my players would not do that.”

The pose is now firmly nestled in college football lore and still echoes far beyond Ann Arbor.

Plenty of public figures now strike the Heisman pose just as Howard did back then.

Many familiar faces took part in the 1991 Game, including Tyrone Wheatley Sr. and Chris Hutchinson for Michigan — both of whom later had sons play for Michigan — and now-ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit, who has called plenty of future iterations of The Game. (Herbstreit was knocked out of the 1991 game on a roughing the passer penalty and would quarterback the Buckeyes to a 13-13 tie the next year.)

While the ‘90s iterations of The Game were generally exciting and competitive, the 1991 Game was one of the least exciting of the bunch. The outcome was never

in doubt, with Michigan (favored coming in at No. 4 to Ohio State’s No. 18) winning, 31-3, its fourthstraight win over the Buckeyes.

Howard’s Heisman pose wasn’t the only time Michigan got style points, though. With the game still scoreless and the Wolverines on Ohio State’s 3-yard line, Moeller opted for a fake field goal shovel pass and converted the first down, going on to score a touchdown on the drive. From there, Michigan never looked back.

“I thought it would be closer,” Michigan guard Matt Ellison said at the time. “ … I don’t think they played as well as some of the games we had seen on film.”

The Wolverines’ win clinched them a spot in the Rose Bowl, which they (as per tradition) lost.

Michigan finished the season 10-2 with a Big Ten title, its fourth of five consecutive Big Ten titles.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, went to the Hall of Fame Bowl (now

the Outback Bowl) in Tampa, Fla., which they lost to Syracuse, finishing 8-4 and third in the Big Ten. After the game, Howard provided some intrigue by claiming, “I think I’ll definitely be back” at Michigan, but it turned out not to be true. Howard declared for the draft that year and was selected fourth overall by Washington.

Maybe it’s only appropriate that the Heisman pose was among the final moments of Howard’s Michigan career. In 1991, Howard was a consensus All-American, set school records for single-season touchdowns and points and even set a Big Ten record for single-season receiving touchdowns that still stands.

The pose was one indelible moment that perfectly represented all his accolades, his own little piece of history and the one moment — more than the records — that people will always remember.

Ohio State creative media team provides window into

FOOTBALL TEAM Ohio State football’s creative media team aims to motivate and document the culture of the team it covers. This task is elevated when Michigan week rolls around.

John R. Oller Sports Editor, Keaton Maisano

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he players and coaches make up the heart of Ohio State football, but a group of people that do not appear on a depth chart help provide an inside look into the culture of a program that has existed since 1890.

Ohio State’s 2020 season has looked different in many ways, but the Buckeyes’ creative media team is striving to maintain the high standard set in previous seasons.

Focusing on displaying the Ohio State football brand to recruits and fans alike while building up the platforms of current players, the team is currently made up of four individuals who have been forced to navigate protocols in order to deliver content.

Although they are under different circumstances, Chris Charizopoulos, director of creative design and branding, said the group must improve upon what it did last year.

“This is just a year in which everyone just has to be more creative,” Charizopoulos said.

“We don’t have a lot of

the same things we had last year, but it’s our job to still go above and beyond what we did last year.”

Charizopoulos, who joined the team in 2019, decided to work from home in 2020 with the birth of his child in August.

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Swartz and his assistant videographer, Juan Reyes, are part of the Tier 1 group — the same as players and coaches — that gets tested six times a week.

Cory Wonderly, assistant director of design and

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEATING THE TEAMS THAT WE’RE PLAYING, IT’S ABOUT BEATING EVERY TEAM ACROSS THE COUNTRY,” —Zach Swartz

Without Charizopoulos present on game days, Zach Swartz, director of creative media and post production, said the creative media team was able to get three positions access to games.

branding, is among a Tier 2 group that gets tested a few times per week to allow him to travel with the team and photograph game days.

Thanks to support from head coach Ryan Day and the staff, Swartz has clearance to be in the facility, which has allowed them to

maintain similar access to the team as prior years.

As far as the creative media team’s culture, Charizopoulos said it does not stray from that surrounding the football team.

“I think our culture for creative media feeds off the team’s culture,” Charizopoulos said. “I think that it’s definitely player driven, but it’s such a close brotherhood between the players, the coaches — everything is just transparent. It’s tough love.”

Charizopoulos said the group’s goal is to produce “scalable quality content,” which focuses on not sacrificing quality or quantity.

The drive for high quality content is a constant throughout the year, but Charizopoulos said there is a different energy once Michigan week rolls around.

“There’s great expectations with Ohio State football and those expectations are something that we do satisfy year round, every single day,” Charizopoulos said.

“When team up north week does come, you

definitely feel it. You see it on social media with the fanbase talking. You see the media talking.

I think it’s our job to responsibly create content that speaks to the rivalry game.”

Charizopoulos said the 2019 game against Michigan was one in which the creative design team was able to excel in its work.

Swartz said that the game against Michigan remains a focus throughout the season, and the group is not afraid to operate with that competitive focus.

“No matter what’s going on, this game is always going to be first and foremost,” Swartz said. “We’re not really ashamed or scared to say that this is really our No. 1 job as a program is to beat the team up north, and so we want to make sure our content reflects that mindset every year.”

Swartz, who has been with Ohio State since 2016, said the group’s goals have evolved over the years with a recent emphasis on building up player platforms and increasing interactions on social media.

Despite the changes,

Swartz recognizes that one of the main purposes of the content they produce lies with the recruiting advantage it provides. And Swartz said Michigan week holds a special importance in terms of how recruits view Ohio State.

“Almost everybody says the rivalry is one of the major reasons [they chose Ohio State],” Swartz said. “Just the fact that it is such a different game, such a different rivalry even than other rivalries across college football, promoting this game on social media is definitely a big priority because it is really important to recruits to be a part of something like this.”

Swartz said that even though the Michigan game is treated with the utmost importance, the competition does not stop with the Wolverines.

In line with Charizopoulos’ disdain

COURTESY OF OHIO STATE VIA TNS

for losing and desire to be elite, Swartz said there is an expectation at Ohio State that permeates beyond those wearing pads and a helmet.

“It’s not just about beating the teams that we’re playing, it’s about beating every team across the country,” Swartz said. “We have a standard to maintain here. Our expectation is to be the best in the country in everything we do — not just my staff but the entire football program.”

IN 1993, AN IMPROBABLE WIN KEPT OHIO STATE OUT OF PASADENA Gary Moeller’s team, fifth place in the Big Ten standings, shuts out fifth-ranked nationally Buckeye team Aria Gerson, Daily Sports Writer

MICH 28 OSU 0 MICHIGAN STADIUM, ANN ARBOR, MI CROWD: 106,867 (NCAA RECORD AT THE TIME)

J

ohn Cooper called it one of the most embarrassing losses of his coaching

career.

After the game, the Wolverines lifted Gary Moeller onto their shoulders, carrying him off the field in front of a then-NCAA record 106,867 fans. It was one of the rivalry’s more stunning moments — a mediocre Michigan team that finished fifth in the Big Ten not only beating the fifthranked Buckeyes, but shutting them out, 28-0. One of the headlines in that Monday’s edition of The Daily? “Blue’s big plays bring ruin upon sputtering Bucks.”

The 1993 Wolverines had four losses already going into The Game — to Notre Dame, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. Ohio State, meanwhile, was undefeated with a lone tie.

Ohio State quarterback Bret Powers was intercepted three times, including twice by cornerback Ty Law. The Buckeyes’ punter also accidentally put his knee down handling a low snap in the third quarter, leading to ideal field position for Michigan.

“We feel like we let everybody down,” Ohio State defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson said after the

game. “Which we did.”

The Wolverines’ offense wasn’t overpowering. Michigan’s longest drive consisted of six plays, and all but one were fewer than 50 yards.

Tyrone Wheatley led the team in rushing with 105 yards but left the game early with a concussion. The Wolverines’ top receiver, Derrick Alexander, had just three catches for 64 yards.

The defense, though, was another story. Nicknamed the “Lynch Mob,” the Wolverines’ secondary was chock full of talent but had disappointed most of the season. That wasn’t the case in The Game — in addition to the three interceptions, Michigan had four pass breakups. It was the Wolverines’ first shutout in two years and the Buckeyes’ first time being shut out since 1982. It is still the most recent shutout in the rivalry.

“I pretty much knew what route they were going to run,” Law said after the game. “And I just played the ball when they threw it.”

Overall, 1993 was a forgettable year for Michigan.

Leading up to the season, the Wolverines had won five consecutive Big Ten titles and six in seven years, along with five Rose Bowl appearances.

By Thanksgiving 1993, they

were out of contention for both — but that didn’t stop them from taking a wrecking ball to Ohio State’s season.

The Buckeyes would’ve locked up a Rose Bowl berth had they won in Ann Arbor.

Instead, they had to settle for a shared conference title with Wisconsin, which got the spot in Pasadena because Ohio State had been there more recently. Michigan, meanwhile, finished its season in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, where it blew out NC State.

That 1993 game was a vestige of the days of the rivalry in which either team could win any year, no matter the records. That era wouldn’t last much longer — the Wolverines have defeated the Buckeyes just twice since 2001.

The lingering question for the 1993 Michigan team is what could have been had it played like it did against Ohio State in every game.

The talent on that team was fully capable of beating anybody, but it just didn’t come together on a weekly basis.

It was a missed opportunity for the Wolverines and they knew it, but at least the end of the season came with the ultimate prize.

As The Daily put it at the time: “Oh, what a day.”

O

hio State’s student section Block O’s Rivalry Run makes its way back to Ohio State for the second consecutive year, but with some virtual changes.

The run is part of Ohio State’s week-long celebration of the rivalry between the Buckeyes and Michigan, ending with what would have been the Ohio State vs.

Michigan football game Saturday.

“Our goal for everyone is to just take a break outside, be able to be active and kind of escape during our exams week and celebrate the rivalry.” Block O president Nick Wead said.

Compared to last year’s in-person running event, participants are now running individually and tracking their numbers using the

Nike Run Club app.

Participants need to download the app and make an account, in which they add “Block O” as a friend and in return are invited to participate in the event.

This allows for students to participate from anywhere and run or walk any trail they feel comfortable with while following social distancing guidelines.

Last year, Block O had more than 800 people sign up for the run and 500 people sign in for attendance the day of the event, Wead said.

The event opened Dec. 5 and runs until noon. Dec. 12.

1and is still open for registration.

Participants can log their mileage over the course of the entire week for their total distance.

The club has set the goal at eight miles for each participant to run

or walk, in celebration of Ohio State’s eight-year winning streak over the Wolverines Despite being unable to hold the event in person, club members are still looking forward to the fairly new

“

The Rivalry Run is just one of the traditions that Block O is trying to continue while following COVID-19 guidelines.

Another tradition they’re maintaining is the famous Block O card stunts that can be

OUR GOAL FOR EVERYONE IS TO JUST TAKE A BREAK OUTSIDE, BE ABLE TO BE ACTIVE AND KIND OF ESCAPE DURING OUR EXAMS WEEK AND CELEBRATE THE RIVALRY.” —Block O President Nick Wead.

tradition.

“We’re super excited to have this virtual Rivalry Run. We’re disappointed, obviously, we can’t do it in person, but we know that our members are excited for this.” Block O vice president Catie Cleveland said.

spotted in the student sections of Ohio State home football games.

Additionally, they’re continuing to update their “days since we lost to T.T.U.N.” flag that is hung next to their Block O flag and their “Don’t give up the Shoe” flag in front of the south

student section in the stadium.

Lastly, they’re continuing their “painted kids” tradition, which is an essential part of game day, Cleveland said. The “painted kids” are students who paint letters on their bodies to spell out specific words in the crowd. This year they’re stitching together pictures of individually photographed students to spell out the words.

Block O will also be doing social media giveaways for members throughout rivalry week to get them excited for the game, Cleveland said.

For more information about Block O’s Rivalry Run and organization, visit their social media accounts: Twitter: @OSUBlockO Instagram: @osublocko

COURTESY OF BLOCK O

Block O maintains football traditions amid restrictions starting with

RIVALRY RUN

Even in an unusual year, the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan runs on with Block “O.” Lantern Reporter, Stephanie Miller

COURTESY OF BLOCK O

MICHIGAN REACHED ITS MODERN-DAY PEAK WITH 1997 WIN OVER BUCKEYES Charles Woodson leads No. 1 Michigan to a 20-14 victory over No. 4 Ohio State, ‘M’ advances to Rose Bowl Theo Mackie, Managing Sports Editor

“

It just doesn’t get any better than this.”

That’s what Charles Woodson told reporters on Nov. 22, 1997, when No. 1 Michigan beat No. 4 Ohio State, 20-14. A month later, though, it did. The Wolverines kicked off 1998 with a 21-16 win over No. 8 Washington State, giving the program its first national title in 49 years.

But it was on that Saturday in late November when Michigan made its greatest mark. In the final year before the BCS National Championship Game was implemented, the Wolverines could not afford to slip up. Undefeated Florida State and Nebraska loomed on their heels in the AP poll.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, posed a dangerous threat, even with just one win over Michigan in the prior decade. Their sole loss on the season had come by four points at then-No. 2 Penn State a month prior.

“They say paybacks are a mother and there will be some

paybacks Saturday,” Ohio State linebacker Kevin Johnson promised before the game.

On campus, the mood carried an air unrivaled in recent memory, with Michigan on the verge of its first undefeated season since 1971.

In the pregame edition of The Daily, Nicholas Cotsonika wrote, “Anyone who sells their ticket to this game — for no other reason than making a personal profit — should withdraw from school.

Now.” A day later, those sellers were likely wishing they had heeded Cotsonika’s advice. By the middle of the third quarter, the Wolverines led, 20-0. An Anthony Thomas run opened the scoring, before Charles Woodson’s evaded seven Buckeyes, sending four of them flying to the turf on his famous second-quarter punt return.

Andre Weathers’ pick-six finished off the early damage.

“Never before has a Michigan team been this good, this talented, this determined and this well-

coached,” John Leroi wrote in the Nov. 24 edition of The Daily.

“The Wolverines have suited up for 119 years — and this is the best football team the school has ever fielded.”

First, though, Michigan had to hold off a final Buckeyes’ push.

Three drives after Weathers’ pick-six, Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine connected with receiver David Boston for a 56yard score. The play accounted for over half of Germaine’s 84 passing yards on a day when the combination of the Wolverines’ stifling defense and a cold wintry mix held the Buckeyes to nine completions on 26 pass attempts.

They didn’t fare much better on the ground, either, with 2.9 yards per carry on 41 attempts. It was that ground game, though, that brought Ohio State within six points with 13 minutes remaining after a fumble by Michigan quarterback Brian Griese gave the Buckeyes the ball at the Wolverines’ two-yard line.

From there, Michigan clamped

down, holding Ohio State to 20 yards of offense for the rest of the afternoon. And while the Buckeyes trudged to a Sugar Bowl consolation prize after their fifth-straight loss in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines broke a four-year Rose Bowl drought, with national championship aspirations intact.

“When you start coaching, that’s always on the back of your mind,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said of national championship aspirations after the game.

Added Griese: “I haven’t achieved my dream yet. I didn’t come back not to win the Rose Bowl. That was my goal from the start.”

A month later, the Wolverines did just that. Their 1997 season would forever be commemorated in newspaper clippings, photographs and unbreakable memories around the state.

And Woodson’s proclamation still rings true. It would never “get any better than this” for a program that has spent 23 years aiming to rekindle 1997’s magic.

F

ive more losses came for the rushing yards leader in the in-state rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State since 2001.

Ohio State lost the 2013 Big Ten Championship to the Spartans despite a 273-134 advantage on the ground and averaging 2.6 more yards per carry.

The premise seems obvious — more yards is generally a decent bellwether to determining the winner. But of those 19 games between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, the leader in passing yards has won just seven times.

The rushing yards trend does not carry over to the usual formidable opponents to the Buckeyes and Wolverines, either.

Between Ohio State and Penn State since 2001, the leader in rushing yards has lost four times — the same goes for Michigan.

Five more losses came for the rushing yards leader in the instate rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State since 2001.

Ohio State lost the 2013 Big Ten Championship to the Spartans despite a 273-134 advantage on the ground and averaging 2.6 more yards per carry.

THE GROUND ATTACK

DEFINES THE GAME Across the sport, a movement toward the pass may be the flashy way to put up points, but in the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, the game is still won on the ground.

Lantern Reporter, Collin Ginnan

T

he history of the traditional seasonending Big Ten headliner between Ohio State and Michigan has been defined by its running backs. Archie Griffin and Gordon Bell. Eddie George and Tim Biakabutuka. Beanie Wells and Mike Hart. Each etched themselves into the 123-year history of what is often called the greatest rivalry in sports.

During an era of college football dominated by quarterback play, a familiar cliche still creeps into weekly coaches’ press conferences around the country: football games are won in the trenches.

Although a successful passing attack still relies on linemen maintaining a clean pocket and biding time for receivers to get open, the days of “three yards and a cloud of dust” have largely passed outside of Annapolis and West Point.

But The Game remains true to that cliche.

So, why is The Game the way it is?

In each matchup between Ohio State and Michigan since Jim Tressel was hired as the Buckeyes’ head coach in 2001, the leader in rushing yards was the leader on the scoreboard when the clock hit zero. Broken down to yards per carry, the trend remains the same back to 2002.

The premise seems obvious — more yards is generally a decent bellwether to determining the winner. But of those 19 games between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, the leader in passing yards has won just seven times.

The rushing yards trend does not carry over to the usual formidable opponents to the Buckeyes and Wolverines, either.

Between Ohio State and Penn State since 2001, the leader in rushing yards has lost four times — the same goes for Michigan.

“We know from the past of this game that the most physical team is going to win this game,” Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner said before the 2019 to Ann Arbor. “When you think about physicality, offense and defense, it’s about running the football. And we’ve won that battle the past few years.”

How teams run the ball from game to game is different.

In blowout September nonconference games, you run the ball to roll the clock and get to the locker room without any injuries.

Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor

However, in close rivalry games in late November in the Midwest offensive lines attempt to drain the life out of the opposing front seven. Down the stretch, games are won in the trenches — in a struggle of conditioning and stamina.

“You could see that they were getting tired on the o-line, the d-line wasn’t rushing as hard when we dropped back to pass,” former Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett said following his 2015 win over Michigan.

“Then Zeke and myself, we saw creases and were able to run too knowing that they were more tired than we were.”

For example, in the 2016 game between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan,.

Tthe Wolverines out-passed the Buckeyes 219-124 yards.But Ohio State took advantage of Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight with an interception return for a touchdown, one of the Buckeyes’ two regulation trips to the end zone.

On Michigan’s final offensive drive of overtime, the Wolverines failed to gain a first down on two rushing plays before throwing an incompletion and settling for a field goal. The Buckeye defense won that fight.

Ohio State’s final two plays: a one-yard, fourth-down run

by Barrett; and a 15-yard touchdown run by Curtis Samuel. Despite Michigan’s defense controlling most of the game, the final play came down to the dominance of Ohio State’s offensive line which parted the left side of the Michigan front seven with ease. Ohio State’s defensive front and offensive line outlasted Michigan’s. This was the final product of out-gaining the Maize and Blue 206 yards to 91 on the ground.

In 2013, Michigan out-passed Ohio State 451-133 and even out-gained the Buckeyes by 77 total yards. The Wolverines’ two-point conversion to win the game was intercepted by Tyvis Powell. Ohio State gained nearly 400 rushing yards that day, including a go-ahead, six-play 65-yard touchdown drive with two minutes remaining. The Buckeyes did not throw a single pass on that drive and averaged 10.8 yards per carry — 2.3 yards more than their game average.

Michigan’s ability to run the ball and control the clock late in the 2011 game gave the Wolverines their last win in the series. Quarterback Denard

Robinson and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint ran eight times and killed 5:10 off the game clock before settling for a field goal. That effectiveness of the Michigan rushing game left the Buckeyes with less than two minutes to drive for a touchdown — a drive which ended with an interception by Michigan’s Courtney Avery.

Although offensive ideologies in Ann Arbor and Columbus have certainly changed over the years, the presence of the running game continues to be necessary for success, especially in this series.

Lloyd Carr’s offense largely revolved around I-Formation and other under-center sets. Jim Harbaugh’s and Tressel’s offenses were similar, also mixing in snaps out of the shotgun with quarterbacks Shea Patterson and Troy Smith. Urban Meyer’s spread offense was a new look in Columbus, one that produced some of the best rushing seasons in Ohio State history. Ryan Day sprinkles in his NFL experience with a combination of shotgun, pistol and single-back looks.

But a reflected the need to innovate in changing eras of college football while still relying on success from the backfield.

MICHIGAN’S 2006 LOSS ENDED ITS BEST CHANCE TO RETURN TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Michigan falls to Buckeyes 42-39 in matchup widely regarded as “The Game of the Century” Theo Mackie, Managing Sports Editor

T

en years before The Spot, there was The Game of the Century.

Like the 2016 matchup, it would chart the course of The Game for years to come. In the 13 years since, Michigan has won just once. Between Nov. 18, 2006 and the day Rich Rodriguez was fired in 2011, the Wolverines went 24-28. In the same span, the Buckeyes won five conference championships, played in two BCS National Championships and won a Rose Bowl.

But when Lloyd Carr led Michigan into Ohio Stadium that Saturday in November, the Wolverines were on top of the college football world.

It was a showdown that epitomized everything that worked about the much-maligned BCS. Both teams entered The Game 11-0. In the AP Poll, the Buckeyes reigned supreme over No. 2 Michigan. In the BCS, the spots were reversed.

Today, both would have been destined for the College Football

Playoff. But in 2006, only one was likely to survive with its National Championship hopes intact. The stakes were so momentous that The Daily’s Friday headline read only, “Tomorrow.” That was all that needed to be said.

But then, on Friday morning, the only news that could have distracted from The Game broke: Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler had died of a heart attack at age 77. Monday’s paper would feature a six-page tribute to Schembechler.

The Game’s importance, though, was such that it still dominated Monday’s front page. “The one that got away,” was the frontpage headline. “Second to one,” the Sports section cover read.

After Michigan’s 42-39 loss, there was no other way to describe it. The Wolverines had let their best chance at a National Championship in nine years slip away.

For Michigan, an early 7-0 lead evaporated far too quickly. By the middle of the second quarter, Ohio State had responded with

three unanswered touchdowns, establishing a lead it would never relinquish.

The Wolverines closed the deficit to 28-24 with 8:41 left in the third quarter, but their defense couldn’t provide the requisite respite to complete the comeback.

“We gave up too many big plays,” Carr said. “Any time you give up two long runs and a long pass, it’s going to be hard to beat anybody, much less a team like we played (Saturday). Big plays simply were the biggest factor in the game.”

One of those big plays — a 56yard touchdown run — put the Buckeyes up 11 mid-way through the third quarter. From there, it was a seesaw of alternating touchdowns.

And when Ohio State ran for one final first down late in the fourth quarter, time finally ran out on the Wolverines’ comeback dreams.

“It meant everything to us,” running back Mike Hart said.

“We lost. That’s the only thing.”

For a few fleeting days after The Game, Michigan’s National Championship hopes remained intact. In that week’s BCS rankings, the Wolverines remained ahead of one-loss USC and Florida teams.

But when USC defeated Notre Dame the following week, Michigan dropped to third. The Trojans fell to UCLA the week after that, but the Gators surpassed the Wolverines by beating Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game.

The day after the final BCS rankings were released, with Michigan .01 points behind Florida, the Daily’s Sports section headline read, “B-S?” The cover story questioned the BCS’ ranking, while ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit accused voters of simply not wanting a rematch.

A month later, though, the BCS was validated. Florida crushed Ohio State, 41-14, to claim the National Championship. In the Rose Bowl, Michigan fell to USC, 32-18.

Fourteen years later, the Wolverines haven’t made it back.

T

OHIO STATE’S TOP PASSING AND RECEIVING GAMES IN THE GAME’S HISTORY

TO P

PASSING

John R. Oller Sports Editor, Keaton Maisano Assistant Sports Editor, Jack Emerson

No. 1 Dwayne Haskins

No. 2

2018

T

he 2018 iteration of The Game brought a top-ranked Michigan defense to Ohio Stadium to square off with Ohio State’s potent passing attack.

In what was expected to be Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first career win against Ohio State, then-redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins spoiled his day with an all-time great performance.

Haskins threw for nearly 400 yards and added six touchdowns while helping the Buckeyes to their highest scoring total in the rivalry’s history — 62 points.

Haskins’ 396 yards and six touchdown passes both are Ohio State records in their yearly matchup with the Wolverines.

The New Jersey native would go on to finish the season with Big Ten records in both yards and touchdowns with 4,831 and 50, respectively.

396 yards 6 TDs 0 INTs 20/31 Ohio State won 62-39

Joe Germaine 1998

hen-senior quarterback Joe Germaine entered the 1998 game with a wealth of receiving talent around him and tremendous amount of pressure after failing to produce a win in his first two career starts against Michigan.

Germaine would not succumb to the pressure and had one of the best performances in his Buckeye career against the then-No 11 Wolverines.

The Colorado native outdueled Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, throwing for a thenOhio State rivalry record 330 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-16 triumph over the Wolverines in Columbus.

Germaine’s efforts helped former Buckeye coach John Cooper earn his second, and final, career win against the Wolverines.

Germaine finished his senior season with 3,330 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to a Sugar Bowl victory.

“T No. 3 Troy Smith

CASEY CASCALDO | LANTERN FILE PHOTO

2006

he Game of the Century” largely landed on the shoulders of Ohio State’s Heisman-candidate and then-redshirt senior quarterback Troy Smith.

Smith stepped up in a big way in the matchup between the two top-ranked teams in the country, throwing for more than 300 yards and connecting on four touchdown passes while completing just more than 70 percent of his passes.

The 42-39 win allowed the Buckeyes to hold the top spot in the country and earn an opportunity to play in the BCS National Championship game.

Ohio State would not prevail in the title game, falling to Florida 41-14.

Smith would go on to earn the highest individual honor in college football — the Heisman Trophy — with a stat line of 2,542 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

330 yards 3 TDs 0 INTs 16/28

Ohio State won 31-16 316 yards 4 TDs 1 INTs 29/41 Ohio State won 42-39

T

TO P

he Wolverines had no answer for then-senior wide receiver Paris Campbell’s speed in

RECEIVING No. 1 David Boston

No. 2 Paris Campbell

1998

T

hen-junior wide receiver David Boston had a special year in 1998, but possibly the highlight of his season came in a late November matchup with Michigan.

Boston would put together a performance better than any Ohio State wide receiver before him when playing Michigan, and his 217 receiving yards have yet to be topped. The Texas native hauled in 10 catches and two touchdowns in his climb above the 200-yard mark.

His performance is still No. 4 in most receiving yards by an Ohio State receiver in a single game, and Boston sits at No. 2 for most receiving yards in an Ohio State career.

The Buckeyes would win the game 31-16 and Boston would finish the season with a school-record 1,435 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

Boston would be selected No. 8 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1999 NFL draft.

10 catches 217 yards 2 TDs Ohio State won 31-16

2018

2018.

Campbell would save his best performance for his last game at Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes were able to down Michigan 62-39.

Not only would the Ohio native tally a career-high 192 receiving yards, but he would dash for the longest play of his career when he took a touch pass 78 yards to the endzone.

Campbell would finish the game with a pair of touchdowns. He would finish his senior season with 1,063 receiving yards to go along with 12 touchdowns.

The second-round selection in the 2019 NFL draft is just one of five players to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a single season at Ohio State.

T

No. 3 Michael Jenkins

PHIL MASTURZO VIA TNS

2003

he Buckeyes would turn to the air in an attempt to beat the Wolverines in 2003, and although two Ohio State receivers were able to put on impressive performances, it was not enough to prevent former head coach Jim Tressel from dropping his first — and only — game to Michigan.

Then-junior wide receiver Michael Jenkins would provide the Buckeyes with a game-high 132 receiving yards. The national champion would also bring in nine catches but fail to see any result in six points.

Jenkins was not alone in his ability to punish the Wolverine secondary, as then-redshirt freshman wide receiver Santonio Holmes added another eight catches for 121 yards.

Unlike Jenkins, Holmes was able to turn two of his catches into touchdowns.

The game still stands as the only instance in which two Ohio State teammates each topped 100 receiving yards against Michigan.

6 catches 192 yards 2 TDs

Ohio State won 62-39 9 catches 132 yards 0 TD

Ohio State lost 35-21

IN 2011, A FLEETING MEMORY OF VICTORY FOR MICHIGAN Hoke leads team to victory in final matchup of “The Game” before Urban Meyer’s arrival Ethan Sears, Managing Sports Editor

I

n the moment, it seemed like the start of something.

Brady Hoke had broken a seven-year losing streak against Ohio State, given Michigan its first 8-0 record at home since 1927 when Michigan Stadium opened and taken the Wolverines to a New Year’s Six bowl they went on to win.

The joy spilled onto the field as fans rushed it and tears welled in the eyes of the Michigan football team.

“To be honest with you, I was numb,” fifth-year senior wide receiver Junior Hemingway said of his emotions after Courtney Avery’s game-clinching interception. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“I want to be nowhere else except with these guys,” junior quarterback Denard Robinson said. “I’m glad I stayed.”

“I got the best job in the world,” Hoke said.

It turns out, a lone 40-34 win over Ohio State would be the highlight of his tenure in Ann Arbor.

It turns out that, in looking back on the game recaps and newspaper clippings from the next days, what stands out the most is the name of one Urban Meyer, already connected with the Ohio State job. He’d soon replace interim coach Luke Fickell and lead the Buckeyes out of the scandal that mired that 2011 season, to an undefeated 2012, a national championship 2015, a second College Football Playoff appearance in 2017 and seven straight victories over Michigan.

Still, that day remains Michigan’s fondest memory in a decade of disappointment. Despite eventually finishing 6-7, Ohio State wouldn’t make things easy.

Quarterback Braxton Miller hit a 54yard touchdown pass on the Buckeyes’

opening drive and they went into the halftime locker room up 24-23. After the Wolverines retook the lead to open the second half, Ohio State would pull within three points not once, but twice.

And when Michigan failed to pull away, settling for a 43-yard field goal that brought its lead to six with 1:59 left, the Buckeyes had a chance to win it.

Just minutes earlier, Miller had led Ohio State on an 80-yard touchdown drive. But on the Wolverines’ bench, a mentality was taking hold.

“We said as we came to the bench, ‘It’s not happening again,’ ” fifth-year senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said. “No way.”

Michigan forced fourth-and-6 in Ohio State territory. Miller dropped back to throw. Forty-five seconds remained.

His pass bounced off Ohio State receiver Devin Smith and into Avery’s arms.

From there, pandemonium.

“When the interception came, it was kind of like, ‘There it is,’ ” fifth-year senior center David Molk said. “That’s what we needed to turn. That’s the momentum change that we needed to completely lock this game down. The defense stepped up. They did what they had to do when the time came.”

It had been 2,926 days since Michigan’s last win over Ohio State — a mark that is eclipsed now at 3,297 and counting.

After Robinson took a knee to run out the clock for the final time, he tossed the ball into the air and when it fell back down, the team fell down around it, as if it was a grenade. By then, 107,601 fans were climbing onto the turf, creating a memory that wouldn’t soon be matched.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

OHIO STATE DOMINANCE TRANSCENDS THE SCOREBOARD Since 2016, six Ohio State players have been drafted with a top-five pick in the NFL draft.

These players have put together some incredible performances against the Wolverines that may have had impacts on their draft stock.

Assistant Sports Editor, Jack Emerson John R. Oller Sports Editor,Keaton Maisano

O

hio State has dominated Michigan over the past decade and the dominance has been evident in the early picks in the NFL drafts.

Since 2016, Ohio State has had six players drafted in the top-five picks of the NFL draft — the most of any program in that time span. The Wolverines, on the other hand, have not had a top-five selection since 2008 when offensive tackle Jake Long was taken first overall.

Ohio State’s highly touted NFL prospects left their mark on the rivalry’s history books with some great performances in the yearly matchup.

2016 11 tackles 4.5 tackles for loss 3.5 sacks 1 interception 1 forced fumble

2018 11 tackles 3 pass deflections

2019

No. 3: Joey Bosa

Bosa’s best performance came in his final regular season game as a Buckeye in 2015 with Bosa collecting three tackles, one tackle for loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in Ohio State’s 42-13 win over Michigan.

47 carries 335 rushing yards 4 touchdowns

No. 4: Ezekiel Elliott The Dallas Cowboys used the pick after Bosa on another Buckeye, this time on the offensive side of the ball.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott played a crucial role in Ohio State’s victories over Michigan in 2014 and 2015. Elliott pieced together a 121-yard performance in his rivalry debut in 2014, adding two touchdowns through the ground. A year later, Elliott exploded for 214 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolverines, leading the Buckeyes to their fourth-straight victory over their rival.

Elliott became the first running back picked in the top five since former Alabama running back Trent Richardson was selected No. 3 by the Cleveland Browns in 2012.

Samantha Hollingshead | Lantern File Photo

No. 2: Nick Bosa A few years after Joey Bosa’s reign of terror on the Ohio State defensive line, his younger brother, Nick, appeared to be another threat to Michigan’s offense. Nick Bosa recorded a sack in his first career bout with the Wolverines in 2016 along with two tackles. In 2017, the younger Bosa brother improved on his performance from a year prior, adding five tackles alongside a sack.

In the 2019 NFL draft, Nick Bosa was selected one pick ahead of his older brother, joining his brother professionally in California. Bosa joined the talented defensive line corps of the San Francisco 49ers.

2020 2 tackles 1 tackle for loss 1pass deflection

In the 2016 NFL draft, Bosa became the first Buckeye drafted in the top five since linebacker A.J. Hawk was selected No. 5 by the Packers in 2006. Bosa was selected No. 3 overall by the then-San Diego Chargers.

2016

In two appearances in The Game, Ward kept up his lockdown distinction in his battles with the Wolverines. In his rivalry debut in 2016, Ward collected three tackles and broke up a pass. In his next bout with the Wolverines, Ward had a top-tier performance in the backend of the Ohio State defense. Ward finished with a team-high eight tackles and two pass breakups.

Ward was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft.

7 tackles 2 sacks

The older Bosa brother never wasted an opportunity to have an impact game against the Wolverines. In three career games against the Wolverines, Bosa recorded at least one tackle, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in each of his appearances in The Game.

No. 4: Denzel Ward

No. 2: Chase Young Then-junior defensive end Chase Young had high expectations heading into his final matchup against Michigan. Although he did not tally a tackle — let alone a sack — Young’s production was largely diminished by the double teams he received throughout the game. As a team, the Buckeyes recorded two sacks to go along with eight tackles for loss. In his two games played, Young would tally two tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection against Michigan.

Young was taken No. 2 overall by the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL draft.

2020 4 tackles 2 pass deflections

No. 3: Jeff Okudah Two years after Ward left for the NFL, then-junior Jeff Okudah was the next highly-touted corner back to occupy Ohio State’s secondary. In two career games against the Wolverines, Okudah recorded four tackles and was in on a pair of pass deflections. In 2019, Okudah would be part of a secondary that struggled heavily in the first half — allowing 250 passing yards in the first half.

However, Okudah and the secondary would stifle Michigan’s passing attack in the second half and hold the Wolverines to only 65 passing yards.

Okudah was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Alexa Mavrogianis | Photo Editor

MICHIGAN’S 2013 FAILED TWOPOINT CONVERSION CHANGES THE COURSE OF THE RIVALRY 7-4 Wolverines nearly pull off massive upset against undefeated Buckeyes Daniel Dash, Daily Sports Editor

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ne play. Two yards.

In 2013, that’s what decided the Michigan football team’s game against undefeated Ohio State. The unranked Wolverines entered the Saturday after Thanksgiving having lost three of their last four games, but a win over the third-ranked Buckeyes presented an opportunity to erase the embarrassment of a 7-4 record.

Ohio State, on the other hand, was expected to waltz into Ann Arbor and deliver the knockout blow to Michigan’s season. The Buckeyes were vying for a spot in the national title game, and a rivalry win at the Big House was merely supposed to be another box to check.

When Ohio State extended its lead to 35-21 in the late stages of the third quarter, it seemed the game would be exactly that. But Wolverines’ quarterback Devin Gardner refused to go away. The redshirt junior led backto-back touchdown drives, tying the score at 35 with just five minutes to play. He finished 32-of-45 passing for 451 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns while playing through a foot injury that left him in a boot immediately afterwards.

“He’s a kid,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. “He’s learning. I think he’s learning how to be a Michigan quarterback and I think that’s a daily thing. He’s beat up like everybody is, and when he was limping a little bit,

I said, ‘I don’t want to see you limp.

Every guy out here can limp. We’ve got to go play.’ He did that, and I’m proud of him.”

The Buckeyes answered Gardner’s comeback with a touchdown of their own. With 2:20 to play, Michigan had to march down the field to force overtime.

Eleven plays, 84 yards and 1:48 later, the Wolverines got the touchdown they needed. But when Hoke asked for his seniors’ input on the sidelines, they had no interest in kicking a game-tying extra point. Instead, they opted to attempt a game-winning two-point conversion with just 32 seconds remaining.

When Gardner zipped a pass to his right, however, it wasn’t his receiver who came up with the ball. Ohio State cornerback Tyvis Powell stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it, cementing the Buckeyes’ 42-41 victory.

“That’s an instant classic,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.

Those two yards changed the course of the rivalry. Had Michigan converted the two-point attempt, it would’ve marked the Wolverines’ second win over the Buckeyes in three years. The win would’ve stained Meyer’s undefeated two-year run after landing in Columbus. But Powell’s interception gave Ohio State its ninth win in 10 years and maintained the Buckeyes’ dominance over their rival.

Knocking off undefeated Ohio State would’ve given Michigan something to carry into 2014. It could’ve validated Hoke as the right guy for a sputtering program and given him something to sell on the recruiting trail. The two-point conversion could’ve changed the direction of the rivalry, though that may seem like nothing more than wishful thinking on the Wolverines’ behalf when considering the years that followed.

The Buckeyes have defeated Michigan by double digits in five of six meetings since their narrow 2013 win. They won the national title the next season and have claimed four Big Ten titles since, while the Wolverines have barely sniffed Indianapolis.

Michigan limped into the 2014 season following a 17-point loss to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The Wolverines dropped three of their first four conference games, including a stunner against Rutgers. It became clear that Hoke’s program was rudderless, and the season culminated in his firing.

His successor, Jim Harbaugh, is set to enter the 2020 iteration of the rivalry under similar circumstances. A struggling Michigan program will aim to knock off a top-five Ohio State team with an undefeated record.

Whether or not this season’s edition of “The Game” comes down to two yards or isn’t even decided by two touchdowns remains to be seen.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

The longest winning streaks in the history of

THE GAME

The Buckeyes are in the midst of their longest winning streak in their 123-year rivalry with Michigan.

Here’s a look at the longest runs that the two teams have gone on The Game’s history.

Assistant Sports Editor, Jack Emerson

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ince 2012, Ohio State has been in the midst of one of the longest winning streaks in the history of its illustrious rivalry with Michigan.

As the Buckeyes look to tie the series-longest nine game winning streak Dec. 12, here’s an in-depth look back at some of the longest winning streaks in the rivalry.

1901-09: Michigan wins nine straight

AMAL SAEED | LANTERN FILE PHOTO

From Ohio State and Michigan’s first meeting in 1897 to 1918, the Buckeyes failed to beat their rival to the north. The Wolverines amassed a 12-0-2 record against the Buckeyes in that span — including a rivalry-best nine straight wins from 1901-09.

The Wolverines kick-started the run with a 21-0 win over the Buckeyes in 1901.

A year later, Michigan won by the greatest margin of victory in the rivalry’s history with a dominating 86-0 victory over Ohio State in Ann Arbor. It is believed that on the train back to Columbus following Ohio State’s catastrophic defeat, then-freshman defensive end and glee club member Fred Cornell wrote the lyrics to “Carmen Ohio” — marking the beginning of a classic Ohio State tradition.

The Wolverines continued their dominance over the early stages of the rivalry, especially on the defensive end, as the Buckeyes failed to score more than six points in each matchup during the nine-year run. Ohio State was shut out in six of the nine losses.

Michigan outscored Ohio State 285-18 during the record winning streak.

2012-19: Ohio State wins eight straight Over the eight-year stretch, each team has transitioned to a new head coach, but the results have stayed the same, with Ohio State ahead and Michigan trailing behind.

Although Brady Hoke was able to begin his tenure with a win over Ohio State in 2011, he failed to beat the Buckeyes

AMAL SAEED | LANTERN FILE PHOTO

in each of his next three attempts. 2012 not only marked the beginning of the end for Hoke, but it began the seven-year dominance of Urban Meyer in the rivalry.

Meyer would end all seven of his regular seasons at Ohio State with a win over Michigan. The biggest matchup under his watch would occur in 2016 when he led the No. 2 Buckeyes over No. 3 Michigan in an overtime thriller to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Even with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh in December of 2014, the Buckeyes continued to dominate the series.

Meyer’s departure at the end of the 2018 season appeared to be an opportunity for Harbaugh to earn his first victory over the Buckeyes, but first-year head coach Ryan Day was able to take his No. 1 Ohio State team into Michigan Stadium and emphatically extend the streak to eight games with a 5627 win.

2004-2010*: Ohio State wins seven* straight In 2001, the Buckeyes hired head coach Jim Tressel, who

brought back the emphasis toward the rivalry between the two programs.

Tressel saw his greatest success from 2004-10, winning seven straight games against Ohio State’s heated rival.

The streak began when the Buckeyes pulled off a major upset at home against the No. 7 Wolverines, winning 37-21.

Then-redshirt junior quarterback Troy Smith led Ohio State, throwing for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 145 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

After earning another win in 2005, the Buckeyes entered the 2006 matchup as the No. 1 team in the country.

Michigan entered the game as No. 2, creating an all-time great atmosphere in the rivalry.

The game lived up to the hype — being dubbed “The Game of the Century” — Tressel earned his third straight win against the Wolverines and Smith added to his Heisman Trophy resume with an all-time performance.

Tressel would not lose to Michigan in his Ohio State career again prior to his abrupt departure in 2010, however the 2010 win was vacated by the NCAA.

INCHES CHANGED THE TIDES OF HARBAUGH’S MICHIGAN REIGN IN 2016 GAME Referees’ spot on a crucial Buckeyes fourth down leaves Harbaugh fuming Ethan Sears, Managing Sports Editor

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henever and however the Jim Harbaugh era ends at Michigan, it will be looked back upon as the biggest what-if of his tenure. J.T. Barrett falling into tight end A.J. Alexander, the ball outstretched in his hands. Eleven Wolverines waving their arms to signal he didn’t cross the line; eleven Ohio State players pointing forwards to signal first down.

And just minutes later, Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel running into the end zone untouched to give Ohio State a 30-27, double-overtime win in the most memorable edition of The Game this decade.

“I am bitterly disappointed with the officiating today,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “That spot.”

He held his hands apart to show how short he thought Barrett was. He asked reporters what they thought.

He got fined $10,000 by the Big Ten the following Monday for comments on the officiating that went on to include gripes about pass interference calls and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty incurred after he threw his play card and slammed his headset in the third quarter.

“We won the game,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said, and indeed,

history has no sympathy for Harbaugh’s complaints.

The 2016 team was undoubtedly Harbaugh’s best thus far at Michigan, coming into The Game ranked third in the country and in control of its own destiny for a College Football Playoff spot. Nonetheless, it couldn’t take down Ohio State, which was ranked second and went on to make the Playoff.

Despite the controversy over the spot, the Wolverines had plenty of opportunities to avoid overtime altogether. Nursing a shoulder injury, quarterback Wilton Speight committed two key turnovers — a second-quarter pick six and a third-quarter fumble on Ohio State’s one-yard line. Michigan led by as much as 177, with Don Brown’s defense holding the Buckeyes to 330 total yards, but it wasn’t enough.

A second Speight interception allowed Ohio State to cut the lead to three, and Barrett led the Buckeyes to a game-tying drive at the end of regulation, with Tyler Durbin kicking a 23-yard field goal.

In the three editions of The Game since, the Wolverines have never come as close to winning. And in the last two years, their defense hasn’t been

close to the same level — in 2018 and 2019, Ohio State’s offensive yardage totals were 567 and 577, respectively.

At the time, it seemed to represent a new era for the rivalry, and maybe a new 10-year war between Harbaugh and Meyer. Michigan had lost, but proven it could play on equal footing with its greatest rival in their home stadium.

With the glint of perspective, even that most optimistic of takeaways proved completely wrong. Meyer retired after once again keeping Michigan from a College Football Playoff berth in the Horseshoe in 2018.

Harbaugh finds himself on the hot seat heading into this year’s game. The Wolverines haven’t been competitive with Ohio State since then, and few expect them to be in 2020.

If that spot is different, maybe everything else is, too. Maybe Michigan wins the Big Ten, makes the College Football Playoff, keeps recruiting at a top-five level nationally and a newly-renewed 10-year war comes to fruition. Maybe this rivalry is competitive, instead of a yearly funeral procession to the Wolverines’ season.

But maybes will do no solace to Harbaugh, nor to Michigan’s program.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

AMAL SAEED | LANTERN FILE PHOTO

Ohio State’s success with and without a star half back Ohio State has benefited from a plethora of solid running backs over the past decade.

The performance of the Buckeyes’ half backs usually act as a microcosm for the results of the matchup.

John R. Oller Sports Editor, Keaton Maisano

J.K. K. DOBBINS S

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hio State has dominated Michigan over the past decade, and that dominance can largely be linked to the Buckeyes’ success on the ground.

Over the last 10 meetings between the rivals, Ohio State running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards on seven occasions. In many of these cases, the Buckeyes employed elite talent at the running back position with six of the last seven feature backs entering The Game with more than 1,000 yards rushing on the season.

Ohio State running backs failed to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards prior to the Michigan game from 2010-12. Over the three year stretch, the Buckeyes went 2-1 against the Wolverines.

In the two victories, Ohio State’s No. 1 running back dashed for 175 yards in 2010 and 146 yards in 2012.

In the lone loss in 2011, then-redshirt senior running back Dan Herron was held to 37 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Then-freshman quarterback Braxton Miller would add 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but the Buckeyes would fall 40-34.

In his second season as the feature back, then-senior Carlos Hyde led the shift from a quarterback-centric running game by becoming the first Buckeye running back in the decade to enter The Game with more than 1,000 yards on the season.

Hyde also became the first Ohio State running back to rush

for more than 200 yards in The Game — tallying the highest total in the history of the rivalry with 226 yards in the thrilling 42-41 win over the Wolverines in 2013.

Over the next four seasons, Buckeye running backs followed Hyde’s lead, each entering The Game with more than 1,000 yards. In their rivalry matchups, three of the four Ohio State running backs were able to eclipse 100 yards — including a 214yard, two-touchdown performance from then-junior Ezekiel Elliott in 2015.

Elliott had one of the more productive runs as the No. 1 back in The Game. In two games, Elliott rushed for 335 yards and four touchdowns and earned two pairs of gold pants.

In 2016, No. 2 Ohio State played host to No. 3 Michigan.

Then-freshman running back Mike Weber entered the game as Ohio State’s leading rusher with 1,046 yards, but the Michigan native was held mostly in check — finishing the game with 26 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Like previous seasons, Ohio State leaned on the quarterback position for an added element to the rushing attack. Then-redshirt junior quarterback J.T. Barrett would obtain 125 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

Ohio State’s 30-27 win in overtime would be stamped off a touchdown run from then-junior running back Curtis Samuel, who finished the game with 54 rushing yards.

Running back J.K. Dobbins’ arrival in 2017 marked the transition to the next running back at Ohio State.

His freshman campaign included 1,403 rushing yards and a performance against Michigan in which he eclipsed 100 yards and found the end zone.

The 2018 season saw an unusual shift for the Buckeyes.

J.K. DOBBINS 2019: 2,003 yds

EZEKIEL ELLIOTT

2014: 1,878 yds

CARLOS HYDE

2013: 1,521 yds

DAN HERRON 2010: 1,155 yds

MIKE WEBER 2016: 1,096 yds

Leaning on a passing attack led by then-redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State entered the Michigan game without a running back eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time since 2012.

The Buckeyes would use 396 passing yards from Haskins to down Michigan 62-39. Dobbins would finish with 46 yards on 12 carries while Weber would lead the team with 96 yards on 13 carries.

Dobbins would break through the following year with a record-setting season.

The then-junior running back would amass 1,446 yards and 15 touchdowns entering the Michigan game, and he would add 211 yards and four touchdowns against the Wolverines.

Dobbins would go on to break the Ohio State single-season rushing record — previously held by Eddie George. He would finish the season with 2,003 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

In terms of total yards, Hyde produced the most in his appearances in the rivalry with 372 while Dobbins was able to find the end zone the most — finishing with five touchdowns in his three appearances. Elliott led the way in yards per attempt, gathering an average of 7.13 yards on each carry in his two performances.

Although 2018 served as an outlier, the path to success against Michigan the past decade has been on the ground — not through the air.

MICHIGAN’S REACTION TO OHIO STATE GAME CANCELATION Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel react to “The Game” being called off due to COVID-19 outbreak Ethan Sears, Managing Sports Editor

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im Harbaugh protested and marched, released statements and said publicly at every turn that he wanted this football season to happen.

And when he told the Michigan football team that the biggest game of their season was cancelled — marking the first time in over a century that the Wolverines won’t play Ohio State — they were just as devastated as he was.

“Very disappointed,” Harbaugh said. “We were all very much — we wanted to play. And we were all very much, ‘The odds are against us but let’s go do this.’

“And as I said before, to a man. To a man, our players wanted to have that opportunity.”

Kirk Herbstreit’s comments on ESPN last week, that Michigan might “wave the white flag” on playing the Buckeyes, using COVID-19 as an excuse, reverberated around the program. Defensive back Hunter Reynolds angrily tweeted on Tuesday, “there wasn’t a person in that locker room tryna duck anyone,” and athletic director Warde Manuel released a scathing video last week criticizing Herbstreit.

On Tuesday afternoon though, all Manuel had was resignation. Canceling was the right thing to do. That didn’t make it any easier.

“The Michigan-Ohio State game is the greatest rivalry in this sport,” Manuel said. “So this is a really hard day, hard time, for me, for Jim and for our team. Our staff, our university

and for our fans. For both teams, I am certain. But we had a trend with a number of positive tests that continued to go up even over the weekend, and so over the last seven days, they have not slowed.

“We were not cleared to participate in practice by our medical staff, and we were looking at, in terms of, by the end of week, much wouldn’t have changed and we still don’t have a total grasp of this virus on our team. And so we are here today, we made the decision this afternoon, that we were not going to be able to participate. We weren’t even cleared to practice today.”

No specific numbers were given in terms of the Wolverines’ COVID-19 cases. Darryl Conway, associate athletic director, only said the Big Ten’s red/red thresholds — a five percent positivity rate on the roster and a 7.5 percent positivity rate in the surrounding team population — had not been reached. Reports earlier in the afternoon said that between contact tracing and positive cases, the Wolverines would have been missing upwards of 40 players had the game been played.

“Our student-athletes have really worked hard and are diligent,” Manuel said. “This is probably as much a reflection of where we are in our state and in our area. … I don’t want any of this to be reflective of our stu-dentathletes and their efforts to really keep themselves and their teammates safe.”

A report in the Detroit Free Press last week said the outbreak came from

Thanksgiving-related games after the Penn State game on Nov. 28. Whether it will be stemmed in time for Dec. 19, when Michigan is scheduled to play a crossover game against a to be determined Big Ten West opponent, is unclear.

“First priority, as Warde has said, stemming the COVID positives has been the objective here the last week,” Harbaugh said. “Still trying to get that under control. Hopefully that will be looking better in the next few days. Ultimately, we were told the number of people that were out due to COVID was too high.

“So, there’s the real possibility that we could play again before this season is over. Our players, as I said before, they want to play. They wanted to play this week. They want to play next week. They’re going to continue to condition and prepare for that possibility.”

With the state of the schedule in flux — Ohio State needs to play six games to be eligible for the Big Ten championship game next week unless the rules are changed to accommodate — Manuel said Michigan would be open to playing the Buckeyes the week of the 19th as well if Ohio State doesn’t have a sixth game.

“We will make any adjustments from my standpoint that we need to make,” Manuel said. “So if … we make adjustments to our calendar and we play Ohio State the week of the 19th, from my perspective, that would be great. We will play whoever is going to be scheduled for us.”

ALEC COHEN/Daily