Ohio State Takes Down Michigan In Double Overtime

No. 2 Ohio State defeated no. 3 Michigan for their fifth straight victory in The Game, winning 30-27 in two overtimes.

After Michigan scored a field goal in the second overtime, Ohio State almost lost their chance to win it. The Buckeyes decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the 16, rather than try a field goal, and the play was close enough to demand a review to give Ohio State the first down. The winning touchdown came soon after with a 15-yard run from Curtis Samuel.

The game wasn’t an especially polished one, with two short field goals missed by Ohio State and three turnovers from Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight. Ohio State had a chance to score first, with a 37-yard field goal attempt on their first possession of the afternoon. But kicker Tyler Durbin missed—the first time this season that the Buckeyes had missed one shorter than 40 yards. Michigan briefly took the lead with a field goal in the second quarter, but Speight’s first turnover of the day came soon after in the form of a pick-six.

Before heading to the locker room, Michigan took the lead back with a touchdown of their own. Things kept going their way after halftime, with a J.T. Barrett interception and a Wolverine drive down the field to start things off—but Speight fumbled at Ohio State’s 2-yard line, and Michigan’s offense walked off the field empty-handed. They were able to stretch the lead further, however, after Ohio State tried getting creative with a fake punt on 4th-and-6 at their own 20-yard line. It didn’t work, and Michigan quickly took it back for a touchdown to put the Wolverines up 17-7.

Before the third quarter was over, Speight would turn over the ball once more. An interception at Michigan’s 26-yard line (followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from head coach Jim Harbaugh) led to an Ohio State touchdown, cutting the lead to 17-14.

A 61-yard drive gave the Buckeyes a chance to tie it up in the fourth quarter, but Durbin missed another short field goal—this one just 21 yards—to leave the Buckeyes still trailing by three. He got a final shot at redemption with a 23-yard field goal that tied the game to send it to overtime.