Big Ten Football

When you fell your biggest rival, you're entitled to dance on their grave a bit.

That's exactly what Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis did after the Wolverines' 42-27 victory over Ohio State last Saturday.

Gattis said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show (via the Detroit News' Angelique Chengelis) the Buckeyes are "a finess team" and "not a tough team." He added that the plan was to overwhelm OSU with physicality:

Michigan dominated at the point of attack on both sides against Ohio State. The Wolverines ran for 297 yards and averaged 7.2 carries while limiting the Buckeyes to 64 yards on the ground. TreVeyon Henderson's 4.4 yards per carry were tied for his lowest of the season.

Gattis alluded to how he and his fellow Michigan staffers followed the blueprint Oregon used to upset Ohio State in Columbus. The Ducks rolled up 505 yards on the Bucks, with CJ Verdell carrying the ball 20 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The performance was bad enough that head coach Ryan Day moved play-calling duties away from defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs.

Fans have become accustomed to seeing a wealth of NFL talent come through Ohio State's defense. Chase Young, Nick and Joey Bosa, Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker and Jeff Okudah are among the first-round picks from the Buckeyes.

Day doesn't have that kind of elite depth this year. Edge-rusher Zach Harrison (No. 78) and defensive lineman Haskell Garrett (No. 136) are the only OSU defenders to crack Bleacher Report's most recent big board.

Coombs' demotion also underlined the need to refresh the coaching staff a bit. Allowing 621 yards and 52 points to Alabama in last year's College Football Playoff National Championship served as a bit of a warning sign for what was to come.

Ohio State was there for the taking against an opponent that could avoid costly turnovers and control the game on the ground. Oregon did that in September, and Michigan followed suit.

Coming off two losses in their previous three games, the Michigan State Spartans got back on track in Saturday's regular-season finale with a 30-27 victory over Penn State at Spartan Stadium. 

Michigan State entered November looking like a potential College Football Playoff contender with an 8-0 record. Things took a sharp turn with a loss to Purdue on Nov. 6, and the bottom dropped out with last week's 56-7 defeat against Ohio State. 

The Nittany Lions entered this week also trying to right the ship after a rough stretch. They have lost five of their last seven games after a 5-0 start. The previous four losses came by a total of 18 points. 

Snowy weather certainly played a role in the game, especially for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were held to 61 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Kicker Jordan Stout missed his only field-goal attempt and one of his three extra-point opportunities. 

Meanwhile, Kenneth Walker III had no problems finding openings in the snow. The Spartans running back finished with 138 rushing yards and one touchdown on 30 carries. 

Both quarterbacks, though, had success throwing the ball. Penn State's Sean Clifford racked up 313 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan State's Payton Thorne finished with 268 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. 

Thorne's 20-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed on 4th-and-15 with 5:10 remaining was the difference in the game. 

Penn State did get a late score from Parker Washington to cut the deficit to three points, but Spartans recovered the onside kick to end the game.

Notable Game Stats

• Payton Thorne (MSU): 19-of-30, 268 yards, 2 TD, INT; 8 carries, 39 yards, TD
• Kenneth Walker III (MSU): 30 carries, 138 yards, TD
• Jayden Reed (MSU): 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD
• Sean Clifford (PSU): 23-of-34, 313 yards, 3 TD
• Jahan Dotson (PSU): 8 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD
  
• Keyvone Lee (PSU): 15 carries, 79 yards
  

Walker Boosts Heisman Resume in Spartans' Win

There's an argument that Walker was the Heisman favorite coming into Saturday's slate of games. The junior entered this week with 1,597 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns in 11 games. 

To no one's surprise, Michigan State fed the ball to its star running back early in the game. He carried the ball four times out of eight plays on the team's first possession, including a touchdown from two yards out. 

After Penn State pinned the Spartans at their own one-yard line following a punt, Walker gave the offense plenty of breathing room with a 35-yard run on first down. He followed that up with a 15-yard scamper on the next play. 

Michigan State drove 99 yards on nine plays to take a 14-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

Just when it looked like a blowout was on the horizon, the Spartans' unreliable defense allowed Penn State to get back in the game. Then, Daequan Hardy picked off Thorne and took the ball to the house to put the Nittany Lions up 20-17 in the third quarter. 

Mel Tucker went back to the ground game on the ensuing possession to get the Spartans back on top. Walker once again started the drive with a big play, gaining 27 yards to get the ball in Penn State territory. 

After the Nittany Lions defense kept Walker out of the end zone on back-to-back runs near the goal line, Thorne called his own number on 3rd-and-goal from the one for the score. 

Clinging to a 23-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, Tucker's decision to go for it on 4th-and-15 from Penn State's 20-yard line rather than attempting a field goal in the driving snow turned out to be the difference. 

Thorne just threw a jump ball to Reed, who was facing single coverage in the end zone. The Spartans wide receiver came down with it to extend the lead to 10 with 5:10 to play. 

Walker certainly wasn't the only Spartans player creating big plays in this game, but he was the center of everything they did. They ran 77 total plays on offense, with Walker carrying the ball 30 times. 

The Heisman Trophy race is far from settled, especially with Ohio State losing and Alabama struggling against Auburn on Saturday. Walker's resume this season is as strong as any of the top contenders. His 138-yard performance in poor weather conditions could be enough to catapult him to the top of the ballot.     

Key Mistakes Doom Penn State's Upset Hopes

In a year that's been defined by missed opportunities and crucial mistakes in big moments, it's only fitting that Penn State would make several errors in the regular-season finale. 

The issues began on the Nittany Lions' first offensive possession when Keyvone Lee was stopped short of the sticks on 3rd-and-2. James Franklin elected to punt the ball away from his own 47-yard line rather than go for it on 4th-and-1. 

It seemed like a wise decision since Penn State downed the ball at the Spartans' one-yard line, but the defense gave up 99 yards on nine plays to go down by two touchdowns. 

Penn State did respond with a 68-yard scoring drive of its own, capped off by Jahan Dotson's 27-yard touchdown reception from Sean Clifford. 

Each of the next three drives by both teams ended in punts before Penn State was able to get in the end zone again to tie the score. Dotson once again made the big play with a 30-yard catch for his second touchdown of the game. 

Hardy's pick-six in the third quarter could have turned the game in the Nittany Lions' favor. They took their first lead at that point, but a missed extra point kept the score at 20-17. 

The missed extra point was the second missed opportunity of the game for Penn State. Jordan Stout missed a 27-yard field goal right before halftime that would have tied the score at 17. 

After Michigan State went back on top 23-20, Penn State was faced with a 4th-and-1 from the Spartans' 16-yard line. Franklin chose to go for it rather than have Stout attempt a 33-yard field goal. 

Keyvone Lee was stopped short of the first-down marker, giving Michigan State possession early in the fourth quarter. 

Penn State's defense did force a punt, but the offense again made a blunder when Lee fumbled the ball away. Drew Beesley recovered to help set up the decisive touchdown for the Spartans. 

The reason Penn State's season fell apart is because of miscues and turnovers. The defense gave up a 44-yard touchdown to Nico Ragaini midway through the fourth quarter in a 23-20 loss to Iowa. 

Illinois held Penn State to 18 points in a game that featured nine overtimes. The offense had to settle for a field goal in the red zone after forcing a fourth-quarter turnover against Michigan. That allowed the Wolverines to drive 75 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in a 21-17 win. 

Saturday's loss was a perfect microcosm of everything that has gone wrong for Franklin's squad down the stretch in 2021.    

What's Next?

Penn State and Michigan State will learn which bowl game they will play in after the CFP field is announced on Dec. 5.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Back in July, before any of this felt possible, Jim Harbaugh spelled it out. 

Coming off an offseason when he nearly lost his job—a decision that many Michigan fans didn't much care for—words didn't mean much. They were done with Harbaugh after six monotonous, unfulfilled years. 

Zero wins over Ohio State. Zero Big Ten Championships. What was another sound bite in an elaborate library of compelling Harbaugh sound going to add?

"I'm as enthusiastic and excited as I ever am, always am, even more to have at it, to win the championship, to beat Ohio, our rivals Michigan State, everybody," Harbaugh said at Big Ten media days. "That's what we want to do. And we're going to do it or die trying." 

On Saturday, Harbaugh and Michigan were alive. In fact, I'm not sure this program and head coach have ever been more alive.

At the very least, it's been a minute.

Michigan beat Ohio State 42-27 in Ann Arbor. In doing so, the Wolverines locked up the Big Ten East, and they will compete next weekend in the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa or Wisconsin. A win there, and they are a lock to make the College Football Playoff.

On a macro level, that's what transpired Saturday afternoon as snow flurries painted the field and the Big House crowd constantly brought both sound and energy to the greatest rivalry in college football. 

But the game itself, the history between these two teams and the moment for Harbaugh, maybe the most polarizing figure in the entire sport, was so much more. Not to mention the impact on the sport as a whole.

Given the hype surrounding this matchup—No. 2 vs. No. 5 with seemingly everything at stake—many likely assumed the game would fall short of expectations. In fact, many probably pegged this as another Ohio State blowout. 

This was a beautiful game between two programs that don't care for each other. Two distinctly different styles clashing in the elements in front of more than 100,000 people looking to catch a glimpse of something different.

Making the game that much more meaningful was the play of a select few. Michigan running back Hassan Haskins ran for 169 yards and five touchdowns—putting up an offensive performance that will be talked about in living rooms around the state of Michigan for decades. 

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson delivered three sacks, tormenting Ohio State's offensive line throughout the game. Beyond making himself a ton of money with the performance as NFL scouts looked on, Hutchinson cemented himself as one of the program's all-time greatest defensive players. 

Ohio State, of course, did not go quietly. Quarterback C.J. Stroud still threw for 394 yards and two scores, and his wideouts regularly delivered circus catches throughout the afternoon. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were superb, much like they've been all year. 

The only difference is that Michigan countered every Ohio State moment. The Wolverines rushed for 297 yards and averaged more than seven yards per carry—dominating the line of scrimmage from the start. 

The game plan was pristine, the play-calling from offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was superb and the outcome was not one Michigan fans have seen since 2011. 

But the story, before we look ahead, should be about Harbaugh. 

A year ago, he was thought to be done at Michigan. Fans were done. The administration looked to be done. Even Harbaugh, whose body language is always tough to read, seemed to be on his way out. 

He took a pay cut to stay at the school he once played quarterback for. The Wolverines reworked his contract, essentially allowing him one more run to get it right. He bet on himself, perhaps due to a lack of options elsewhere. 

The result? An 11-1 regular season with a win over a team many thought he would never conquer.

Had he lost against Ohio State, many likely would have again called for Harbaugh to be fired. It was a conversation being had before the game was played, with many assuming the Buckeyes would continue to roll through everything in their path. 

Forget about 10 wins; Harbaugh, through the quirks and the khakis and the endless stream of sound bites, will always be assessed differently than most.

Every loss feels bigger. Every moment of weakness seems to be celebrated through a megaphone. We grade him differently than most, whatever the reason. 

Saturday was his day, and it was seven years in the making. It was his brand of football: big, beautiful and overpowering. It was stylistically familiar in many ways and new in many others. The outcome certainly was different, and Michigan fans are likely feeling emotions they haven't felt in decades.

And yes, it's hard not to get swept up in the possibilities and just how much reach this result will have.

Ohio State, thought to be the biggest threat to a historic Georgia defense, might be out of the playoff. At the very least, the Buckeyes need a great deal of help.

The CFP shake-up is sizable. With a week still to play, plenty of new scenarios have emerged. 

The Heisman Trophy race? That just endured a bit of an overhaul as well. While Stroud delivered huge numbers yet again, this loss opens the door for others.

As the clock on the college football season bleeds away, things feel different. Michigan can finally crack the playoff with one more win. We have to determine the latest, greatest threat to Georgia now that the Buckeyes have fallen. Perhaps we just witnessed it.

But in a sport that rarely allows us to bask in the moment and celebrate the now, this feels like an exception. Seven years of frustration. Seven years of doubt. Seven years of wondering when Harbaugh might finally have a moment. That moment has arrived.

Regardless of what happens next week or next month, or the teams that will likely benefit from one of the greatest college football games in recent memory, that moment is now.

Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh had a few words after his No. 5 Wolverines knocked off the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 42-27 on Saturday:

The win marked Harbaugh's first against Ohio State as head coach in six tries. Michigan hadn't beaten its arch rival since 2011 and did so just once since 2003.

Harbaugh's comments could potentially be seen as a knock against Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who joined the perennial powerhouse Buckeyes in 2017 as the co-offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer before being promoted to head coach two years later.

Day has gone 30-4, and he's led OSU to a pair of College Football Playoff appearances (one national title game berth). The Buckeyes won't be headed to the postseason this year, however, as their CFP hopes went up in smoke with the defeat.

More specifically, Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic posited that this was in reference to Day's reported "hang 100 on them" remark from last year, which came after Harbaugh reportedly accused OSU of a rules violation that caught the ire of the Buckeyes head coach:

It's clear that Wolverines players felt the same way about OSU regarding the disrespect factor, with edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson providing this remark:

OSU came 73 points short of hanging 100. Meanwhile, Hassan Haskins scored five touchdowns to lead a stout Michigan offense.

On the other side, Hutchinson had three sacks, and David Ojabo added another as the pass rush disrupted the OSU offense.

Michigan will now head to the Big Ten Championship Game as the East division representative. The Wolverines will play Wisconsin if the Badgers beat Minnesota on Saturday. If not, then it will be Michigan vs. Iowa.

Either way, game time is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET from Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

A dominant performance in a high-profile rivalry game has skyrocketed Aidan Hutchinson's betting odds for the Heisman Trophy. 

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Michigan defensive end has the third-best odds to win the award (+1500; bet $100 to win $1,500) after recording three sacks in Saturday's 42-27 victory over Ohio State. 

Per Pro Football Focus's Anthony Treash, DraftKings didn't have odds listed for Hutchinson prior to the game against the Buckeyes. 

Hutchinson was the most dominant defensive player on the field for either team Saturday. Two of his three sacks came on third down to stop the Buckeyes from driving. He also drew a holding penalty on Ohio State's second offensive possession of the third quarter. 

Thanks to his three sacks Saturday, Hutchinson set a new Wolverines record for most sacks in a single season. 

Per ESPN's Todd McShay, some NFL teams have been split on Hutchinson and Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux as the best defensive end in the 2022 draft class coming into Saturday. 

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (-190) remains the heavy betting favorite to win the Heisman. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud is currently second (+180), though that might change after losing to Michigan. 

Stroud's stat line in the game was solid. He finished 34-of-49 for 394 yards and two touchdowns. 

Hutchinson has a lot of momentum to win the award right now, but he's also facing an uphill battle.

Charles Woodson is the only defensive player in history to win the Heisman Trophy when he did it in 1997. He had the added benefit of being a punt returner who also caught 11 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns. 

Hutchinson would be the first defense-only player to win the most prestigious award in college football if he is announced as the Heisman winner at the ceremony on Dec. 11.    

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh earned a $500,000 contract bonus after his team's 42-27 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday to clinch a berth in the Big Ten title game, per USA Today's Steve Berkowitz. 

He could also earn $1 million with a win next Saturday. 

Harbaugh's bonuses are a result of his $4.05 million pay cut and contract renegotiation after the 2020 season. Under his previous deal, he was set to make $8.05 million for 2021.

Harbaugh would have received an additional $125,000 if Michigan played in the Big Ten title game and another $125,000 for a win. 

Entering Saturday, the Wolverines hadn't beaten the Buckeyes since 2011 and had never reached the Big Ten title game. Michigan had also never beaten Ohio State under Harbaugh. 

He vowed over the summer to beat Ohio State "or die trying," and the Wolverines were impressive all around on Saturday. However, running back Hassan Haskins was the star of the show, rushing for 169 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries. 

Harbaugh has been coaching at Michigan since 2015. Entering Saturday, he had a 59-23 record as head coach of the Wolverines and a 1-4 record in bowl games. 

The Wolverines are 11-1 this season after finishing the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign 2-4. Michigan will either play Wisconsin or Iowa in the Big Ten title game.  

Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day expressed disappointment after the No. 2 Buckeyes fell 42-27 to the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Day told reporters, "I feel awful. ... It's a failure." He also added he would have to "take a real hard look" at why Michigan had so much success running the ball against the Buckeyes.

Michigan ended an eight-game losing streak against Ohio State with the win and also clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, while the Buckeyes fell to 10-2 on the season and likely saw their College Football Playoff chances evaporate.

Michigan dominated Ohio State from a physicality perspective, as the Wolverines rushed for 297 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

Running back Hassan Haskins led the way with 169 yards on 28 carries to go along with five rushing touchdowns. Michigan also got a sixth rushing score out of wide receiver A.J. Henning on an end-around.

Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Stroud played relatively well with 394 yards and two touchdowns in the air, but it didn't matter because of OSU's inability to get the Michigan offense off the field for long stretches.

There was a great deal of pressure on the Wolverines to prevail Saturday since they were previously 0-5 against Ohio State during Jim Harbaugh's time as Michigan's head coach.

Saturday also presented a golden opportunity to both teams, as a win meant playing for the Big Ten title and a spot in the CFP.

Ohio State has been part of the CFP in four of the seven times it has been held, which is the most of any Big Ten team by far. The only other Big Ten team to reach the playoff was Michigan State in 2015.

Now, Michigan can become the third if it beats either Wisconsin or Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday.

Meanwhile, OSU will be left out of the CFP for the first time since 2018 barring a shocking turn of events.

After a tightly contested first half between the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 5 Michigan Wolverines, players from both teams got into a shouting match in the tunnel.

With Michigan leading 14-13 after two quarters, both teams were clearly heated near the locker rooms at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

Players could be seen yelling and gesturing at each other, which necessitated referees, as well as coaches and other personnel from the teams to get in between the groups and diffuse the situation.

Tensions were running high Saturday due to the enormity of the game, which has a Big Ten Championship Game berth hanging in the balance.

Both Ohio State and Michigan were 10-1 when the day began, and both teams knew going in that they were in a win-or-go-home scenario both in terms of playing for the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.

Also, Michigan has enjoyed very little success against its primary rival in recent years, losing eight games in a row to the Buckeyes before Saturday.

Many of those losses came with Jim Harbaugh at the helm, as the Michigan head coach was 0-5 against OSU entering Saturday's contest.

After the confrontation in the tunnel, Michigan came out of halftime with more juice.

The Wolverines forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, and they scored a touchdown on a three-play, 81-yard drive to extend the lead to 21-13.