Michigan upsets Ohio State in The Game in one of the biggest upsets in series history, leaving the Buckeyes stunned and confused about the future.

Winning the rushing battle has become Ohio State’s latest obsession, as the Buckeyes have failed to accomplish it in each of the last four meetings against Michigan. While it’s true that the team that runs for more yards historically wins The Game, it’s become a skewed statistic. 

There was one version of The Game Michigan needed for a victory, and it involved sucking Ohio State into a trap of toughness equating to running the football. That’s precisely the version that played out on Saturday in Columbus. 

Toughness is not defined by mind-numbingly forcing the ground game up the middle against an NFL-caliber interior and running to the short-side boundary without numbers. Toughness is playing your game on your terms by imposing your will on your opponent when they know it’s coming and still cannot stop it. 

Remember 2018? Ohio State won the rushing battle in that game, but that’s not what you remember, is it? Dwayne Haskins threw for nearly 400 yards thanks to an elite game plan that exposed the Wolverine defense with mesh concepts and crossing routes, utilizing the speed out the outside. We remember Chris Olave, a blocked punt, and Parris Campbell outrunning Josh Metellus and the Michigan secondary. 

The rushing battle is a byproduct of executing your game plan to the strength of your team on your terms. Running the football is a part of the sport, and it’s essential. However, having 15 running plays of 2 yards or less is embarrassing. 

Ohio State fans expected to remember Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, or Will Howard with the Mariano Rivera-level closing save from TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Instead, the memory becomes two interceptions, one leading to a touchdown, ultimately costing The Game, and an ineptly anemic offensive game plan from Chip Kelly. 

It’s inexcusable and embarrassing to allow your archrival to walk into your stadium and play the only version of The Game they could win. Any other version, and Michigan loses. But nope. Ohio State gives away two turnovers, misses two field goals, doesn’t register a single first down in the final twenty minutes of the game clock, and has 15 plays on the ground that totaled less than thirty yards. 

Ohio State’s makeshift offensive line was never going to dominate or control Michigan’s vaunted front. However, there are ways to neutralize it, which Ohio State never executed. I’ll never understand why the wide receivers weren’t the focal point of the offense using tempo on Saturday. Will Johnson and Rod Moore were out, yet it felt like the Maize and Blue secondary was Seattle’s Legion of Boom. 

So many opportunities were missed down the field while the Buckeyes chose to prove a point that they could run the football up the middle without its two best linemen. The Game turned into a hyper-fixation to prove a point rather than utilizing a clear schematic and athletic advantage. 

This loss falls on the offensive coaches and players. Jim Knowles’ defense did its job all afternoon, only surrendering 13 points and causing two timely turnovers, without which the outcome could’ve been worse. Michigan’s only touchdown followed a Penn State-PTSD interception deep in Ohio State territory that set up the Wolverines in a goal-to-go situation. 

Wins and losses are a head coach and quarterback statistic. As the CEO and signal caller, that’s where the responsibility lies. No one disputes that Ryan Day is a great coach and that the players love and play hard for him. However, he has a Michigan problem right now, as many coaches in this rivalry have had, including the north’s native son, Jim Harbaugh, who began 0-5. 

This rivalry swings throughout history, and Buckeye Nation has been spoiled in the twenty-first century, winning 15 of 16 between 2004 and 2019. In 2021 and 2023, Michigan had the better teams. But in 2022 and 2024, Ohio State did and lost. Why? Sometimes, that’s how the rivalry goes—just ask Woody Hayes in 1969. 

It’s how you’re defined by these two schools, and you can’t lose at home in a must-win game favored by three touchdowns. 

Pointing the finger at Jayden Fielding for missing two field goals inside of 40 yards is reasonable or Will Howard for his poor interceptions and decision-making all day or Chip Kelly due to his massively confusing game plan. Ultimately, it falls on Ryan Day and the offensive game plan, and right now, his legacy reads 1-4, not 66-10, because of it. 

But Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have a chance to turn the tide in the College Football Playoff by winning the National Title. Can they do it?