COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State saved its finest struggle for final. Unfortunately for all that’s Scarlet and Gray, when the Buckeyes lastly began throwing punches — or one thing near them — time had expired right here Saturday afternoon.
On the sport.
Perhaps on the season.
The ensuing postgame melee between Ohio State and Michigan laid naked the worst elements of one of many sport’s finest rivalries. Several skirmishes broke out on the sphere amongst gamers following Michigan’s 13-10 win after some Wolverines gamers tried to plant two of the workforce’s flags at midfield.
In what was their strongest show of male testosterone of the day, Ohio State lastly defended their discipline — because the stands have been emptying out, because the boos have been raining down. As a fourth straight loss to the Team Up North started to sink in.
And fester.
“We’re going to win in your own home, and we’ll plant the flag,” Michigan quarterback Davis Warren mentioned afterward. “You ought to have accomplished one thing about it.”
All of it got here after 4 years of planning for this second, when all issues Harbaugh, Stalions and Go Blue have been going to be backhanded into the Olentangy River in a single huge payback that was going to make all proper with the Ohio State universe once more. The line opened with Ohio State favored by 23.5 factors, the most important within the historical past of the sequence. Ohio State fielded the very best roster cash may purchase, $20 million of it, for this objective. To pound Michigan.
And then the Buckeyes did what they completely could not, should not do. They got here out flat.
That’s one of the simplest ways to elucidate how a workforce whose solely blemish this season was a one-point loss to Oregon may stink this a lot. All it was going to take for a Big Ten Championship Game rematch with the Ducks was a snug win over the Wolverines.
Saturday was purported to be a pit cease for Ohio State on its approach to Indy.
Instead, Buckeye Nation wanted a barf bag.
Instead, Ohio State did not rating within the second half. Not solely that, it did not have a lot as a primary down within the sport’s last 20 minutes. A Michigan workforce that could not move (128th nationally) did not actually must. The Wolverines rammed it up the intestine 11 straight operating performs for the game-winning discipline purpose with 45 seconds left.
The rating was harking back to these epic slugfests within the Ten-Year War: Bo and Woody. Except this one may have, at occasions, been fought with these foam noodles you hit one another with within the pool.
Each quarterback threw a pair of interceptions. You can perceive Michigan’s play-calling being conservative. It did not have the firepower to start with. But Ohio State regarded prefer it was making an attempt to expire the clock from the start.
There have been too many runs into the center of the road. Next to no creativeness. The boos from 106,000 followers started cascading down within the second half.
That from an adoring crowd following the nation’s No. 2-ranked workforce. Yeah, that is how a lot the Buckeyes stunk.
“They tried to take a look at us [before the game],” mentioned Michigan defensive again Makari Paige, who had a type of interceptions. “They tried to stare us down. We knew in our head they actually did not wish to come out right here and play us.”
Adding obscurity to insult, the nation’s No. 2 workforce was crushed by a switch kicker from Troy (Dominic Zvada) and Warren, a former walk-on.
Zvada is definitely one of many nation’s higher kickers, a two-time Lou Groza Award finalist. It’s simply that the Buckeyes did not determine he’d determine within the consequence. Zvada’s 54-yarder within the first half made him 7-for-7 from 50-plus this season.
And whereas all this Ohio State angst goes round, Ryan Day could wish to examine his again too.
“As you realize,” the coach instructed reporters, “this isn’t straightforward to simply accept.”
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard — he of the 2 crippling interceptions — was requested the place on the checklist of takeaways was the actual fact the Buckeyes, 10-2, are nonetheless probably within the College Football Playoff.
“Very low,” he mentioned.
There was some ugly historical past right here. In 2017, Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield took a victory lap with the workforce flag and tried to plant it at midfield following an enormous OU win right here. He later apologized.
Ohio State gamers have been seconds into singing the college track “Carmen Ohio” Saturday after they observed the Michigan flags waving close to midfield.
“They’ve acquired their f****** flag,” Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer mentioned.
Seconds later, Michigan fullback Max Bredeson acquired pepper-sprayed straight within the face by a police officer.
“I’m all proper. I’m proper,” Bredeson mentioned with tears operating down his face from the pepper spray.
“I’ll kill you for actual,” one unidentified Michigan participant shouted at an opponent.
“I’ve by no means misplaced [to Ohio State],” defensive lineman Mason Graham yelled to taunting followers as he ran up a ramp to the guests’ locker room.
Four in a row provides to the depths of Day’s scenario. He is now 1-4 towards Michigan and regarded a bit shell-shocked afterward.
“I’ve to take the possession,” Day mentioned.
The response will probably be much more profound than simply possession within the coming days. For the fourth 12 months in a row, a workforce aside from Ohio State goes to win the Big Ten.
“We’re going to regroup and go into the playoffs and make a run,” Howard mentioned, virtually making an attempt to persuade himself.
So at the least there was that.
Ohio State misplaced to a workforce that was about to turn into the primary defending nationwide champion to lose at the least six video games the next 12 months since 1943. That would possibly nonetheless occur in Michigan’s bowl sport, however the candy reminiscences of Saturday will prevail.
The violent aftermath was harking back to the 2002 Michigan-Ohio State sport right here, when police pepper-sprayed followers who have been making an attempt to tear down goalposts following that 12 months’s win that clinched a spot within the BCS Championship Gam, which Ohio State gained.
And it is by no means a great signal when a press release from Ohio State Police trumps postgame feedback by gamers and coaches.
“Obviously, some issues occurred, and we’re nonetheless making an attempt to type by way of and determine what occurred,” Eric Whiteside, Ohio State Police Department deputy chief, instructed CBS Sports.
In retaining with the spirit of issues, the sport ended with a Michigan participant being flagged for “simulating taking pictures a gun” whereas celebrating the win.
Things devolved from there, at the least for Ohio State.
MORE: Ohio State nonetheless in nice College Football Playoff place
