With two of the top three teams in the country playing at “The Big House” on Saturday, the game of the year was expected in college football.
No. 3 Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State delivered on that expectation as the Big Ten East Division title was won in a matchup between two of the top three defenses in the country.
Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes argues a review of a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter in a game at Michigan Stadium Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Michigan defeated Ohio State 30-24 in the 119th edition of “The Game,” the third consecutive win in the rivalry for the Wolverines.
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In a back-and-forth second half, the Wolverines got the stop they needed, intercepting Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord in their own territory with 25 seconds left.
Michigan was able to go on a physical drive in the fourth quarter while up three, killing the clock and taking a six-point lead. Michigan got the ball with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter after an Ohio State touchdown cut the lead to three. A 13-play, seven-minute drive gave the Buckeyes just 1:05 left to get into the endzone.
Blake Corum of the Michigan Wolverines runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter of a game at Michigan Stadium Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Running Blake Corum finished the day with 22 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
“It means everything to me,” Corum said on the field after the win. “My guys, we all came back for each other. We did it today. This is what we came back for. Games like this. In ‘The Big House’ when your backs against the wall and people think you can’t do it. People calling you all types of names. But we stand strong, and we stay together as one, and we came up victorious.”
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The Wolverines looked like they were going to put Ohio State away early, jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
Michigan got on the board first after a first quarter Will Johnson interception of McCord, with Corum capitalizing with a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
Kyle McCord (6) of the Ohio State Buckeyes scrambles in the end zone against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter in a game at Michigan Stadium Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy put Michigan up by two-scores in the second quarter with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson.
But Ohio State responded, going on a seven-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown from McCord to Emeka Egbuka.
Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finished the day with 5 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, while McCord threw for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.