Wonderwall

 

It is perhaps only fitting that this game's winning points were scored by players wearing 19 and 96 (Michigan Athletics)

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you
By now, you should've somehow realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now

 

And backbeat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now"

 

--"Wonderwall" by Oasis, the fourth single from the band's 1995 album (What's the Story) Mornin Glory

"Wonderwall" is inevitable.  Dread it, run from it, Wonderwall arrives all the same.  2.1 billion streams on Spotify inevitable.  Inevitable as Michigan beating Ryan Day's Ohio State team.

Look, I'm not going to tell you I called this, or predicted this, or thought it was going to happen.  I spent much of this week hoping Michigan would just keep this game respectable, perhaps close until halftime, enough to say "ahh well, nevertheless" when Ohio State pulled away in the second half on their way to Indianapolis for the first time since 2020.  All good things and what not.

So, when Michigan held Ohio State to a field goal on their first offensive drive, it seemed like a win.  The dam was holding.  Then Michigan went on an 11 play, 72 yard drive, only to get stopped at the OSU 3.  I still liked the aggressiveness to go for it there, but it didn't work.  Except, well, fortune favors the bold and three plays later, Michigan got an Aamir Hall pick and set up at the OSU 2.  Two Kalel Mullings runs later and Michigan was up 7-3.  Michigan led in this game after both team had possessed the ball.  This seemed unfathomable, and yet.  And yet.

There are so many small moments in this edition of The Game that add up.  Ohio State's missed field goals, the backbreaking interceptions that don't actually break anyone's back.  Michigan doing just enough to not let Ohio State possess the ball.  Ohio State doing just enough to make their fans mad.  But in the end, the legacy drive of this game is going to be the final field goal drive.  Michigan counted Kalel Mullings (and a sprinkling of Jordan Marshall) to bring them home.  There was only one spectacular run and it was when Mullings ran into the line on third down, got nothing and bounced outside for 27 yards to put Michigan not only within Zvada's range, but inside the red zone with a fresh set of downs.  Michigan could now burn more clock and hope to, at worst, come away with a three point lead.  That Ryan Day helped matters by attempting to call a second straight timeout, which had been illegal since 2023, and having to take an illegal substitution penalty out of a time out, gifting Michigan first and goal on the four meant they had to burn the remainder of their time outs, watch Zvada kick the field goal, and then hope they could get something together in the remaining 45 seconds They could not.  Michigan got some pressures, Howard and his all-America receivers could only muster one yard and Michigan could, once more, kneel it out.

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you
But I don't know how

Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall

Had I written this on Saturday, I might have had some thoughts about the post-game unpleasantness that might have seemed original or novel, but in the harsh light of Sunday morning, it is best looking at it as a thing that happened and we can move on from it.

Michigan ended up being inevitable in a way that Ohio State felt like in the 2010s, in a way that Michigan felt like in the 1990s.  This game was a wonderful combination of the 1993, 1995, and 1996 editions of The Game.  Michigan under-performed expectations all year, even when adjusted for context, but they actually did start playing better as November wound on.  One of the questions that I saw people raising during the week was whether Sherrone "got" The Game and would he be able to demonstrate something novel, something big in the face of the overwhelming odds.  And then they just went out and won The Game with this version of Michigan against that version of Ohio State.  Michigan assures it won't finish below .500 this season, even with the likely opt outs in the bowl game.  Michigan gets some recruiting and portal momentum going into the off-season.  No one knows what next season holds.  But for this season, a beautiful capper of an often frustrating and confusing year.  Ohio beaten, once more.

Tales from the Spreadsheet

• 13-10 is NOT a Scorigami (2000 Wisconsin, the only other entry, which was win #800.)
  
• 106,005 were in attendance.
  
  
• Michigan moves to 62-52-6 all-time against Ohio State University
  
• Michigan moves to 3-5-0 all-time on November 30 (There's a lot of Ohio State games in there, including the 1918 which was the first time these two teams ended the season with each other.  It also includes the 1905 loss to Chicago 2-0 where the 56 game unbeaten streak by Yost's 1901-1905 teams.)
  
  
• Michigan moves to 19-16-1 when scoring exactly 13 points (yes, that includes the 1992 tie with OSU).
• Michigan moves to 57-10-1 all-time when allowing 10 points to the opposition (Yes, that includes the 10-10 tie in the 1973 Ohio State game.)
• Michigan has won 50 games all-time by precisely 3 points, most recently, this year's Jug game.