4B — November 28, 2016 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SportsMonday The good, the bad and the ugly: Ohio State For as heartbreaking as the Michigan football team’s 30-27 double-overtime defeat in Columbus was, there were plenty of joyful moments for Wolverine fans at Ohio Stadium. For the first three quarters of the game, it seemed as if Michigan would be able to cruise to victory the potency of its defense. It would have been difficult to predict what happened in the fourth quarter and in overtime, but quarterback J.T. Barett and running back Curtis Samuel breathed new life into the Buckeyes while the Wolverines floundered. The Daily breaks down the good, bad and ugly moments from No. 3 Michigan’s loss to No. 2 Ohio State. The good It really seemed like Michigan’s defense did all it could to secure Michigan’s first victory over Ohio State in five years. Safety Malik Hooker provided the Buckeyes’ lone touchdown of the first half, bailing out his offense by snagging redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight’s pass and taking it 16 yards to the house. The Buckeyes’ offense sputtered to just 81 first-half yards, and Barrett struggled with his passing game in that frame as well, throwing 5-for- 11 for just 40 yards under Michigan’s constant pressure. Barrett was sacked eight times total, but he was able to step up his game in the fourth quarter when his team needed it most. We’re placing Wilton Speight in the “good” category for now (more on that later) due to his performance following an injury that kept him out of the Indiana game last week. If any pain still lingered, he did a good job of playing through it, as he went 23-for-36 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. In one of his more impressive plays on Saturday, he threw a bullet to fifth-year senior Amara Darboh on 4th-and-goal in the game’s first overtime to secure passage to a second overtime. Fifth-year senior kicker Kenny Allen was solid yet again, making both of his field-goal attempts and averaging 47.4 yards per punt. He had three punts over 50 yards, and had a few that pinned Ohio State within the 10-yard line. The bad Despite Speight’s performance, he had to be mentioned again in this section for a few crucial plays. After Peppers’ interception gave the Wolverines great field position, Speight fumbled the ball on the one-yard line. Speight said that there was a communication problem between him and the center due to the Horseshoe’s crowd noise, but that third- quarter score could have given the Wolverines the cushion it needed to win. Speight also threw two interceptions, but on his first (Hooker’s pick-six), his arm was knocked as he launched the ball out of the end zone. His second pick was less forgivable. Late in the third quarter, Jerome Baker intercepted his pass and carried it all the way to Michigan’s 13-yard line, setting up Mike Weber’s touchdown rush that put Ohio State within three points of the Wolverines. Michigan lost all of its momentum in the fourth quarter, going three-and-out on all three of its possessions and collecting just five offensive yards compared to the Buckeyes’ 127. The Wolverines’ defense started to crack after being forced to play for the majority of the final frame, and it allowed Ohio State to get within field- goal position twice. Buckeye kicker Tyler Durbin missed his first 21-yard field-goal attempt, but he nailed his second one from 23 yards out to send the game to overtime. The ugly Durbin’s missed field goals sent fans into a tizzy. His 37-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter sailed wide left after the Buckeyes marched 72 yards down the field on their first possession of the game. When he missed the chip shot in the fourth quarter, it looked like it might cost his team the game. He would be able to put it all together minutes later when it counted most, though. After the game, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said he was “bitterly disappointed” with the officiating. He was most upset with the spot that gave Ohio State a first down in the second overtime, opening up the gates for Samuel to run in a touchdown after Michigan was able to just hit a field goal. Harbaugh also insisted that sophomore wide receiver Grant Perry was being tackled before the ball ever got to him, and the pass interference call on senior safety Delano Hill looked to be uncatchable by the receiver. Harbaugh was also visibly angered during the game, throwing his play card toward the sidelines and smashing his headphones into the ground. Michigan received an unsportsmanlike conduct for that display, which put Ohio State on the Wolverines’ four- yard line. Two plays later, Weber would punch in a touchdown. KELLY HALL Daily Sports Editor Five Things We Learned Have you had time to digest it? The No. 3 Michigan football team fell, 30-27, in a crushing double-overtime loss to No. 2 Ohio State. At 10-2, the Wolverines are likely bound for the New Year’s Six, and yet they are still reeling after a hard- fought game that will go down in history. Here are five things we learned from “The Game”: 1. Michigan couldn’t close it out. The Wolverines dominated Ohio State for two and a half quarters. They led 17-7 at one point, and that lead would have been larger if not for an untimely pick-six thrown by redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight. But behind a fourth quarter in which Michigan gained just five yards, the Buckeyes came all the way back. First, a Jerome Baker interception late in the third quarter gave the Buckeyes great field position in the red zone. Then, a pair of penalties backed the Michigan defense up to its own 4-yard line. It is noteworthy to understand that the Wolverines were stellar on defense nearly all day. There is a very real chance they could have forced a field goal. But they didn’t, and the comeback was on. In the fourth quarter, Michigan’s offense just didn’t do enough to secure the win. Even after Ohio State’s Tyler Durbin missed a 21-yard field goal, it couldn’t put together a clock-killing drive. It had its chances, it just couldn’t convert. 2. Wilton Speight is a warrior, even in a loss. Yes, he made a handful of mistakes. His two interceptions and fumbled snap on the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line proved costly, and there’s no ignoring that. But man, Michigan’s quarterback sure came up big by playing at all. He wouldn’t say what his injury was or what percentage he was playing at, but he couldn’t have been feeling completely healthy. So yes, the interceptions were damning, but the level at which he played was still enough to give the Wolverines a chance. He finished 23-of-36 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns, even without throwing deep. He kept relatively cool in an exceptionally difficult place to play. You certainly can’t ask for much more out of a player whose status was totally uncertain coming in. 3. J.T. Barrett still has Michigan’s number. Barrett had been held in check all day, but in the fourth quarter and overtime, he surged. Even if his final carry, a play that will live forever, appeared to be just short (both in person and on video), it stood, and it counts as part of another strong game for Barrett rushing. His 135 yards on the ground came exactly when his team needed them, and though he was sacked eight times, he never seemed rattled. It wasn’t his finest game, but it was just enough to win. 4. The two best teams in the conference aren’t heading to Indy. It’s a weird reality, but it’s true. After what happened at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, it’s tough to argue anything else. Michigan and Ohio State both beat Wisconsin, and the Wolverines beat Penn State by 39. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes, but they didn’t beat an Ohio State team that looked like the one that showed up Saturday. And yet, Penn State and the Badgers are playing for the conference title this weekend. The winner will have a trophy saying it’s the best in the Big Ten. But anyone watching Saturday’s game could tell you that’s probably not enough to overcome the eye test. Michigan and Ohio State are the Big Ten’s best, and conference commissioner Jim Delaney is probably none too happy that neither is going to have a chance to make that official. 5. Bold Prediction: Jabrill Peppers will not get invited to New York. There was a time when Peppers looked like a lock to be at least a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, but his candidacy has thinned since. He has a punt return touchdown against Colorado, two rushing touchdowns against Rutgers and one against Michigan State. He’s one of the best players in the country, and no one is questioning that, but without a signature game against Ohio State, it will be tough to garner an invite. Peppers still had seven tackles and an interception, but he was stymied on offense. He should still be an All-American. But he probably will not get that coveted trip to New York. Wolverines came within striking distance of upset, but couldn’t finish the win MAX BULTMAN Managing Sports Editor SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily Michigan’s defense delivered a mostly dominant performance Saturday, but the Wolverines allowed a late surge to Ohio State and lost in double overtime. FOOTBALL