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A dominant decade: ‘The Game’s’ horseshoe history
GABE BURGGRAF
Asst. LTV Sports Producer
AMAL SAEED | LANTERN FILE PHOTO-
Ohio State then-redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) looks to pass the ball
during the second half of the game against Michigan on Nov. 24, 2018. Ohio State won 62-39.
Ohio State has not played Michigan at home since.
It’s been nearly four years since the
Buckeyes welcomed Michigan to Ohio
Stadium.
In 2020, “The Game” was canceled due
to an increase in positive COVID-19 cas-
es within the Michigan program during
the week leading up to the matchup.
Nonetheless, the ‘Shoe has proved a
fortress for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes have only lost six games
in the ‘Shoe since 2010, with two coming
in 2011 under former head coach Luke
Fickell and the most recent against Ore-
gon Sep. 11, 2021.
However, in the last five Ohio
State-Michigan matchups south of Lake
Erie, the Buckeyes have dominated the
win column, victorious each game in
their home stadium.
Let’s take a look back at the recent edi-
tions of “The Game” in the ‘Shoe:
2018: No. 10 Ohio State dominates No.
4 Michigan 62-39
Ohio
State
quarterback
Dwayne
Haskins threw three first half touchdown
passes, connecting with wide receiver
Chris Olave for two before lofting one to
a wide open Johnnie Dixon III, giving
the Buckeyes a 21-6 lead in the second
quarter
Wolverines quarterback Shea Patter-
son tossed two touchdowns of his own to
keep Michigan within striking distance,
cutting the lead to two before Blake
Haubeil’s 19-yard field goal gave Ohio
State a 24-19 lead at the break.
That was as close as it would get for
Michigan, defensive back Sevyn Banks
caught a blocked punt mid-air, return-
ing it 33 yards for an Ohio State touch-
down, spurring 17-unanswered points as
the Buckeyes stretched the lead to 41-19
headed to the final frame.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines scored
two more touchdowns each in the fourth
quarter, as Ohio State cruised to a 62-39
win.
Haskins was efficient through the air,
completing 20 of 31 passes for 396 yards
and six scores.
Patterson played well, completing
20 of 34 passes for 187 yards and three
touchdowns, but the Buckeyes offensive
artillery proved too much to keep pace
with.
2016: No. 2 Ohio State wins a battle of
inches, outlasts No. 3 Michigan 30-27 in
overtime
The Ohio State defense scored the first
touchdown, pressuring Wolverines quar-
terback Wilton Speight into a rushed
throw from his own end zone, then in-
tercepted and returned 16 yards by safe-
ty Malik Hooker to put the Buckeyes up
7-3 with just over four minutes left in the
second quarter.
But Michigan answered, as running
back Khalid Hill plunged over the goal
line from the 1-yard line, giving the Wol-
verines a 10-7 lead at the half. Hill added
an 8-yard receiving touchdown as Michi-
gan took a 10 point lead midway through
the third quarter.
After Speight’s second interception of
the day gave Ohio State great field po-
sition, running back Mike Weber dove
over the goal line for a 1-yard score,
cutting the deficit to three at 17-14 after
three quarters.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett led the Buck-
eyes down to the Wolverine 6-yard line
with 6 seconds left. Kicker Tyler Durbin’s
23-yard field goal attempt tied the game
17-all, deadlocking “The Game” at the
end of regulation.
Barrett scampered in from the 7-yard
line on the Buckeyes’ first overtime pos-
session, and the Wolverines threw for a
score on fourth and goal to end overtime
knotted at 24.
Ohio State forced a Michigan field
goal on the first possession of the sec-
ond overtime period and on foruth and
1 from the 16, Barrett kept the ball on a
read option, running left behind his tight
end before being knocked down right on
the line to gain.
The spot gave Barrett and the Buck-
eyes the first down, and after review, the
play stood as called on the field, giving
Ohio State a fresh set of downs from the
15-yard line.
On the next play, Buckeyes receiver
Curtis Samuel took the handoff 15 yards
untouched behind, pulling offensive line-
men to the endzone, ending the game in-
stantly with a touchdown, the final score
reading 30-27 in favor of Ohio State.
Despite keeping pace with the Buck-
eyes on the scoreboard, the Michigan
ground game only rushed for 93 yards on
43 attempts.
And despite Weber only gaining 26
yards on 11 attempts, the Buckeyes
rushed for 206 yards and three touch-
downs. Barrett was only 15 of 32 for 124
yards through the air, throwing no touch-
down passes and one interception, but he
rushed 30 times for 125 yards.
2014: No. 6 Ohio State feeds Ezekiel
Elliott, runs to 42-28 victory over Mich-
igan
The tight end attack started early.
Both scores in the first quarter were
receiving touchdowns, the first from
Barrett to tight end Nick Vannett for a
6-yard score and the second from Mich-
igan quarterback Devin Gardner, who
connected with tight end Jake Butt for 12
yards.
Michigan running back Drake John-
son and Barrett went back-and-forth,
each rushing for two touchdowns. With
“The Game” knotted up at 21 midway
through the third quarter, Buckeyes run-
ning back Ezekiel Elliott tallied a 2-yard
touchdown rush, propelling Ohio State
to a 28-21 lead after the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter,
Barrett was tackled behind the line, even-
tually being carted off with a leg injury.
On fourth and 1 at the Michigan 44-
yard line, Elliott burst through a hole
on the left side of the line, sprinting 44
yards to the endzone to give Ohio State
a two-possession, 35-21 lead with just un-
der five minutes left in regulation.
Linebacker Darron Lee recovered
and returned a Gardner fumble 33 yards
to the end zone to put the exclamation
point on 21 unanswered Buckeyes points,
as Ohio State claimed a 42-28 victory.
Ohio State pounded the rock to the
tune of 39 carries, 233 yards and four
touchdowns. Elliott’s 17 attempts gar-
nered 121 yards and two touchdowns, as
Barrett was 13 of 21 for 176 yards and one
touchdown pass.
Gardner completed 22 of 32 passes
for 233 yards, with two touchdowns and
one interception. Despite Johnson’s two
rushing touchdowns, he gained 74 yards
on 15 carries as the Wolverines ran for
only 121 yards on the day.
2012: Basil’s leg powers No. 4 Ohio
State past No. 20 Michigan 26-21
Buckeyes running back Carlos Hyde
powered into the endzone from 3 yards
out on the game’s first drive to put Ohio
State up 7-0.
Michigan quarterback Denard Robin-
son connected with wide receiver Roy
Roundtree, who broke a would-be Buck-
eye tackle before trotting into the end
zone midway through the first quarter to
even the score at seven.
Ohio State kicker Drew Basil split the
uprights at the end of the first, putting
Ohio State up 10-7 after one.
The Wolverines used a quarterback
tandem with Robinson and Gardner, who
bludgeoned in from two yards out to give
Michigan the lead early in the second
quarter.
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Mill-
er connected with wide receiver Corey
Brown for a 14-yard passing touchdown
to respond late in the half.
The Buckeyes grabbed the lead for all
of 50 seconds, as Robinson accelerated
and broke a tackle, scrambling 67 yards
to put the Wolverines up by four.
Before time expired, Basil struck his
second field goal, this one from 52 yards,
through the uprights as time expired,
with Ohio State trailing 21-20 headed
into the locker room.
Basil knocked a third field goal from 28
yards midway through the third, to give
Ohio State the lead, 23-21.
The Buckeyes defense held firm, keep-
ing the Wolverines scoreless in the sec-
ond half as Basil drilled his fourth field
goal from 25 yards to give Ohio State a
26-21 lead.
Gardner was intercepted by Buckeyes
defensive back C.J. Barnett with just un-
der five minutes to play in the game. A
13-yard Hyde rush on third and 7 helped
salt the remaining time away, as Urban
Meyer won his first game against Michi-
gan as head coach, 26-21.
Hyde carried the ball 26 times for 146
yards and a touchdown. Miller complet-
ed 14 of 18 passes for 189 yards and a
touchdown and ran 20 times for 57 yards.
Brown caught eight passes for 95 yards
and a touchdown.
Robinson rushed 10 times for 122 yards
and a touchdown, but the Buckeyes de-
fense stiffened in the second half, record-
ing six tackles for loss and four sacks.
2010: Dan Herron dominates as No. 8
Ohio State cruises past Michigan 37-7
After a scoreless first quarter, a 33-yard
Devin Barclay field goal and a 7-yard
pass from quarterback Terelle Pryor to
wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher gave
Ohio State a 10-0 lead early in the second
quarter.
A Michael Shaw 1-yard rush closed the
gap to 10-7 midway through the second,
but Michigan wouldn’t score again.
The Buckeyes scored twice before half
time— a Jordan Hall 85-yard kickoff re-
turn and a 33-yard passing touchdown
from Pryor to wide receiver DeVier
Posey — on the way to scoring the game’s
final 27 points.
Ohio State running back Dan Herron
added a 32-yard rushing touchdown to
put the Buckeyes up 21 before two, third
quarter, Barclay field goals rounded out
the afternoon’s scoring as the Buckeyes
won 37-7.
Ohio State rushed 45 times for 258
yards, leaning on the run with the game
out of reach in the second half. Herron
finished with 22 carries, 175 yards and a
touchdown. Pryor was 18 of 27 for 220
yards, two touchdowns and one intercep-
tion.
Robinson ran 18 times for 105 yards
but threw for under 100 on eight comple-
tions as the Wolverines couldn’t muster
much through the air.
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