Thanks again, Tyvis.
Back in May, we discussed whether we'd trade a win in "The Game" for a playoff victory over Clemson. In thinking through this scenario, I came back to what was going through my mind at the end of the 2013 Michigan game. I was a hot mess when – with just over 30 seconds remaining – Brady Hoke sent his offense out to go for two and the win. It made last season's final drive against Clemson somehow feel like just another game.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| MICHIGAN | 14 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 41 |
This one turned out to be one of the most exciting and nerve-racking games of the Urban Meyer era. The Buckeyes arrived in Ann Arbor at 11-0 on the season and 23-0 with Meyer at the helm. Hoke and the Wolverines were at 7-4 with losses coming against Penn State, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Coming in at No. 3 in the country behind only Alabama and Florida State, Ohio State was a 16-point road favorite over the unranked Wolverines. That's a significant spread for a game such as this, especially with the home team serving as the underdog. As we've seen before in late November, all rankings can be thrown aside when the two foes meet.
Looking back at this contest, one of the strangest storylines was the struggling defenses. Ohio State finished the season ranked No. 47 in the nation while the Wolverines would check in at No. 41. Based on those figures, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Michigan had no answer for Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde. As for the Silver Bullets? The defense allowed junior quarterback Devin Gardner to put up a historic stat line.
Gardner completed 32 of 45 passes for 451 yards and scored five touchdowns. Jeremy Gallon, Jake Butt, and Devin Funchess all hauled in touchdown passes. Gallon had one of the best games of his career with nine receptions for 175 yards. Also, just a quick reminder that in week seven he actually caught 14 passes for 369 yards and two scores against Kevin Wilson's Hoosiers (something I had completely forgotten about).
The two teams combined for over 1,100 yards of total offense and just about 400 of Ohio State's came courtesy of the ground game. Braxton Miller ran for 153 yards with three touchdowns while Carlos Hyde gashed the Wolverines for 226 and a score. Miller completed just 6 of his 15 passes for 133 with two touchdowns and an interception. Devin Smith and Jeff Heuerman were on the receiving end of the scores.
It was a back-and-forth game as the Big Ten rivals were tied at 14 after the first quarter. Michigan went up by a touchdown early in the second, and then all hell broke loose as fists and helmets began to fly. Marcus Hall and Dontre Wilson would be ejected for their roles in the kerfuffle and the Wolverines lost backup linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone. Hall decided to send his own little message as he was escorted off the field.
It was all tied up again at the half at 21 all, and then Ohio State got some separation in the third quarter as it was 35-21 heading into the game's final frame. More defensive issues allowed the Wolverines to get even at 35 before a Carlos Hyde score put the Buckeyes up by a touchdown.
Joey Bosa sacked Gardner on Michigan's final drive, but a throwback screen to Fitzgerald Toussaint got the Wolverines inside the Ohio State five with 35 seconds left on the clock. A two-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess made it 42-41, and then Brady Hoke decided to go for the win instead of taking things into overtime. I still firmly believe that Hoke made the right call going for the win at home.
It seemed that Tyvis Powell knew exactly what was coming when he picked off Gardner's two-point conversion toss and subsequently saved the game and the 2013 season. This one would rank right up there with 2006 and 2016 as three of the most heart-stopping editions of "The Game."
Unfortunately, Meyer would go on to taste defeat in the next two games as the defense continued its struggles against Michigan State and Clemson. The Wolverines fell to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in what would turn out to be Hoke's final postseason appearance. He was fired following a 5-7 campaign in 2014 which paved the way for Jim Harbaugh to experience much of the same fate in the rivalry.
