ORDER RESTORED
Ohio State beats That Team Up North, 27-9, and clinches its spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Presented by HOMAGE
The drought is over.
For the first time since 2019, Ohio State’s players will receive Gold Pants for beating Michigan. The Buckeyes ended their four-year losing streak against the Wolverines, completed a 12-0 regular season and punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game with a 27-9 win over their rivals.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns in his first game against Michigan, while freshman running back Bo Jackson had 166 yards from scrimmage in his rivalry debut. Ohio State’s defense held Michigan without a touchdown, marking the first time since 2007 that the Wolverines have failed to score a touchdown in The Game.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Ohio State | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| MICHIGAN | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| NOV. 29, 2025 • MICHIGAN STADIUM • ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN | |||||
The game got off to an ugly start for the Buckeyes as Michigan running back Jordan Marshall ran for 36 yards on the first play from scrimmage and Sayin threw an interception to Jyaire Hill on the Buckeyes’ second offensive play. The Buckeyes were forced to settle for a field goal on their second possession despite running six plays inside the 3-yard line with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham. But Ohio State’s defense held Michigan to field goals on each of its first two possessions to keep the Buckeyes in the game.
Ohio State took the lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Jeremiah Smith on 4th-and-5 in the second quarter, then followed that up with an 11-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with a 4-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Inniss to take a 17-9 lead into halftime.
The Buckeyes began to pull away in the third quarter with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Carnell Tate, then put the game away with a 20-play, 81-yard drive that took nearly 12 minutes off the clock between the third and fourth quarters before Jayden Fielding kicked a field goal to make it a three-score game with 8:10 to play. Davison Igbinosun put an exclamation point on the Ohio State win when he picked off Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood with 2:33 to play.
| Qtr | Time | Team | Result | Play Details | OSU | MICH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:37 | MICH | FG | 45-YARD KICK, DOMINIC ZVADA | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 9:42 | MICH | FG | 25-YARD KICK, DOMINIC ZVADA | 0 | 6 |
| 1 | 4:33 | OSU | FG | 24-YARD KICK, JAYDEN FIELDING | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | 11:44 | OSU | TD | 35-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO JEREMIAH SMITH | 10 | 6 |
| 2 | 5:24 | MICH | FG | 49-YARD KICK, DOMINIC ZVADA | 10 | 9 |
| 2 | 0:16 | OSU | TD | 4-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO BRANDON INNISS | 17 | 9 |
| 3 | 7:35 | OSU | TD | 50-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO CARNELL TATE | 24 | 9 |
| 4 | 8:10 | OSU | FG | 23-YARD KICK, JAYDEN FIELDING | 27 | 9 |
Key Moments
Q2, 11:41: Sayin and Smith connect for 35-yard touchdown
After Ohio State’s first two drives ended with Julian Sayin throwing an interception and settling for a field goal after a false start on 4th-and-1, Ohio State scored the game’s first touchdown and took its first lead of the game, 10-6, on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Jeremiah Smith on 4th-and-5.
SAYIN TO JEREMIAH SMITH FOR THE TOUCHDOWN@OhioStateFB takes the lead pic.twitter.com/RG18zeI9uq
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025
Q2, 0:16: Inniss scores 4-yard touchdown
After allowing Michigan to drive for its third field goal of the first half, Ohio State responded with a five-minute touchdown drive, culminating with a 4-yard pass from Sayin to Brandon Inniss on 3rd-and-goal, to take an eight-point lead into halftime.
INNISS TAKES IT IN FOR THE TD @OhioStateFB adds on another just before the half@ATTBusiness pic.twitter.com/CrC3xuqeDk
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025
Q3, 7:35: 50-yard deep bomb from Sayin to Tate
After an 11-yard punt by Michigan’s Hudson Hollenbeck gave Ohio State the ball near midfield, the Buckeyes capitalized with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Carnell Tate to take a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter.
HOME. RUN. HITTER.
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025
Carnell Tate hauls it in for @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/eQbICogClp
Q4, 8:10: Buckeyes cap 20-play drive with field goal
Ohio State effectively put the game away with a 20-play, 81-yard drive that took 11:56 off the clock before Jayden Fielding made a 23-yard field goal, giving the Buckeyes a three-score lead with just 8:10 to play.
Q4, 2:33: Igbinosun picks off Bryce Underwood
Davison Igbinosun put an exclamation point on Ohio State’s victory by picking off Bryce Underwood with less than three minutes to play.
BRYCE UNDERWOOD IS PICKED OFF@OhioStateFB's defense does it again pic.twitter.com/z945FIE9ZO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025
Team Stats
| OHIO STATE | MICHIGAN | |
|---|---|---|
| 419 | TOTAL YARDS | 163 |
| 186 | RUSHING YARDS | 100 |
| 47 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 24 |
| 4.0 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 4.2 |
| 0 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 233 | PASSING YARDS | 63 |
| 19-26 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 8-18 |
| 12.3 | YARDS PER COMPLETION | 7.9 |
| 3 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 22 | 1st DOWNS | 9 |
| 73 | TOTAL PLAYS | 42 |
| 5.7 | YARDS PER PLAY | 3.9 |
| 10-17 | 3RD DOWNS | 1-9 |
| 6-72 | PENALTIES | 1-3 |
| 40:01 | POSSESSION | 19:59 |
| 1 | TURNOVERS | 0 |
What’s Next
Ohio State will face Indiana in next week’s Big Ten Championship Game – its first Big Ten Championship Game appearance since 2020 – at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 6, and will be televised by FOX.
Game Notes
- The win completed the sixth 12-0 or better regular season (Ohio State went 13-0 in the regular season in 2002) in Ohio State history.
- All of Ohio State’s usual starters started the game, including wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, who both played despite being listed as questionable on the pregame status report.
- A first-quarter holding penalty called against Michigan was the first holding penalty called against one of Ohio State’s Big Ten opponents this season.
- Ohio State held Michigan to single digits in The Game for the first time since its 37-7 win over Michigan in 2010.
How Firm Thy Friendship, how BIG that win! Celebrate another victory over TTUN and gear up for the post-season with Scarlet and Gray gear they can't ignore, just like that scoreboard. Beat Xichigan - GO BUCKS!!
