Five Things: Ryan Day's Buckeyes Dominate Michigan in Ann Arbor, End Four-Game Rivalry Slide

By Chris Lauderback on November 30, 2025 at 10:10 am
Jeremiah Smith
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Ryan Day exorcised his Michigan demons in grand style as No. 1 Ohio State throttled No. 15 Michigan, 27-9, in Ann Arbor to remain unbeaten (12-0) and advance to B1G Championship game. 

Despite the narrative Ohio State's offense could struggle in blustery conditions, its offensive line owned the trenches to the tune of 186 rushing yards against Michigan's 10th-ranked rush defense (allowing 94 yards per game) with zero sacks allowed. Meanwhile, the OSU defense had all the answers against Michigan's rudimentary attack leading to the Buckeyes outgaining the Wolverines 419-163 - good for Michigan's fewest yards in The Game since 2007. Ohio State possessed the ball for a staggering 40:01 of game time to just 19:59 for the maize and blue. 

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was feeling pretty good pregame...

...but not so much postgame as he offered, "They outplayed us today. So [we've] got a lot to work on. They just played better. They executed better. We didn't play good enough. We didn't execute good enough. They did when it mattered and they played a better game."

The win sets up a conference title showdown with 12-0 Indiana next Saturday night in Indianapolis. 

Before focus shifts to the Hoosiers, here are Five Things from a truly satisfying defeat of Sherrone Moore's Wolverines in the Big House. 

BO KNOWS DEBUTS

True freshman tailback Bo Jackson didn't even play one snap in Ohio State's season opener against Texas but in his collegiate debut the next week against Grambling, he flashed for 108 yards on 12 yards per carry with a touchdown to electrify the crowd. 

Jackson's been on a steady climb ever since, emerging as Ohio State's clear No. 1 ball carrier. Yesterday in his debut in The Game, he etched his name in rivalry lore with a stellar 26-touch, 166-yard effort (6.4 per touch) with a touchdown. Jackson's 166 yards were three more than Michigan's entire offense mustered on 42 plays. I repeat... 

Jackson's 166 yards were three more than Michigan's entire offense mustered on 42 plays.

Jackson's work on the ground, 117 yards on 5.3 a pop - wasn't totally surprising but it likely stunned many that he was utilized so effectively and heavily in the pass game as he caught four balls for 49 yards on four targets. 

Ohio State trailed 6-0 early and looked a little snakebitten as the defense allowed a field goal on Michigan's opening possession before Julian Sayin tossed an interception on the offense's second play from scrimmage leading to another Michigan field goal. With the Buckeyes needing to answer, Jackson peeled of a 23-yard catch and a 36-yard run as part of his 67 total yards on OSU's 69-yard field goal drive cutting the deficit to 6-3 late in the first quarter. 

Later in the first half, with OSU holding a 10-9 edge, Jackson racked up 41 total yards via a 16-yard run, two catches for 14 yards and three more carries for 11 yards during an 11-play, 87-yard touchdown march capped by a 4-yard scoring strike from Sayin to Brandon Inniss giving the Buckeyes a 17-9 edge with just 16 ticks left before intermission.

Finally, midway through the third quarter as OSU held a 24-9 cushion, Jackson chipped in a 9-yard run and a clutch 13-yard burst on 3rd-and-2 from the UM 48 to extend what became a game-defining 20-play, 81-yard field goal drive that chewed up 11:57 of game clock to put the game out of reach at 27-9 with only 8:10 left in regulation. 

Jackson's workhorse performance - the 26 touches, 117 rushing yards and 166 total yards were all career-highs - saw him looking fresh largely as a result of Day and Brian Hartline managing his touches during the regular season to keep him fresh for stretch run even as it became crystal clear months ago he's RB1.

CALIFORNIA COOL

After an incompletion on his first attempt and an interception on his second, Michigan fans might've been thinking it was too cold outside for a southern California product like Julian Sayin. As it turns out, Sayin is too cold inside. After the rough start, he completed 19 of his next 24 passes (two of the incompletions were throwaways) for 233 yards and three touchdowns to torch the Wolverines. 

He didn't throw back-to-back incompletions after that disastrous opening possession and was lethal when Ohio State needed him most. On third and fourth down snaps, Sayin completed 7-of-8 passes for 73 yards, five first downs and two touchdowns with four rushes for three first downs in a Heisman-worthy performance. 

Sayin's first touchdown toss of the afternoon came on 4th-and-5 as he connected with Jeremiah Smith to give Ohio State its first lead at 10-6 early in the second quarter. 

His second came on third down via a trail concept exploited more than once, this one to Brandon Inniss on 3rd-and-3 just before halftime to give OSU a 17-9 lead. 

His three runs for first downs came on the same marathon possession as he converted a 3rd-and-2 and a 3rd-and-1 on quarterback sneaks with another chain-mover coming on a nifty scramble on 3rd-and-3 that Day spotted from the sideline before racing his signal-caller to the first down marker. 

Jayden Fielding would cap what became a backbreaking 20-play drive with a 23-yard field goal to round out the game's scoring.  

The heady performance from Sayin vaulted him right back into the Heisman conversation and added another milestone to his fast-growing legacy. 

4 + 17 = W

After watching Ohio State's passing attack sputter as it played without Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate the past few weeks, it was clear winning in Ann Arbor would be a major challenge if both were unable to go. 

Instead, those two fought like hell to get better physically and be prepared mentally to give the Buckeyes a chance to be at their best in The Game. 

For Smith, it was a chance to walk the walk after he'd talked the talk back in June, promising he would not lose to Michigan over the next two seasons. For Tate, it was another chance to show he's worth a first round pick in next April's NFL Draft. 

Michigan opted to bracket Smith for much of the afternoon and after Sayin forced the ball his way early for an interception, he was more selective the rest of the way, taking what the defense gave him, although Smith still managed three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown on four targets. Despite atypical receptions/yards production, Smith's presence was felt as he put Zeke Berry in a blender and hauled in a 35-yard touchdown catch on 4th-and-5 to give OSU a 10-6 lead with 11:44 left in the second quarter. 

Alongside Smith, Tate was his typical exceptional self posting five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. 

Tate started his day converting a 3rd-and-7 with an 8-yard grab then added another 8-yard catch on 3rd-and-6 kept alive the drive that ended in Smith's touchdown.

After Michigan's Hudson Hollenbeck uncorked an 11-yard punt to give OSU the ball at its own 43 midway through the third quarter, Tate recorded a 7-yard catch on the possession's first snap and then on the next snap he ran under a Sayin teardrop for a 50-yard touchdown giving the Buckeyes a commanding 24-9 lead. 

Major props to both guys for battling injury to get on the field and fear of re-injury to stay on the field, and ultimately delivering clutch performances to help end Ohio State's four-game skid to the Wolverines. 

BELT. TO. ASS. 

Even with Smith and Tate in the lineup, the strength of Ohio State's team remains its defense and Matt Patricia's group delivered in spades against Michigan's predictable attack. Yeah, Michigan's had its fair share of injuries but the biggest problem seems to be an expensive quarterback that isn't yet ready for primetime. 

With Ohio State loaded on defense and enjoying a decided schematic advantage, it held Michigan's offense without a touchdown - the first team to do that since Notre Dame turned the trick against the Wolverines back in 2014. Yesterday also marked the 12th-consecutive game the Silver Bullets held their opponent to 16 points or less. 

The second half in particular was pure domination as the Buckeyes held Michigan to 39 total yards (including -8 on the ground), three first downs, 0-for-4 on third down, 0-for-1 on fourth down and 2.2 yards per play. Of those 39 total yards, 26 came on Michigan's first play of the second half meaning the Wolverines managed a ridiculous 13 yards on their final 17 plays of the second half. 

For the game, Michigan totaled 163 yards thanks in large part to being completely dominated on third down. Ohio State stopped the Wolverines on 8-of-9 third down tries, holding them to 8 yards, or 0.9 yards per play. All this of course starts with Bryce Underwood who completed 3-of-8 third down tosses for eight yards and the lone conversion. Overall, Underwood was 8-for-18 for 63 yards and threw a late-game pick into the arms of Davison Igbinosun, who was a tad bit fired up about it. 

Standouts on defense included Kayden McDonald who controlled interior line of scrimmage (5 stops), Sonny Styles (team-high 6 tackles, 1 TFL), Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (3 stops, 2 TFL, 1 sack), Caleb Downs (3 stops, 1 key PBU), Jaylen McClain (5 stops), and Caden Curry (4 stops). 

PROMISE OF A NEW DAY - FULFILLED

A Paula Abdul lyric makes its return to Five Things after Ryan Day delivered a statement win against Michigan, ending the hideous four-game losing streak in dominant fashion.

Day has learned from his rare failures as a head coach and yesterday was the latest example as his game plan played to his team's strengths, even after he could've flinched following Sayin's interception on Ohio State's first offensive possession that set up a short field and an early Michigan lead. 

Yeah the box score shows 47 runs to 26 passes but OSU used the pass to set up the run, then when the lead was secure, Day choked Michigan out with its own formula. Ohio State ran it down Michigan's throat for 110 yards over the final two quarters and possessed the football for a staggering 23:40 to Michigan's 6:20. 

You could see the emotion in Day's face as he hugged Matt Patricia and others during the on-field celebration and it spilled over into his classy postgame comments. 

“I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years, after winning this game, what I would say in this press conference. I’m gonna save all those comments because I think the best thing to do is win with humility. That’s what we’re gonna do. I think that speaks to our program and speaks to what it means to be a Buckeye. We wanted to take this rivalry game back this year. The way that our guys played certainly spoke to that. They played with great passion and great physicality.”

We'll never know exactly how tough it was for him to endure those four losses to Michigan, compounded by the insane behavior of the Lunatic Fringe, but he stood tall and it all came full circle today. 

You take it personally. I understand what it means. My family has been nine years now, so there’s nobody that wants to win this game more than me. But to win this game, it’s just a great moment. It’s one of those moments that you want to grab on for a while and just enjoy it. To see the joy in everyone’s face is really what this thing is all about. That’s what being a head coach is. It’s not about you. It’s not about raising trophies. It’s not about winning games. It’s about pouring back into the people that are around you. When I say people, it’s the players, it’s the coaches, it’s their families and the fans. Winning just gives us the opportunity to continue to do that, to make an impact.”

Since last year's loss to Michigan, he's now won 16 straight games with wins over No. 1 Oregon, No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Texas, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 15 Michigan, with a national championship cherry on top. 

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