COLUMBUS – Since most of the games in the history of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry were played before overtime was introduced to college football in 1996, it may not be hard to believe that the first 112 had been decided – win, lose or draw – in regulation.
The 113th was another story.
Curtis Samuel burst around the left side and sprinted 15 yards to the end zone on the fifth play of the second overtime and No. 2-ranked Ohio State’s defense beat Michigan, 30-27, in front of a Ohio Stadium-record 110,045 fans, almost certainly propelling the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff for the second time.
“I think we’re one of the top teams in the country,” head coach Urban Meyer said after the win. “I don’t really know that. I go week to week.”
‘It’s really out of our hands,” said quarterback J.T Barrett, who had earlier said he believed OSU deserved to be chosen by the selection committee as one of the four teams to play in a national semifinal. “At this time, I think we are one of the top teams in the country, personally, but I think that…it’s up to the committee to do their thing. I hope everything works out in our favor.”
For whatever it’s worth, neither team will have a chance to play in the Big Ten Championship game next Saturday. Penn State beat Michigan State a few hours later to earn the right to be the East Division representative.
Barrett and the offense played a sluggish three quarters of football, with Ohio State’s first touchdown coming on Malik Hooker record-setting third interception return for a touchdown on the season.
The Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) trailed 10-7 at halftime and did not score an offensive point until 3:06 remained in the third quarter when they were trailing, 17-7.
Mike Weber’s one-yard run capped a bizarre drive that started with Jerome Baker’s interception of a Wilson Speight pass, which gave the Buckeyes the ball on Michigan’s 1-yard line. An offside call on the Wolverines (10-2, 7-2) – and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for coach Jim Harbaugh’s clipboard-throwing reaction to it – gave Ohio State first-and-goal from the one before they had run a play.
The touchdown cut Michigan’s lead to 17-14 and Ohio State, having gained only 153 total yards in three quarters, piled up more 100 in the fourth quarter, culminating a 32-yard field goal by Tyler Durbin, who had earlier missed from 37 and 21 yards, to send an OSU Michigan game to overtime for the first time in history, tied at 17-17.
Barrett scored in the first overtime on a seven-yard run and Speight answered with a five-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh to send it to a second overtime tied at 24.
Ohio State won the coin toss and let Michigan’s offense start the second overtime. Kenny Allen’s 37-yard field goal gave the Wolverines a 27-24 lead.
Faced with fourth-and-one from the 16 on the Buckeyes’ possession, Meyer chose to go for it, sending Barrett over left guard where he was stood up just over the line. The crowd held its collective breath while the officials reviewed the play.
“That stopped the heart for a second,” Meyer said. “When the official said ‘They’re buzzing me for the spot.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness.’”
The video review upheld the call on the field of a first down, Meyer’s heart resumed its normal rhythm and, on the next play, Samuel galloped in for the game-winning touchdown, the signal for almost all of those 110,000 fans to storm the field for the celebration.
Barrett led Ohio State with 125 yards rushing, 57 in the final quarter and overtime, and 124 yards on 13-for-32 passing, with an interception. He was also sacked eight times.
Ohio State’s defense held the Wolverines to just 36 total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime.