Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left and Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State, 13-10, on Saturday, likely ending the Buckeyes’ hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game next week.
Late in the game, Kalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4 in Big Ten play) at Ohio State’s 17-yard line with two minutes remaining. The drive stalled at the 3, and Zvada came on for the chip shot.
Ohio State (10-2, 7-2) got the ball back but couldn’t move it, with Will Howard throwing incomplete on fourth down to seal the Wolverines’ fourth straight win over their bitter rival.
This loss might have been the toughest of those four for Ohio State because the Wolverines were unranked and were wrapping up a disappointing season. The Buckeyes were supposed to win, but records rarely mean much when these two teams meet.
The Buckeyes were off all afternoon. Howard was 19 for 33 for 175 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and Jayden Fielding missed two field-goal attempts. The run game was hardly there.
Mullings was Michigan’s primary weapon. He rushed for 116 yards and the Wolverines’ only touchdown of the game in the first half as neither team could get much going offensively on the frigid afternoon.
Howard was clunky all day. In the first half, he threw an interception from deep in his own territory that led to Michigan’s touchdown.
After the game, Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. A skirmish ensued as both teams pushed and shoved before being separated.
Michigan: Did just enough and caught Ohio State on an off day.
Ohio State: It’s inexplicable how badly the Buckeyes played in their biggest game of the season.
The Buckeyes will fall.
Michigan will wait for a minor bowl game. Ohio State will see how the College Football Playoff rankings shake out.
Here are some stats behind Michigan’s wild upset, per FOX Sports Research:
- Saturday marks the first time Michigan has won four straight meetings against Ohio State since 1988-91.
- This is just the second time in the rivalry series history that an unranked Michigan team beat an AP-ranked Ohio State team on the road — and the first time since 1950.
- Michigan closed as a 19.5-point underdog, making this the largest upset in the rivalry series since at least 1978. Prior to Saturday, the largest upset in the series (since ’78) came in 1996, when Michigan won as a 17-point underdog. The underdog (Michigan every time) has now won in three of the past four meetings in this series.
- Michigan has won consecutive games in Columbus, Ohio for the first time since 1986-90 (won three in a row).
- The team to win the rushing battle has now won each of the last 23 meetings between these two teams; the last team to get out-rushed and still win the game was Michigan in 2000.
- Since 2021, Ohio State is now 0-4 against Michigan and 43-4 against all other teams.
- Ohio State lost its first home game vs. an unranked opponent since 2014 (vs. Virginia Tech), snapping a 54-game winning streak at home vs unranked opponents. Ohio State also snaps 13-game home winning streak.
- Ohio State has now lost multiple games to Big Ten opponents in the same season for the first time since 2011.
- Ryan Day is the first Ohio State coach to lose four straight games to Michigan since John Cooper (1988-91).
- Ryan Day recorded his first career loss against an unranked opponent and is now 47-1 against them.
- Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith finished with 35 yards and is now 66 shy of becoming the fourth freshman in Big Ten history with 1,000-plus receiving yards (David Bell, Rondale Moore, Mike Dudek).
- Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka finished with four receptions, now eight away from passing David Boston for the second-most in school history (Egbuka is at 184 and Boston is at 191, while KJ Hill Jr. has the most with 201).
Reporting by The Associated Press.
[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]
Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more