U-M Stuns Ohio State to Close Regular Season With Upset Victory ...
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Stadium)
Score: Michigan 13, #2 Ohio State 10
Records: U-M (7-5, 5-4 B1G), Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 B1G)
Attendance: 106,005
Next U-M Event: TBD
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Michigan football team closed the 2024 regular season with a 13-10 victory over rival No. 2-ranked Ohio State on Saturday (Nov. 30) at Ohio Stadium. The Wolverines held the Buckeyes scoreless the entire second half and closed the game with a strong rushing attack.
With 6:13 remaining in the game and the score tied 10-10, the Wolverines mounted an 11-play drive that consisted of running plays, including nine rushes for 53 yards by Kalel Mullings. The drive shed more than five minutes off the clock and ended in a 21-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada to take a 13-10 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. U-M secured the upset win on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Buckeyes to just one yard on the game's closing drive.
The Maize and Blue defense shined in the victory, holding Ohio State to season lows of 10 points and 252 total yards. The Wolverines added a pair of interceptions from Aamir Hall and Makari Paige to prevent Ohio State from scoring. In the game's final frame, Michigan allowed just 10 total yards and zero first downs to secure the win.
Mullings rushed the ball 32 times for 119 yards and scored the sole U-M touchdown. As a unit, the Michigan offense totaled 234 yards (172 rushing, 62 passing) and possessed the ball for seven more minutes than the Buckeyes.
After punting on its first possession, the Wolverines allowed a nine-play drive consisting of a steady dose of the Ohio State passing game. Michigan came up with a red-zone stand and held the Buckeyes to a 29-yard field goal.
U-M responded with a long drive of its own, a 6:30 march spanning the entire field, before getting stopped on a fourth-down rushing attempt at the Ohio State three-yard line. Momentum turned quickly back in Michigan's direction when Hall jumped a route, intercepted a pass at the OSU 13-yard line and returned the ball to the OSU two-yard line. Two plays later, Mullings punched the ball into the end zone from one yard out to take a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.
After the Buckeyes missed a 38-yard field-goal try and were forced to punt following a three-and-out on their next offensive drive, the Wolverines were set up at the OSU 39-yard line. The offensive drive failed to gain momentum, but Zvada capped off the opportunity with a 54-yard field goal to move ahead 10-3 with 2:15 remaining in the first half.
Ohio State closed out the first-half scoring with a nine-play, 75-yard drive which culminated in a 10-yard passing touchdown to tie the game 10-10 at the break.
To open the second half, the teams traded punts, then turnovers. A diving Paige picked off an Ohio State pass at the U-M nine-yard line before Davis Warren threw an interception of his own to give the Buckeyes the ball back in Michigan territory. The Maize and Blue defense put up a strong front, holding OSU to a 34-yard field-goal try which was missed for the second time of the afternoon.
With the game stalled in a 10-10 tie, a U-M offensive drive commenced. An important play came when Warren, rolling out to his right, found Peyton O'Leary for a sliding sideline 18-yard catch on third down to keep the drive moving and bring the Wolverines into OSU territory. Set up at the Ohio State three-yard line, Warren threw his second interception of the game to give the Buckeyes the ball with less than eight minutes remaining in the contest.
U-M ran the clock down to 45 seconds and kicked the eventual game-winning field goal before putting together a defensive stand to secure the 13-10 victory in the rivalry game.
With the regular season now completed, the Wolverines await bowl game announcements to see who and where they will be playing this postseason.
