2022 Michigan Football Game 12 – Michigan 45 Ohio State 23 Photos
Michigan 45 Ohio State 23 – Game 12 Recap
GAME 12 PROJECTION vs. RESULTS
Final Score: 45-23, Michigan by 22 over Ohio State
SP+ Projection: Ohio State by 6.0 (+28)
CD Projection: Michigan by 3 (+19)
FIVE FACTORS
GAME 12 RECAP @ Ohio State
Offensively, this is by far the most explosive performance for Michigan that I have ever tracked (back to 2016), against ANY opponent. The Wolverines’ 2.20 IsoPPP (a metric that measures how explosive just the successful plays are) is 38% higher than the 2nd highest mark in the 2022 season. Michigan’s season-long success on the ground forced the Ohio State defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, to sell out 100% against the run. JJ McCarthy and Cornelius Johnson kept Michigan afloat in the first half by exploiting that aggressive plan. Then, in the 2nd half, the offensive line and Donovan Edwards left no doubt about who is in control. Edwards streaked for a 75-yard touchdown and an 85-yard touchdown to send the Buckeye fans packing in the 4th quarter.
After Mike MacDonald left in the offseason, Jim Harbaugh reportedly asked candidates how they would plan to stop both the Buckeyes and the Spartans. Today we finally got to see how Jesse Minter answered that question, and why he was selected to be the D Coordinator. Ohio State’s top-ranked pass offense was contained to gathering meaningless yards in the middle of the field. When push came to shove, CJ Stroud and company could not find the end zone. The Buckeyes settled for a meager 3.2 points per trip into scoring position. Ryan Day was also timid on 4th down calls after getting stuffed on an early aggressive decision. Take a bow, Mr. Minter!
Brad Robbins returned to his normal form as he pushed his net punting average back up over 40 yards per kick in this game. That was still 6 yards behind his counterpart from Ohio, but glad to see Robbins back to his old self. Jake Moody converted a 1st quarter attempt as Michigan weathered the storm, but couldn’t quite muster enough juice for a 57-yarder in the 4th quarter.
So now The Rivalry flips in favor of the Maize & Blue. This 2022 version of The Game felt like the inverse of the 2019 version (56-27 OSU). In both cases, the better team won. Both game scores were somewhat close into the 2nd half, but really stretched out late. And, in both cases, the 2nd best team on the field is left wondering whether they can just tweak a few things, or if they need to undergo a major overhaul. ONWARD to the B1G Championship Game!
2022 Michigan Wolverine Football Depth Chart – Offense – Game 12 vs Ohio State
2022 Michigan Wolverine Football Depth Chart – Defense – Game 12 vs Ohio State
THE GAME – Michigan vs Ohio State Football – Looking Back – 1964
However, the Wolverines had one thing in their favor coming into the 1964 season, maybe the most important thing: They had a lot of talented players coming back.
The first and final installment of this year’s series looking back at the football rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State takes us back to 1964. Lyndon B. Johnson was now president. The national economy was growing, unemployment was dropping, and The Beatles appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and took the nation by storm. And back in Michigan, the Wolverines were quietly returning a pretty good group of football players, including a pair of All-Americans, Robert Timberlake and William Yearby.
When the Wolverines arrived in Columbus, they knew it wouldn’t be easy to beat the Buckeyes. Sure enough, the game started in very slow, plodding fashion.
Finally, late in the second quarter, the patience paid off. After Ohio State muffed a punt, John Henderson pounced on the ball for Michigan at the Ohio State 20-yard line. Two plays later, Timberlake threw a 17-yard pass to Jim Detwiler, who literally landed on the goal line to give Michigan a 7-0 lead.
After Ohio State missed a pair of field goals in the first half, the Wolverines clamped down on the Buckeye attack in the second half. Rick Volk intercepted an Ohio State pass in the fourth quarter and the Wolverines took over at their own 28, with a little more than five minutes left to play. On Ohio State’s next possession, the Buckeyes drove to the Wolverines’ 43-yard line, but the drive stalled, and Michigan took over possession and ran out the clock, shutting out Ohio State 10-0, in Ohio Stadium, a feat that’s not easily accomplished in any era.
With the win, Michigan advanced won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines trounced Oregon State, 34-7. The Wolverines finished the season with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss, and were ranked No. 4 in both the AP poll and the coaches’ poll. In retrospect, only a failed two-point conversion against Purdue prevented a perfect season and a likely national championship. In all the 1964 Wolverines rank as one of the most under appreciated teams in the school’s illustrious football history.
Thanks to YouTube and YouTube poster WolverineHistorian for the highlight film of this game. As always, neither I nor anyone involved with umgoblue.com own anything and do not profit in any way from this blog post, which is intended strictly for the enjoyment of readers.