Michigan Football: 3 key stats that defined win over Ohio State

The Michigan Wolverines led by Jim Harbaugh upset formerly ranked #2 Buckeyes 42-27 in a thrilling rivalry week. This is Jim Harbaugh’s first win over the Buckeyes since being hired as the Head Coach for the Wolverines.

It’s still hard to process that the Michigan Wolverines seriously beat the Buckeyes. Some may refer to the Buckeyes as the Deathstar of the Big Ten since they were undefeated in the Big Ten since Ryan Day took over. That record was blemished by Jim Harbaugh and company.

There were plenty of major variables that contributed to the success of Michigan football. While some were controlled variables, others were uncontrolled variables such as the weather. The formula to success was executed perfectly despite all the conflict, let’s dissect 3 key stats that played the biggest factor against the Buckeyes.

1. 233 more rushing yards than the Buckeyes

It’s no secret that Hassan Haskins lit up the Big House on Saturday with one of the greatest single-game performances by a Michigan football running back against the Buckeyes. But the success of the run game was not given, it was earned.

The unsung heroes of the run game though were the offensive lineman. Establishing a physical front early with continued success opened up heaps of space for Hassan and Corum inside the gaps to pick up critical first downs.

Legendary coach John Madden referred to the offensive line play as “as good an offensive line performance as he’s seen.” Harbaugh shared. Refer to the tweet below.