1. Michigan's defense was championship caliber
Going into Saturday Ohio State's offense was posting about 40 a game. They were held to a season-low in points and passing yards for Will Howard. His quarterback rating was the lowest it has been all season long as well. Howard and the Buckeyes were shut completely out in the second 30 minutes.
Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were outrushed by Kalel Mullings single-handedly. Henderson's 21 yards was a new low for him on the season. In total Michigan's defenders never let the Buckeye offense explode for a play over 25 yards.
Ohio State's 10 points in a loss to Michigan are the fewest the Buckeyes have scored in a regular-season game since a 24-6 loss to Miami Sept. 17, 2011, when Luke Fickell was interim head coach. pic.twitter.com/b99yNjXp1w
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 30, 2024
In the receiving category, Ohio State's embarrassment of riches was anything but deadly. Without Will Johnson, Michigan's pass defense didn't even need their All-American corner to get it done. This performance by the secondary is what kept the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship next weekend.