The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
24 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW SHIFT OF FORTUNES Michigan's Breakthrough Versus OSU Changes 'The Game' BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan experienced two decades of near despair against Ohio State, the series hitting its all-time nadir in the eyes of Wolverine fans. From 2001-2019, the school boasting the most victories in college football history won precisely twice against its biggest rival. A pair of failed coaching hires for U-M, combined with a tandem of OSU bosses apparently unburdened by NCAA rules or civilized societal norms, spun the se- ries out of control — in Ohio State's favor. Aside from a victory in 2003 and another in 2011, the Wolverines succumbed, again and again — by gut-wrenchingly close margins at first, then by shocking margins following Lloyd Carr's departure from the scene. Michigan fans breathed a very quiet sigh of relief in 2020, when a COVID-19 break- out shelved The Game for a year. The Wol- verines gave up a combined 118 points in the previous two contests, so the trepida- tion seemed reasonable. Would this ever get turned around? Jim Harbaugh arrived in Michigan in 2015, and close observers on both sides in- sisted he could make this a rivalry again. It didn't happen immediately, although a sto- len contest in 2016 at Columbus stirred the embers in a big way. Still, the Wolverines couldn't break down the door. And then they did. Driven by the determination of veterans like Aidan Hutchinson, U-M ran right over the Buckeyes in 2021 at home, 42-27. The rejoicing amid the gently falling snowflakes in Michigan Stadium embodied both re- lief and release, tens of thousands of fans storming the field. Ohio State fans came away shocked and unsettled, but quickly took up the one- off narrative and predicted devastation for the Wolverines in Columbus the following Michigan's 42-27 victory against Ohio State in The Big House was cathartic for players and fans alike in 2021. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL (ABOVE), PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN (RIGHT)