The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JANUARY 2024 The emphasis isn't unusual, Minter ex- plained. Take down the biggest bully and you rule the schoolyard. "Any time you go somewhere and you assess — it started with Mike [Macdon- ald], and you carry it on — what's the thing that's kept this place from reaching the highest goals that you might have, and particularly, it was that game," Minter said. "There were so many wins, and that success, and a lot of good defense. The No. 1 defense in the country, top five, but is it set up to beat the team you know you have to beat, that you're going to play in the last game of the season every year?" This one is. The num- bers speak for themselves. Michigan's 30-24 victory over Ohio State this year didn't feature the 75- and 85- yard touchdown runs last year's stunner in Columbus did. But the Wolverines did pop a 22-yard touchdown burst by ju- nior tailback Blake Corum, one play after losing All-America guard Zak Zinter to a gruesome broken leg. They did nearly close it out with a run-heavy, clock- draining, field goal drive near the end. And to Minter's delight, they closed it out with heavy pressure on OSU quar- terback Kyle McCord, forcing him into a hurried, wobbling throw over the middle. Michi- gan junior safety Rod Moore — a Clayton, Ohio native, overlooked by the Buckeyes in recruiting — made a diving in- terception to seal the victory. "To me, this is the game," as- sured Minter. "When you come to Michigan, it's for this game, for this type of game. Our sea- son goals really hinged on that game. All the reason the guys came back, all the reasons we want to get to that next step as a program and have success in the championship game and in the playoffs, really hinged on that game. "It was a moment. I was happy with the way the game ended. Rod made a play, and I certainly got caught up in the moment, got excited." So much so he got caught on camera, waving goodbye to the Buckeyes after the game ended. He won't lose any points in Ann Arbor for that move. A DIFFERENT, DEEPLY SATISFYING VICTORY The 2023 win over the Buckeyes didn't feature The Big House as a snow globe, magical as a backdrop for The Game. That scene belonged to 2021, when Harbaugh's crew served up the breakthrough 42-27 win, backing down all OSU attempts at intimidation, and killed any comeback hopes by matching the Buckeyes scoring drive for scoring drive, and then some, down the stretch. This year's win obviously didn't rep- licate the Mordor-like scene of Colum- bus from last year, where locals packed Mt. Doom to witness the Wolverines fall into the fire. Those hopes, of course, got burned to a crisp when then-sophomore tailback Donovan Edwards turned on the afterburners. No, 2023 featured its own special ap- peal. Some will contest that it proved the most satisfying, most important Michi- gan victory of the three. That's because Harbaugh wasn't anywhere to be found, banned from the premises by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, before the results are in from an NCAA investiga- tion into advanced scouting/sign stealing alleged to perhaps be illicit. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore manned the helm, and Michigan haters manned the big megaphone, bellowing the notion that nothing Michigan accomplished in its turnaround meant much. Cheaters, they said. Watch what happens now. What happened in- volved more of the same. What hap- pened included Michigan advantages in the trenches on both offense and defense, even after Zinter fell. Gutsy throws by junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, de- clared by Harbaugh the best quarterback in Michigan football history. Gutsy calls by Moore, who rolled the dice on fourth down multiple times, after vowing to the team to call "the most aggressive game of my life." The defiance of Corum, who bolted for the post-Zinter-injury touch- down, when he flashed a "65" signal in the end zone, let- ting everyone know it was for Zinter. What happened included the togetherness of the Wol- verines as a team, the entire squad spilling onto the field to pray for, encourage and sup- port Zinter before medical personnel carted him up the tunnel. Michigan Stadium re- sounded that day with a cry of unity and good will. Let's go, Zak! Let's go, Zak! The crowd chanted it, over and over, while Zinter raised a resilient fist and gave the thumbs up. Moore recognized the meaningfulness of the moment, despite desperately wishing one of his linemen hadn't been felled so violently. "Sad, heartbroken, but also joyful to watch his fam- ily members, his brothers, be there for him," Moore noted, As the Michigan Stadium crowd chanted, "Let's go, Zak," over and over, the injured Zinter saluted the fans as he left the field. The Wolverines responded immediately, with senior running back Blake Corum dashing 22 yards for a touchdown on the next play to put U-M ahead, 24-17 with 1:55 remaining in the third quarter. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN ❱ Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter on facing Ohio State "It's a year-round process. The guys have really bought into that, and it's allowed us to be successful over the last couple of times we've played them."