The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 O hio State players, including senior defensive end and Co- lumbus native Jack Sawyer, tried intimidating Michigan players as they left the field following pregame warmups Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium. There was a good vibe among Buck- eye fans tailgating and entering the sta- dium. This was the day that they were going to break their three-year losing streak to the hated team from the North. And then the game started. As the afternoon grew longer and lon- ger, the anxiety level of the Ohio State fan base increased. So did the grum- bling, and the occasional boos after questionable play calls. By the time the Buckeyes were down three points with 45 seconds to go, with one final chance to tie or take the lead, there was little be- lief in the stadium that quarterback Will Howard would lead a drive for the ages. Once the clock hit zero with the Wol- verines a 13-10 winner, it became clear that, yes, OSU head man Ryan Day has a Michigan problem. Michigan dominated defensively, hold- ing then-No. 2 Ohio State to 77 rushing yards and 10 points. The Wolverines won the field-position battle and started to get the run game going late to bleed the clock, possessing the ball for more than 13 minutes in the fourth quarter. Even with two turnovers, the game script played out exactly how Michigan needed it to for the Wolverines to pull off an upset as 20-point underdogs. To the victor goes the spoils. Michigan waved goodbye to those in red, sang "The Victors" and paraded its block 'M' flag around the Horse- shoe — just like in 2022. But this time, the Buckeyes took exception with a flag plant at midfield, with dozens of players rushing toward midfield to start a fight that ended with police officers deploy- ing pepper spray that hit not only the athletes but others in the middle of the ugly scene, including this writer. "I know that those guys were looking to put a flag on our field, and our guys weren't going to let that happen," Day said. The best way to stop a flag plant, though, is to just win the game — some- thing Day and Ohio State haven't been ca- pable of. The Buckeyes are set to compete for a national championship this postsea- son, but they're currently broken when it comes to the rivalry with Michigan. NOT SUCCESSFUL, BUT PRODUCTIVE Michigan finished the regular season 7-5, with its lowest win total in a full- length season since Brady Hoke's final year in 2014. The Wolverines fell to Illinois for the first time in 15 years and suffered only their second loss to Indiana since 1987. Even still, the 2024 season wasn't a complete failure. By beating Ohio State alone, it meant Michigan checked off one of its most important preseason goals. Winning "The Game" will forever be one of the first few things mentioned about U-M's Team 145, even with all the gripes throughout the year. It's not as if the win over Ohio State is all that matters, but it does help prop up the season that was. USA Today even gave head coach Sherrone Moore a B grade for his first year at the helm, citing the triumph as a big reason why. "Moore's grade would've been much lower had he not led Michigan to yet another win against Ohio State," the publication's Paul Myerberg wrote. This wasn't a successful season, though. That label is preserved for cham- pionship campaigns — and that will never change in Ann Arbor. But it sure was pro- ductive. Though the rocky season wasn't preferred, it did lead to some positive change, with U-M upping its NIL stature and landing the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation, quarterback Bryce Underwood, showing that the Maize and Blue aren't messing around. Plus, the Wolverines won all their rivalry and trophy games. Things could easily have been worse. "I'm just happy for all the support that we are getting, and that they're under- standing that this is a different world, that we do need that support," Moore said. An announcement that Underwood had signed with Champions Circle, the program's top collective, included that Larry Ellison, the No. 4 richest man in the world, per Forbes — behind Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg — and his wife, Jolin Ellison, were involved, putting the rest of the country on notice that Michigan is here to play. While Moore avoided a question at his signing day press conference regarding whether or not early-season struggles had an impact on momentum with raising NIL money, there's a strong likelihood it did. "I can't stomach waking up on a Saturday knowing that we're not the best team on the field," Jolin Ellison told Dave Portnoy, per the Barstool Sports founder. Much more than just recruiting has to occur at a high level to get back to the top of college football, but acquiring high-level talent is a prerequisite. The Wolverines are at least armed to compete in this new world. ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Michigan Broke Ohio State Ohio State's Jack Sawyer took out his frustra- tions on the U-M flag to kick off a postgame melee, but the Wolverines recovered the flag and exited Ohio Stadium as winners for a fourth straight year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.