The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530730
JANUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 "They made it happen, and we had to go down and score points to win the game. We were able to do it. A true team effort, but those guys really stepped up in key moments." Meanwhile, Moore insisted on Warren maintaining a short memory. "He's talking about the pick, and I told him, don't do that again," Moore said. "Don't talk about that again. He played so well." Warren played well enough to coolly move Michigan downfield 57 yards in the final six minutes of the game. The break- through play involved Mullings smash- ing through the line, dragging Buckeyes and rumbling 27 yards to the OSU 17. From there, the Buckeyes were finished. "Really unbelievable," Warren said. "Superhuman from Kalel, especially on that third down, being able to shake a guy off and just wanting it more. That's what it came down to. He wanted it more." A LAUNCHING PAD For Michigan, the win serves as rocket fuel for the future. The Wolverines' for- tunes were already looking up. They put another scarlet notch on their belt, which no postgame scuffle, Playoff-de- void postseason, or transitory struggles could take away. They're looking to be loaded next season, personnel-wise, and the younger players share a monu- mental and motivating sensation with the veterans. They've never lost to Ohio State. They'd like to keep it that way. "It's hard to really put into words what it means to this group," Warren of- fered. "We talk about it 365 days a year. We've talked about it since I've been here. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh started it, and Coach [Sherrone] Moore kept it go- ing. This game means everything to us." "It's a blessing," Paige added. "To be able to go out 4-0 on those guys … Something feels right about that." "This is my first time in The Shoe ever," Stewart said. "First time winning there, and now 2-0 against O-State. Just the feeling that we all had in there, it's a real joy. The battles we've been through all year, it's like a cherry on the top." Moore himself moved to 2-0 as a game-day head coach against the Buck- eyes. He insisted strongly it's all about the players, and most importantly, their will to win in the biggest game of the year, regardless of what the oddsmak- ers say. "It starts up front — the trenches win the game," Moore insisted. "And it's not really about scheme. It's not really about techniques. It's about the will, and the will to want to put your man in the back- field or put him across the line of scrim- mage. That's what we preached all week, and that's what those guys did." ❏ Greatest Michigan Upsets Over Ohio State Michigan's 13-10 win over Ohio State in Columbus stirred conversation about the biggest upsets ever of the Wolverines over the Buckeyes. Here's our list: 1. 2024 — The 6-5, unranked Wolverines rumbled into Columbus and beat the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes, 13-10. Ohio State came in with only a one-point loss to No. 1 Oregon and betting lines had them as 20.5-point favorites. That number swelled to 23 on some projections after Michigan's top cornerback (Will Johnson) and tight end (Colston Loveland) were ruled out of the game. No matter. Michigan found a way. 2. 1993 — John Cooper's 9-0-1 squad got shut out by a 6-4 Michigan team, 28-0. Cooper called it "embarrassing," and the Wolverines called it just one of the 10 games they won in 13 tries (with one tie) against Cooper-led squads. 3. 1969 — Some will argue this should remain No. 1. Others — including All-American Dan Dierdorf — say it shouldn't make these lists at all, and it wasn't really an upset by a very talented Michigan team at home. But the Buckeyes were regarded as one of the best college football teams of all time, one that only a strong NFL squad could handle. Ohio State entered the game as the defending national champions with a 22-game winning streak. Instead, the Wolverines — as 16-point underdogs — shocked Woody Hayes' crew, 24-12, igniting the 10-Year War. 4. 1996 — An 18-point underdog Michigan crew ventured to Columbus with three losses under its belt, facing unbeaten, No. 2-ranked Ohio State. This one set the stage for Michigan's glorious 1997 season, with the Wolverines duking out a 13-9 victory. Quarterback Brian Griese rallied the team back from a 9-0 halftime deficit. 5. 1950 — Unranked Michigan went into No. 8 Ohio State's lair and received a colder reception than usual. A blizzard obliterated the field in the famous "Snow Bowl," captured by the Wolverines, 9-3. The teams punted a combined 45 times, and Tony Momsen's end zone recovery of his own punt block resulted in the game's only touchdown. — John Borton Junior transfer kicker Dominic Zvada coolly nailed two field goals against Ohio State, a 54-yarder in the first half and this game-winner from 21 yards out with 45 seconds remaining. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL