Well, its officially been 2,557 days since Ohio State lost to Michigan. After another dominant performance in The Game, the Buckeyes emerged victorious and the field was stormed once again. How did Ohio State come out on top in this years edition of The Game? Read on for the three key statistics that led to Saturday's outcome.
Ohio State capitalizes off Wolverine Penalties
Throughout the game, there were a lot of penalty calls. Ohio State actually had more penalties called on them, with 12 penalties for 150 yards, but the Buckeyes were always able to bounce back. The Wolverines were not as fortunate.
While Michigan only had seven penalties for 72 yards, they always seemed to significantly shift the momentum in the game. This was especially noticeable at the end of the first half. After essentially gifting Michigan a touchdown off a muffed kickoff, the Buckeyes were able to drive nearly the whole length of the field in under a minute thanks to pass interference calls. Ohio State was only able to score three points on that particular drive, but OSU benefitted from Wolverine penalties the entire afternoon.
Ohio State Rushing attack pulls its weight with over 200 yards
It's been no secret that the Buckeye rushing attack has been struggling the majority of the season. In recent weeks, the rushing attack has shown some life, but its been nowhere near its full potential.
This week, it did everything OSU needed, plus some. With 249 rushing yards, the rushing attack reached another level. Nearly every offensive player had a chance to rush the ball. Mike Weber was the leading rusher with only 96 rushing yards. Even Dwayne Haskins got in on some of the action. With 34 rushing yards, Haskins rushed just enough to keep the Wolverine defense on their toes. Hopefully, the Buckeyes can continue running downhill all the way through Indianapolis.
Dwayne Haskins dominates Wolverines with 396 passing yards and six touchdowns
In a word, Dwayne Haskins was beastly.
Nothing seemed to faze the Buckeye signal caller on Saturday. With 396 yards and six touchdowns, Haskins played a complete game to lead Ohio State to its eighth win in a row over the Michigan Wolverines, setting Big Ten single season passing and touchdown records along the way. In fact, the passing game was so dominant that the Buckeyes averaged 10.6 yards per pass, converting for 28 first downs as a result.
On the receiving end of things, Parris Campbell was the biggest beneficiary of Haskins performance with 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 6 receptions. Chris Olave also had a solid performance with two touchdowns on only two receptions. Ohio State's offense has been explosive as of late, and it really showed on Saturday. Hopefully, Haskins and the Buckeyes can continue to run up the score on their opponents as they begin their postseason.
