Eric Boggs
For the first time since 2019, Ohio State players will receive their Gold Pants after the Buckeyes finally took back The Game with a decisive 27–9 win over rival Michigan. The victory snapped a four-year losing streak, secured a perfect 12-0 regular season, and punched Ohio State’s ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game — its first appearance since 2020.
Julian Sayin delivered a memorable debut performance in the rivalry, throwing for 233 yards and three touchdowns while helping steady the Buckeyes after a shaky start. Michigan opened the game with a 36-yard run from Jordan Marshall, and Sayin’s early interception gave the Wolverines momentum. Even so, Ohio State’s defense set the tone by forcing field goals on Michigan’s first two drives, preventing the early miscues from turning into major damage.
The Buckeyes struck first with authority on a gutsy 4th-and-5 call, as Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 35-yard touchdown to take a 10–6 lead. After Michigan added its third field goal of the half, Ohio State responded with one of its most important drives of the season — an 11-play, five-minute march capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss, putting the Buckeyes ahead 17–9 at halftime.
Ohio State began to separate in the third quarter thanks to a short 11-yard punt by Michigan, which set up Sayin’s 50-yard strike to Carnell Tate. That touchdown stretched the lead to 15 and ignited an Ohio State crowd who made the trip to Ann Arbor eager for long-awaited redemption.
The Buckeyes then showcased remarkable physicality and control with a backbreaking 20-play, 81-yard drive that consumed nearly 12 minutes of game time. Though it ended in a 23-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding, the three-score lead effectively sealed the game and drained Michigan’s hopes of a comeback. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun punctuated the performance with an interception of Bryce Underwood with less than three minutes remaining, officially closing the door on the Wolverines.
Freshman running back Bo Jackson added 166 yards from scrimmage in his rivalry debut, while Ohio State’s defense delivered one of its best performances in recent memory. Not only did the Buckeyes hold Michigan to single digits for the first time since 2010, they kept the Wolverines out of the end zone entirely — something that hadn’t happened in The Game since 2007.
All of Ohio State’s key starters were available, including Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, both of whom were listed as questionable earlier in the week. The Buckeyes completed their sixth undefeated regular season of 12 games or more, further solidifying one of the nation’s strongest résumés heading into championship week.
After years of imagining how he might address reporters following a long-awaited win over Michigan, Ryan Day surprised even himself with his postgame message.
“I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years, after winning this game, what I would say in this press conference,” Day said. “I’m gonna save all those comments because I think the best thing to do is win with humility. That speaks to our program and what it means to be a Buckeye. We wanted to take this rivalry game back this year. The way our guys played certainly spoke to that.”
Now, the Buckeyes turn their focus to Indianapolis, where they will face Indiana next Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. on FOX for the Big Ten Championship — with momentum, confidence, and The Game finally back in hand.
