Backup quarterback leads Buckeyes to win
After loss of Barrett, freshman closes comeback against rival Wolverines
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dwayne Haskins did what Ohio State quarterbacks have been doing for more than a decade. He beat Michigan.
The latest victory, though, came with a bizarre twist.
Haskins replaced injured star J.T. Barrett and led the ninth-ranked Buckeyes from behind to beat the Wolverines 31-20 on Saturday for their sixth consecutive win in a rivalry they have dominated no matter who is under center.
“It was really unreal,” Haskins said.
Indeed.
Playing shorthanded
Barrett was warming up on the sideline before kickoff when he said an unidentified male made accidental contact with his right leg, aggravating a knee injury he has played through all season.
“I remember he was wearing something gray, and he continued to walk,” Barrett said. “He got a little nervous.”
And, Urban Meyer was more than a little upset.
“Too many people on the sideline,” Meyer said after the game. “I’m so angry right now.”
Barrett grabbed his right knee on a run midway through the third quarter after being tackled. He limped off the field and toward the locker room before returning to watch the rest of the game from the sideline.
“I’ve played with it this whole year,” he said. “This time, it didn’t unlock for me.”
Barrett was 3 of 8 passing for 30 yards with a touchdown and ran 15 times for 67 yards and another score .
Barrett said he will play next Saturday night when Ohio State (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) plays in the Big Ten championship game against No. 5 Wisconsin, needing another win to bolster hopes of getting a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Wolverines (8-4, 5-4) have lost 13 of 14 to Ohio State, including the last three with coach Jim Harbaugh.
“We need to get better. That’s our mission,” he said.
Michigan was relegated to starting John O’Korn because Brandon Peters wasn’t cleared to play after having a concussion and Wilton Speight is still out with cracked vertebrae. The fifth-year senior O’Korn simply didn’t make the most of the opportunity, completing fewer than half of his passes.
O’Korn missed open receivers early in the game and late, leaving everyone on Michigan’s roster winless against Ohio State.
“I hold myself responsible for a lot of that,” he said while choking up with emotion. “I can’t imagine a worse feeling right now.”
One mistake too many
O’Korn, who previously played at the University of Houston, was intercepted with about two minutes left and the Buckeyes up 24-20 on a pass deep to the middle of the field where only defensive back Jordan Fuller could catch it.
O’Korn was 17 of 32 passing for 195 yards with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Sean McKeon that put the Wolverines up 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Michigan may have had more success if they had O’Korn hand off more often. Chris Evans had 67 yards on 11 carries and Karan Higdon had 55 yards rushing on 11 attempts.
Haskins took full advantage of his chance to play in the third and fourth quarters. The redshirt freshman was 6 of 7 passing for 94 yards and had a 22-yard run that set up J.K. Dobbins’ 1-yard touchdown that gave Ohio State a 21-20 lead late in the third quarter.