Buckeyes’ Haskins fills in quite nicely
ANN ARBOR, MICH. >> Dwayne Haskins did what Ohio State quarterbacks have been doing for more than a decade. He beat Michigan.
The latest win, though, came with a bizarre twist.
Haskins replaced injured star J.T. Barrett and led the eighth-ranked Buckeyes from behind to beat the Wolverines 31-20 Saturday for their sixth consecutive victory in a rivalry they’ve dominated no matter who’s under center.
“It was really unreal,” Haskins said. Indeed.
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.”
Barrett said he will play next Saturday when Ohio State (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) plays in the conference title game against Wisconsin.
Michigan (8-4, 5-4) was relegated to starting John O’Korn at quarterback 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. He was picked off by Jordan Fuller with about two minutes to go and the Buckeyes up 24-20.
Mike Weber sealed it for Ohio State with a 25-yard scoring run with 1:44 left.
Haskins took full advantage of his chance to play in the third and fourth quarters. The redshirt freshman was 6 of 7 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.
Barrett grabbed his right knee on a run midway through the third 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.
Barrett was 3 of 8 for 30 yards with a TD and ran 15 times for 67 yards and another score.