Buckeyes win but lose QB
NO. 6 OHIO STATE 42, MICHIGAN 28
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Raw emotion was everywhere: Joy for a victory, concern over an injury, shock for a missing player.
The thrill of beating rival Michigan 42-28 on Saturday was tempered for No. 6 Ohio State by star quarterback J.T. Barrett’s broken ankle and the disappearance of teammate Kosta Karageorge.
“A lot [is] going on,” Buckeyes Coach Urban Meyer said. “A lot [is] going on.”
The rivalry known around these parts as “The Game” became almost a subplot to the larger issues involving both teams.
Michigan Coach Brady Hoke’s job status has been in question as the Wolverines (5-7, 3-5 Big Ten) have sagged since his 11-2 start at Michigan in 2011. The Wolverines have gone 8-5, 7-6 and 5-7 to give him a 31-20 record.
With no postseason, interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett will make the call on Hoke’s status.
Ezekiel Elliott scored untouched on a 44-yard run on fourth-and-1 with 4:58 left to help Ohio State (11-1, 8-0) pad its lead after losing Barrett on the first play of the fourth quarter. Linebacker Darron Lee then returned a fumble 33 yards for a score a minute later to put the game out of reach.
Barrett threw for one TD and ran for two before his right leg crumpled underneath him when he was tackled on a run.
“I heard him yell and I ran over to help him up,” tight end Jeff Heuerman said. “When I went over I saw his ankle and it wasn’t pretty. I just told him, ‘Stay down, stay down.’ It kind of hit me, ‘Oh man.’”
Barrett will undergo surgery today and will be lost for the remainder of the season. He will miss when the East Division champion Buckeyes play in next week’s Big Ten title game in Indianapolis.
Barrett, a Heisman Trophy contender, completed 13 of 21 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown and also ran for scores of 25 and 2 yards while gaining 89 yards on 15 carries.
Before the game, walkon defensive lineman Karageorge, who has been missing since earlier in the week, was recognized along with 23 other Buckeyes scheduled to appear at their final game in Ohio Stadium. A police poster showing Karageorge, with the word MISSING stamped across it in vivid color, was shown on the large video board at the south end of the field.
In other games Saturday involving Big Ten teams, Reilly O’Toole passed for 147 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 147 yards, Josh Ferguson had two rushing scores and Illinois (6-6, 3-5) took advantage of five Northwestern (5-7, 3-5) turnovers for a 47-33 victory over its in-state and Big Ten rival in Evanston, Ill. … Indiana quarterback Zander Diamont scored on a 1-yard TD run with 27 seconds left in Bloomington, Ind., giving the Hoosiers (4-8, 1-7) a 23-16 victory over rival Purdue (3-9, 1-7). … R.J. Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and Jeremy Langford ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 10
Michigan State (10-2, 7-1) beat Penn State (6-6, 2-6) 34-10 in State College, Pa. … Gary Nova threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns, and Rutgers (75, 3-5) rallied from a 25-point deficit to beat Maryland (7-5, 4-4) 41-38 in College Park, Md.