Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Sign of times: Michigan unrivaled
Collects third straight win vs. Buckeyes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With more than two years of excellence being questioned and their coach banned from the Big House, J.J. Mccarthy, Blake Corum and No. 3 Michigan stared down No. 2 Ohio State again and earned a victory that will go down as one of the biggest in the history of college football’s winningest program.
Rod Moore’s interception in Michigan territory with 25 seconds left sealed a 30-24 win for the Wolverines on Saturday, running their win streak over the Buckeyes to three games while staying unbeaten with Jim Harbaugh serving out a suspension.
Mccarthy, a third-year quarterback who could leave Michigan having never lost to Ohio State, said Harbaugh’s message to the Wolverines on Friday night echoed that of his old coach, the late Bo Schembechler.
“The whole mantra: the team, the team, the team,” Mccarthy said. He said Harbaugh told them: “We are that team.”
Moore’s pick set off a celebration on the home team’s sideline. Mccarthy took a knee, Michigan fans poured over the brick walls onto the field and the Wolverines (120, 9-0) were off to their third straight Big Ten title game.
In a season of high expectations that now has a championship-or-bust feel, Michigan is a victory away from a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.
“We’re not done,” said Corum, who ran for 88 yards and two TDS.
For coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1), it’s another year of lamenting a loss in the most important game on the schedule for Ohio State and wondering what has happened to the program that spent a decade and a half dominating Michigan.
Day is now 1-3 against the Wolverines, losing his last three. Before that skid, Ohio State had won eight straight and 15 of 16 against Michigan, including a 7-0 record under Day’s predecessor, Urban Meyer.
“We’re all disappointed,” Day said. “We know what this game means to so many people. To come up short is crushing.”
Mccarthy went 16 for 20 for 148 yards and a touchdown.
“In critical situations, I’m going to put the ball in your hands,” offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore — filling in for Harbaugh — said he told Mccarthy before the game.
The 119th Ohio State-michigan game — the 13th top-five matchup between the schools and yet another with Big Ten and national championship implications — was guaranteed to be memorable even before it kicked off.
With Michigan being investigated by the NCAA for allegations of in-person scouting and sign stealing, and Harbaugh finishing a three-game suspension imposed by the Big Ten, the circumstances around The Game were unprecedented and the animosity between the rivals never higher.
“There’s a lot of thoughts and things that I would love to say, but all I know is this team is as good as any team in the country and they prove it every week,” said Moore, who replaced Harbaugh for the fourth time this season.