Ohio St. spoils playoff dreams of Michigan

COLUMBUS, OHIO

This season for Ohio State has been anything but normal, beginning with its celebrated coach suspended for three games.

There have been spotty performances and troubling trends on both sides of the ball. There has been constant speculation and questions about Urban Meyer’s health and future.

After all that, it was business as usual against Michigan, and now the Buckeyes are right where they always expect to be.

Dwayne Haskins threw five touchdown passes, freshman Chris Olave had a breakout performance and No. 10 Ohio State continued its mastery over No. 4 Michigan with a record-setting 62-39 victory Saturday that sends the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship game.

“I think we definitely showed the country the Ohio State Buckeyes are still here,” offensive tackle Isaiah Prince said.

The Wolverines were two victories from their first conference championship since 2004 and a trip to the College Football Playoff, facing an underdog Ohio State team that has looked discombobulated on defense and onedimensional on offense for much of the season. Looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1, No. 10 CFP) and get coach Jim Harbaugh his first victory in the rivalry known simply as The Game, the Wolverines (10-2, 8-1, No. 4 CFP) wilted.

“Motivated to come back and make darn sure it doesn’t happen again,” Harbaugh said. “Win our next game, that’s our moti- vation now.”

In the 115th meeting between two of college football’s most storied programs, Ohio State scored more points than it ever had against Michigan – more points than any team has ever scored in regulation against Michigan.

And now, despite all the dysfunction at Ohio State this season – on and off the field – the Buckeyes will face No. 20 Northwestern next week in Indianapolis with a chance to repeat as Big Ten champs and maybe even make the playoff.

Maybe most satisfying of all, Ohio State has won 14 of the past 15 meetings against the team it loves to beat the most.

“This is not an ordinary game,” Buckeyes defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones said. “This is a game that’s got years and miles behind.”

Olave, who came into the game with five catches and no touchdowns, caught two TD passes in the first half and broke it open on special teams in the third quarter. He looped through a seam in the line and got a chunk of Will Hart’s punt. The ball sailed off high and to the side and landed in the arms of Sevyn Banks, who cruised 33 yards for a touchdown that made it 34-19 and sent the Ohio Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

Haskins and the Buckeyes carved up the topranked defense in the country for 567 yards. The Buckeyes had the horseshoe rocking when Haskin found Johnnie Dixon wide open for a 31-yard score to go up 21-6 with 3:18 left in the first half.

Haskins finished with

318 yards and set the Big Ten season record for TD passes with 41.