The demons have been exorcised, Ohio State beats Michigan 27-9

After four horrific, demoralizing losses in a row, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes have not only gotten the proverbial monkey off their backs, but they ripped that clingy little primate off their back and made a statement about just how tough they are. The Buckeyes beat their archrival in a snowy Ann Arbor on Saturday, 27-9.

Despite beating That Team Up North in his first season as head coach, Ryan Day has been plagued by four-straight disappointments in The Game, a fact that he has talked openly about how painful it has been for him. But coming into this week’s rivalry game (and truly since last year’s loss to Michigan), Day focused on keeping things normal for his team; after all, why change anything when your team has been damn near perfect?

However, there was one thing that seemed to change against the Wolverines on Saturday. The Buckeyes ran the ball down Michigan’s throat. On the day, OSU outrushed the Maize and Blue 186 to 100, punctuated by a 20-play drive that went 81 yards, running 11:56 off the clock.

So not only did Day exorcise the Maize and Blue demons that have haunted him since 2021, but he is also now finally able to prove to Josh Gattis (and Lou Holtz) that his Buckeye team is tough. That was never really in question for the defense, which held TTUN to 163 yards on the game, but OSU certainly proved something to Michigan and the college football world, going into a hostile environment in inclement weather and after an uncharacteristically wonky start, dominated every aspect of the game.

Quarterback Julian Sayin (19-for-26 for 233 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception) looked every bit a Heisman Trophy finalist. Bo Jackson asserted himself as the next in a long line of elite Buckeye backs, rushing for 117 yards on 22 carries. And after three weeks off, wide receiver Carnell Tate looked completely healthy, pulling in five catches on seven targets for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Despite being a bit maligned through the back half of the season, the OSU offensive line looked like an impenetrable wall. Sayin was rarely pressured all game and was not even touched, let alone sacked. Just as they did in December and January last season, practically every single Buckeye stepped up their game when it mattered the most.

On the other side of the ball, the home team mustered only nine first downs, and the Buckeye defense finished the regular season giving up just 93 points on the year for 7.75 per game; just an unbelievably epic performance from Aug. 31 against then-No. 1 Texas to Nov. 29 against No. 15 Michigan.

This was the perfect way for the Buckeyes to end a heinous four-year streak and jump-start what is shaping up to be another historic postseason run.

Congratulations to Coach Day, the entire Ohio State program, and all of Buckeye Nation.