What They're Saying: Ohio State - Michigan Aftermath

Game Recaps

Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes - Recap - November 27, 2010 - ESPN
Might as well. Nothing else seems to work for the Wolverines these days against their archrivals. They fell to 0-3 against Ohio State under Rodriguez, and have been outscored 100-24 in that span. It was enough to make even Ohio State coach Jim Tressel offer some consolation. "You know, we all have our ups and downs," he said after improving to 9-1 against Michigan. "But Michigan will be back. You don't have to worry about that." Jordan Hall broke things open with an 85-yard kickoff return and the Buckeyes defense shut down the Wolverines' vaunted offense. Eighth-ranked Ohio State (11-1, 7-1) picked up two celebration penalties after touchdowns but had a lot to celebrate: A share of a record-tying sixth straight Big Ten title and, most likely, a Bowl Championship Series bowl berth.

OSU defense, injury slow Robinson | BuckeyeXtra
Ohio State's defensive players watched hours of video of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson in preparation for yesterday's game. Then came the reality check. "I tell you what, in real life he's a lot faster than what you see on film," linebacker Brian Rolle said. "There was a play where I thought I had him in the hole, but he put his foot in the ground and got away." Early in the game, Robinson had the Wolverines on the move, driving them deep into Buckeyes territory on their first two drives. But neither drive produced any points, as Ohio State came up with big plays - a major theme in its 37-7 victory.

The first drive ended when Robinson misfired on fourth-and-8 from the 28-yard line as safety Jermale Hines broke up a pass intended for tight end Kevin Koger. On the next drive, Michigan faced a third-and-17 from the OSU 26. Robinson scrambled toward a first down. But he fumbled as he was hit by safety Orhian Johnson and cornerback Travis Howard at the 9, and defensive end Nathan Williams recovered. "We knew he was going to run the ball. He's their big playmaker," Rolle said. "Early on, they had us running around. Then we kind of got after them a little bit with a couple of blitzes, and the D-line did a fantastic job. In the second half, we kind of contained him."

Hall delivers on his touchdown prediction | BuckeyeXtra
Not only can Ohio State's Jordan Hall return kicks - such as his 85-yard return for a touchdown yesterday against Michigan - but it appears he also can predict the future. "He kept telling me and telling me, 'I'm taking one of these back this season, I'm taking one back,'" quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. "He finally got it." Hall, a sophomore who like Pryor is from Jeannette, Pa., blew open The Game with his return, a sprint up the left sideline toward the closed end of Ohio Stadium midway through the second quarter.

Michigan had just cut Ohio State's lead to 10-7 with an 80-yard touchdown drive. Seth Broekhuizen then hit a popup kickoff to Hall, avoiding a direct kick to deep back Jaamal Berry. "Coach (Jim) Tressel always talks about special teams changing momentum," Hall said. "They had scored and I was like, 'We've got to answer back.' I saw them coming at me with the kicker's approach, and I said, 'I've got to take this to the house.'" He did have help. Zach Boren, Nate Ebner, Grant Schwartz and Berry made the initial clearing blocks as Hall slashed through, then up the sideline. Jamie Wood screened Broekhuizen, and Hall cut inside the final Michigan defender, Tony Anderson, at about the 20-yard line on the way to the end zone.

Pryor has his Michigan moment, Herron shooting up the charts: Buckeye Leaves | cleveland.com
 • Quarterback Terrelle Pryor dwarfed his previous career numbers against Michigan with his performance on Saturday. Pryor entered the game having completed 14 of 30 passes for 187 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his first two games. He'd also run 27 times for 67 yards. So that was 254 total yards in two games. In his third try at the Wolverines, Pryor accounted for 269 total yards, throwing for 220 and running for 49.

• Ohio State leads the Big Ten in the following categories, though Illinois still has a nonconference game to play: Rushing defense, pass defense, points allowed, total yards allowed, interceptions, total turnovers forced and kickoff return yardage.

• Running back Dan Herron is fourth in the conference in total rushing yards with 1,068 and seventh in rushing yards per game with 89. Herron is one of 39 players in the nation with 1,000 rushing yards and one of five in the Big Ten. He's joined by Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure, Michigan State running back Edwin Baker and Wisconsin running back James White.

Side Stories

Ohio State notebook: Gloves likely to come off after penalties | BuckeyeXtra
It's safe to say that the gloves Ohio State wore yesterday are one and done. Two of the Buckeyes' five unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties in a 37-7 win over Michigan came after Ohio State scored touchdowns and players held up their gloved hands to the crowd. As part of the Pro Combat throwback uniforms the Buckeyes wore, Nike provided specially designed gloves that formed a Block O logo when the hands were held together. Players said coach Jim Tressel even demonstrated how to form the logo to players last week when the uniforms were passed out. The officials, though, were not sympathetic.

First, DeVier Posey was flagged after his second-quarter touchdown, and then the Buckeyes drew another penalty when left tackle Mike Adams made the sign after Daniel Herron scored in the third quarter. Players said that only after the second penalty was it explained to them exactly why the flags were thrown. "(The officials) came and told us what the big deal was," Herron said. "They were thinking it was kind of like a (taunting) sign, but it was just teammates having fun, trying to show the 'O.'" Tressel was livid after the Herron touchdown, but after the game he refused to get drawn into a discussion of the subject. Flags were not thrown after the Buckeyes' first two touchdowns even though Dane Sanzenbacher and Jordan Hall made the sign after scoring, too.

Bob Hunter commentary: The Game is looking like just another game | BuckeyeXtra
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is truly to blame for what has happened to what used to be the world's greatest rivalry, then firing him is too light of a punishment. Firing squad, maybe? A lengthy prison term? A month in solitary? A plague of locusts? If a heinous crime has been committed, somebody should have to pay. After a scoreless first quarter, RichRod's third Ohio State-Michigan game felt like Ohio State-Indiana or Ohio State-Minnesota or even - and it's painful to say this - Ohio State-Eastern Michigan. After the unspeakable indignities suffered during the John Cooper era, when the Buckeyes went 2-10-1 against the Wolverines, OSU fans are no doubt happy to go home with any victory in the series.

But many of the older, more experienced fans must have left Ohio Stadium yesterday feeling like victims of armed robbery. This isn't your father's Ohio State-Michigan game. It's not even a third cousin to the one that rose to unprecedented heights in 2006, when the game matched the top two teams in the nation and some even wanted a rematch in the national championship game. If Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler came back, they wouldn't even recognize this abomination.

P.M. Ohio State football links: 11-1, likely big bowl bid, 6th straight Big 10 title adds up nicely | cleveland.com
One loss, 31-18 at Wisconsin on Oct. 16, keeps Ohio State from owning an excellent chance to play in the national championship game. For now, though, all but three major college football teams -- Oregon, Auburn and TCU -- have at least one defeat. 0Share 0 Comments Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State all finish their regular seasons 11-1, 7-1 in the Big Ten, sharing the conference championship. For the Buckeyes, it's the sixth straight year they have won outright or shared the Big Ten title. Once before, a Big Ten team finished in first place or tied for first six straight years: the 1972-77 Ohio State teams.

Decision on Rodriguez is on hold | BuckeyeXtra
For the next month, Rich Rodriguez will prepare for his first bowl game in three seasons as Michigan coach. The question is whether it will be his only bowl appearance there. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said he will not decide whether to keep Rodriguez until after the season. He repeated that yesterday after Ohio State's 37-7 rout. But the third straight lopsided loss in the series won't make it easier for Brandon to retain his coach.

Asked if he was worried about his future, Rodriguez replied, "I worry about my future every day. Before I took the job. After I took the job." But he said he is not deterred in his belief he is on the right path. "I took this job to make this the best program in America," he said. "Sometimes it takes a little longer to mold the program the way you want to mold it. Sometimes you get more obstacles in your way when you're trying to mold it. It doesn't mean you can't do it." Rodriguez said he is convinced the worst is behind him, even if others don't agree. "I know what I see and I'm in the middle of it," he said. "Maybe some people don't want me to have success. But I would think most people that follow Michigan do because they love our school and love our program."