Analysis: Ohio State's latest loss to Michigan cuts deep, ending Buckeyes' title dreams

Marvin Harrison Jr. sat on the Michigan Stadium turf, trying to process the moment.

Seconds earlier, the star Ohio State wide receiver had been open near the Michigan 20-yard line. In that instant, as Kyle McCord prepared to throw, victory over Michigan seemed realistic.

This felt like a repeat of the Notre Dame game when the Buckeyes rallied for an improbable last-second win in September. Now everything was at stake – a Big Ten title berth, a College Football Playoff berth, but even more so, a needed win after two losses to their archrival.

But McCord was hit as he threw, and his underthrown pass never got to Harrison. Michigan’s Rod Moore intercepted it at the 22. Game over. Title hopes over. Expectations of reversing the tide in the rivalry over.

An undefeated season that built to that moment dissolved into almost indescribable disappointment in a 30-24 defeat.

“Just a lot of emotions,” Harrison said. “You know at that point the game is over and everything you worked for all this year, all the goals you had, you weren’t going to accomplish them.”

More: Bottom line: How did the Buckeyes grade vs. Michigan? How did OSU's offense grade?

It is a familiar feeling for the No. 2 Buckeyes (11-1). It remains almost unfathomable that a program as consistently elite as Ohio State has won only two national titles since 1968.

Probable NFL-bound juniors such as Harrison, Emeka Egbuka and J.T. Tuimoloau and the four-year seniors on the roster will likely end their Ohio State careers without earning a gold-pants trinket awarded for beating Michigan.

This was a devastating loss. There is no sugar-coating it. Starting next year, The Game won’t mean everything. The Big Ten will not have divisions, so the Buckeyes and Wolverines could meet in the conference title game. The CFP expands to 12 teams, so a loss against Michigan wouldn’t necessarily doom national title hopes.

More: Oller: Ohio State loss a referendum on Ryan Day, who has lost three straight to Wolverines

But that’s next year. These Buckeyes must hope for a miracle to qualify for the playoff. Not even coach Ryan Day was ready to make a strong case when asked after the game. Their slim chances weren’t helped when Alabama, Florida State and Washington all pulled out victories Saturday after being in trouble late.

It is particularly galling to the Buckeyes to lose to Michigan again after revelations of the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal. Day bit his tongue whenever asked about it, but it’s no stretch to think that added to the Buckeyes’ hunger to win.

Give Michigan credit. The Wolverines are an excellent team that played superbly on Saturday. They, especially quarterback J.J. McCarthy, made the plays when they had to.

Too often, Ohio State didn’t. Its defense allowed Michigan to score on all four second-half possessions after mostly shutting down the Wolverines in the first half. The 16 points the Buckeyes allowed after halftime was only one fewer than they allowed in any game this year.

Ohio State closed to within 27-24 with 8 minutes left but couldn’t stop Michigan until seven of those minutes were burned.

“Too much clock there,” Day said. “We’ve got to get a stop and get off the field.”

On offense, the Buckeyes were spotty, as they’ve been most of the year. Except for one touchdown drive in the third quarter, the offensive line didn’t consistently open holes in the run game. Michigan outgained Ohio State on the ground 163-110.

It was probably fitting that the final play was foiled because the offensive line allowed pressure. That unit and quarterback play were the biggest questions on the team entering the season and never got to the standard Ohio State expects.

McCord also faced an extremely high standard because his three predecessors were Heisman Trophy finalists. He made some terrific throws but lacks the improvisational ability McCarthy has. His first-quarter interception gifted Michigan an easy touchdown, forcing the Buckeyes to play uphill all game.

Then there’s Day. He vowed to play aggressively, but one decision in particular was a head-scratcher. Tight end Cade Stover caught a pass at the Michigan 34 with 40 seconds left in the first half with Ohio State trailing 14-10. Ohio State faced fourth-and-2 and had one timeout.

But instead of trying to get a first down and then a potential go-ahead touchdown to give the Buckeyes momentum into halftime, Day allowed the clock to wind down to 4 seconds to have Jayden Fielding attempt a 52-yard field goal. Fielding hadn’t made a field goal longer than 47 yards. He missed this one wide left.

With offensive line coach Sherrone Moore serving as acting coach for the suspended Jim Harbaugh, Michigan showed creativity. It used its backup quarterback for a couple of effective snaps. It burned Ohio State with a pass from halfback Donovan Edwards to tight end Colston Loveland for 34 yards, Michigan’s longest gain of the day.

In a loss to Michigan, everything is magnified. Day has now lost three straight to the Wolverines, evoking memories of John Cooper in the 1990s and standing in stark contrast to the success Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer had.

In fairness, Michigan was ranked as high as fourth only four times in the 17 years of Tressel and Meyer. Michigan was ranked fifth in 2019 and third last year and this. Whatever you think of Harbaugh, he has brought the Wolverines back to elite status.

That’s of little consolation to Ohio State now. The outcome of its bowl game, likely with a depleted roster because of NFL opt-outs, is mostly irrelevant.

It will be a long, soul-searching offseason.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Analysis: Ohio State's latest loss to Michigan cuts deep