Ohio State had already clinched the Big Ten East division title before its annual battle with Michigan, but the Buckeyes needed a win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Led by stud freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett -- until he injured his ankle -- Ohio State pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Michigan Wolverines, 42-28.
Michigan vs. Ohio State final score: 3 things we learned from the Buckeyes’ 42-28 win
Even with J.T. Barrett suffering an ankle injury, Ohio State was able to outlast Michigan, 42-28.
Michigan hung around in the first half and went into the break tied at 14 with the Buckeyes, although a late Barrett touchdown scramble gave OSU momentum heading into halftime. After Ohio State scored on their opening possession of the second half, Michigan marched down the field to tie it up at 21 in the third quarter. Ezekiel Elliott sealed the game away with a 44-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 scamper late in the game.
Devin Gardner played like a man who did not want this to be his last college football game, going 22-of-32 for 233 yards and two touchdowns along with a pass reception to set up Michigan's third touchdown, but it wasn't enough against a potent Buckeye team.
Three things we learned
1. Ohio State is still a contender for the Playoff. Sitting at 11-1, with a Big Ten title game matchup against the ranked winner of Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, the Buckeyes still have a good shot of sneaking into the Playoff with a win in Indianapolis. If Mississippi State were to lose in the Egg Bowl, the Buckeyes would have as good an argument of any team to be the new four seed. However, please see below as to why the Buckeyes might be in trouble on the Playoff front with the injury to their starting quarterback.
2. J.T. Barrett is good. Like really good. The freshman quarterback, who was pushed into active duty with the injury to Braxton Miller at the beginning of the year, has had a stellar season. Barrett was 13-of-21 for 176 yards with 89 rushing yards and three total touchdowns before suffering the leg injury. The extent of the injury is unknown, but this obviously hinders OSU's Playoff hopes. Cardale Jones is the quarterback going forward for Ohio State.
3. Brady Hoke saved his team’s best effort for last. The Wolverines went down swinging against arch-rival Ohio State. There were trick plays and all sorts of deep passes for Michigan, but in the end it wasn’t enough. We may have seen the last of Brady Hoke on the sidelines for Michigan, since the Wolverines will finish the year with a losing record and no bowl game. Hoke’s record has progressively gotten worse in his four-year career in Ann Arbor and he is 1-3 against both OSU and Michigan State.
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