Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate returned from injuries and each had a touchdown catch, while Bo Jackson ran for more than 100 yards as No. 1 Ohio State ended a four-game losing streak to No. 15 Michigan with a dominant victory 27-9 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) plays No.2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6.
Julian Sayin threw first-half touchdown passes to Smith and Brandon Inniss when the Buckeyes rallied for a 17-9 lead.
Smith and Tate were listed as questionable before the game. Tate missed the previous three games, while Smith missed one, each with lower body injuries.
Tate made it 24-9 midway through the third quarter when Sayin spotted him open at the 6 for a 50-yard touchdown.
Sayin was 19 of 26 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan for the first time since 2019.
Tate made five catches for 82 yards and Smith’s three catches went for 40 yards.
Jackson, a freshman, ran for 117 yards and amassed 49 receiving yards for the Buckeyes.
Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was 8 of 18 for 63 yards and a late interception for Michigan (9-3, 7-2). Jordan Marshall gained 61 yards on seven carries and Dovaven McCulley caught three of Underwood’s completions for 46 yards.
With the snow swirling, the Buckeyes put the game away with an 81-yard drive that used 20 plays, 17 of them runs, and resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding with 8:10 left in the game for the final score.
Ohio State spotted the Wolverines a 6-0 lead on field goals of 45 and 25 yards by Dominic Zvada, the latter coming after Sayin was intercepted by Jyaire Hill at the Ohio State 39.
The Wolverines reached the 7-yard line on the ensuing drive but the country’s top scoring defense (7.6 points per game) stiffened.
It was 6-3 when Sayin on fourth-and 5 from the Michigan 35 found Smith on a crossing route to make it 10-6. Smith appeared to bobble the ball crossing the goal line and then stepped out of bounds but the play was upheld after a review.
Inniss scored on a 4-yard slant with 16 seconds left in the half to complete an 87-yard drive.
— Field Level Media
