Ohio State & Michigan

Sixty minutes, eighty-one points, one 62-inch high-definition television, that is the greatest invention in college football since the forward pass, and over 100,000 screaming fans inside the Horseshoe later, the “Game of the Century” was over with #1 Ohio State taking down #2 Michigan 42-39. You can make your arguments how high it should be on the greatest scale but you can’t deny the excitement of it.
Sadly, the hit of the weekend came Friday morning with the death of former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. One of the game’s all-time greats finally succumbed to a struggling heart condition. He was the school’s all-time leader in wins and his epic battles with Ohio State coach Woody Hayes made the rivalry one of sports best. His work even after his coaching career was over endeared him to so many and his legacy should never be forgotten.
Finally on Saturday at 3:30 the game kicked off and it kicked off with a boom as this was the first time ever these two schools squared off being #1 and #2. Michigan took the first possession and promptly marched the ball down the field with several big Mario Manningham receptions and Mike Hart finished off the drive with a one yard stroll into the endzone. Ohio State then answered with a touchdown of their own with Troy Smith connecting with Roy Hall for a one yard touchdown pass as the game opened with a blistering pace. But after the touchdowns the defenses started to settle as both sides forced several punts. However all that changed quickly within a seven minute span. First freshman runningback Chris Wells split the Michigan defense with a 52 yard touchdown run and then Troy Smith hit Ted Ginn Jr. on a play-action pass for a 39 yard touchdown pass. Michigan responded with their own touchdown pass as Chad Henne hit Adrian Arrington down the sideline for a 37 yard score. But Ohio State took back their 14 point lead right before the break as Smith completed his third touchdown to Anthony Gonzalez from eight yards out. The score at halftime was then 28-14 as everybody, fans included, got a chance to catch their breath.
With the touchdown right before half and getting the ball right after, Ohio State look to be in prime position to take control of the game but they failed to stamp their authority. The Wolverines stormed back with Hart scoring his second touchdown and Garrett Rivas nailing a 39 yard field goal to cut the lead to four. But within forty seconds Ohio State was in the endzone again. Antonio Pittman gashed the top ranked Michigan rush defense again straight up the middle for a 56 yard score. Early in the fourth quarter, Michigan brought the score close again as Hart scored touchdown number three and with Ohio State losing a fumble due to a bad snap, the Wolverines had their chance. They forced Ohio State into an incompletion for fourth down but a helmet to helmet hit on Smith gave the Buckeyes new life. They took advantage of it ruthlessly with Smith racking up touchdown number four by hooking up with Brian Robiskie in the corner of the endzone. Michigan wasn’t out yet though. Henne hit Tyler Ecker inside the redzone and Steve Breaston caught the two-point conversion as the Wolverines cut the lead back to three. They then needed a big stop but they didn’t get it. In a game that was one of the most fast-paced and wildest of the year, Ohio State showed grit and toughness to pull out the victory.
Ohio State can now book their tickets to Glendale on January 8th for the national championship game. Troy Smith has for sure wrapped the Heisman. It was an impressive campaign that saw him thrown 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions along with an undefeated record and the Big 10 championship. Their can be little doubt that he will be the man of the hour at the Downtown Athletic Club.
Michigan is now left to wonder. There is a definite possibility that both the voters and the computers could still like them enough to keep them at number two. If that doesn’t happen, the ball seems to be in USC’s court. If the Trojans win out they will be in the #2 spot. If they don’t it seems to be Norte Dame if they can win out or the winner of the Florida-Arkansas game in the SEC Championship Game. Either way, let the stink begin about who should play Ohio State. We can now only hope and pray that the BCS gives us a lot of football and less drama.