Michigan
quarterback
J.J.
McCarthy
drops
back to
pass
against
Ohio
State
during
the
first
half of
an NCAA
college
football
game on
Saturday,
Nov. 26,
2022, in
Columbus,
Ohio.
(AP
Photo/Jay
LaPrete) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ohio
State
quarterback
C.J.
Stroud
drops
back to
pass
against
Michigan
during
the
first
half of
an NCAA
college
football
game
against
Michigan
on
Saturday,
Nov. 26,
2022, in
Columbus,
Ohio.
(AP
Photo/Jay
LaPrete) |
|
No. 3
Michigan
keeps
title
hopes
alive
with
rout of
Ohio St
By MITCH
STACY
COLUMBUS,
Ohio
(AP) —
J.J.
McCarthy
threw
three
touchdown
passes
and ran
for a
score,
Donovan
Edwards
busted
the game
open
with two
long
fourth-quarter
TD runs
and No.
3
Michigan
beat No.
2 Ohio
State
45-23
Saturday,
taking
down the
Buckeyes
with
stunning
ease for
the
second
straight
season.
Playing
almost
the
whole
game
without
injured
star
running
back
Blake
Corum,
Michigan
(12-0,
9-0, No.
3 CFP)
was
still
able to
beat
Ohio
State
(11-1,
8-1, No.
2 CFP)
in
Columbus
for the
first
time
since
2000.
The
Wolverines
advance
to the
Big Ten
championship
next
Saturday,
with
hopes
for a
second
straight
playoff
appearance
firmly
in their
control.
As for
the
Buckeyes,
they’ll
have to
hope
they can
back
into the
CFP
after
again
crumbling
in their
biggest
game of
the
season.
Jim
Harbaugh
and
Michigan
snapped
an
eight-game
losing
streak
against
their
fiercest
rivals
last
year.
Now they
have a
two-game
winning
streak
in The
Game for
the
first
time in
22
years.
McCarthy,
the
second-year
quarterback
who won
the
starting
job from
incumbent
Cade
McNamara
early in
the
season,
played
the game
of his
career
when
Michigan
needed
it most.
His
previous
longest
pass
completion
was 42
yards,
but
against
the
Buckeyes
he threw
three
touchdown
passes
of at
least 45
yards,
the most
scoring
passes
of 45 or
more in
the
history
of the
rivalry
game.
He
connected
on
scoring
passes
of 69
and 75
yards to
Cornelius
Johnson
in the
first
half,
then
hooked
up with
Colston
Loveland
in the
second
half for
45 yards
and the
freshman
tight
end’s
first
career
touchdown
reception.
Then on
third-and-10
on the
Ohio
State 13
early in
the
fourth
quarter,
McCarthy
was on
the run
from
Zach
Harrison
when he
lofted a
pass to
the end
zone
toward
Ronnie
Bell,
who drew
a pass
interference
call on
safety
Ronnie
Hickman.
That put
the ball
on the
Ohio
State 2,
and
three
plays
later
the
19-year-old
quarterback
from
suburban
Chicago
bowled
over a
tackler
for
another
touchdown
and a
31-20
Michigan
lead.
The
Buckeyes
were
forced
to
settle
for a
Noah
Ruggles
field
goal to
get the
score to
31-23.
Edwards
put the
game
away for
Michigan.
Corum’s
backup,
who was
playing
with a
heavily
wrapped
and an
injured
hand,
raced
through
a hole
in the
right
side and
went 75
yards
for a
touchdown
with
7:11
left.
After
Ohio
State
quarterback
C.J.
Stroud
was
intercepted,
Edwards
was off
again,
pulling
away for
an
85-yard
scoring
run.
THE
TAKEAWAY
Michigan:
McCarthy
was the
man.
Edwards
came up
big
late.
And the
Wolverines
defense
backed
him up
in the
second
half.
The late
runs by
Edwards
sucked
the
oxygen
out of
the
Horseshoe.
Ohio
State:
Stroud
was 31
for 48
for 349
yards
and two
interceptions,
but Ohio
State
never
got a
running
game
going
and
settled
for
field
goals in
the red
zone.
The
Buckeyes
had
plenty
of
opportunities
but
didn’t
take
advantage.
POLL
IMPLICATIONS
Michigan
likely
will
move up
to No.
2, with
the
Buckeyes
falling.
UP NEXT
Michigan:
The
Wolverines
Big Ten
championship
opponent
was
still to
be
determined
entering
Saturday.
Ohio
State:
The
Buckeyes
have to
hope the
CFP
selection
committee
gives
them a
chance
to play
for a
national
title.
___
AP
college
football:
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
and
https://twitter.com/ap_top25.
Sign up
for the
AP’s
college
football
newsletter:
https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|