No. 3 Michigan holds off No. 2 Ohio State to stay undefeated, advance to Big Ten championship game

The Athletic has live coverage of the Big Ten championship game featuring Michigan vs. Iowa

By Austin Meek, Cameron Teague Robinson and Stewart Mandel

No. 3 Michigan handed No. 2 Ohio State its first loss of the season Saturday, advancing to the Big Ten championship game with a tightly contested 30-24 win. Here’s what you need to know:

What does this mean for Michigan?

Beating Ohio State without Harbaugh was validation, once and for all, that Michigan has been the better team the past three seasons. The Wolverines didn’t take kindly to the suggestion that their past two victories against Ohio State were tainted by the scouting and sign-stealing scandal that prompted Harbaugh’s suspension. No one can say Michigan had an unfair advantage in this game.

GO DEEPER

Meek: Michigan gets final word against Ohio State in what may be the end of an era

Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s acting head coach, pushed all the right buttons on offense, dialing up a handful of trick plays that caught Ohio State by surprise. Michigan’s toughness was on display all day, especially after Zinter went down with a brutal leg injury and Corum responded with a touchdown on the next play. The final drive, chewing up seven minutes, was pure guts, as was Rod Moore’s game-clinching interception. — Austin Meek, Michigan staff writer

Wolverines rise to the occasion

In the biggest game of its season, Michigan coached and played loose and confident. Moore at one point inserted little-used redshirt freshman QB Alex Orji to run two plays. (He broke a 20-yard gain on the first.) He went for it on fourth-and-1 twice in one drive.

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Mandel: Sherrone Moore outcoaches Ryan Day as Michigan flexes once again

And a 34-yard Donovan Edwards halfback pass set up a field goal that put Michigan up two scores in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to believe this is the same program that used to curl up in a ball when it faced the Buckeyes. — Stewart Mandel, college football editor-in-chief

Where does Michigan go from here?

Michigan’s quest for a third consecutive Big Ten championship and a return to the College Football Playoff marches on. The Wolverines will face Iowa in the Big Ten championship game next Saturday with a shot to secure their spot in the CFP. Harbaugh will be eligible to return for that game and could receive the Big Ten championship trophy from commissioner Tony Petitti if the Wolverines prevail. We’ll find out if the Wolverines are built to beat a team like Georgia, but they took the Big Ten’s best shot and came out on top once again. — Meek

Buckeyes pay for costly mistakes

In the end, this game came down to a few massive Ohio State mistakes, including a McCord interception that Michigan turned into 3 points and a missed 52-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding just before halftime. And then the interception on the last drive by McCord, which came after a poorly blocked blitz by the offensive line.

GO DEEPER

No matter how much Ryan Day wins at Ohio State, losses to Michigan will control his legacy

It’s been the case all season that self-inflicted mistakes make things tough for the Buckeyes, but Michigan is too good to have those against and it finally came back to bite the Buckeyes. Now, like last year, Ohio State is going into Championship Week watching its rival play for a Big Ten title and hoping it finds a way into the College Football Playoff.

And Ryan Day has now lost three straight games to Michigan. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State staff writer