Playing for the 100th time it would not have been fitting if the outcome of the historic Ohio State and Michigan would have been a blow out. Had the Buckeyes not spotted Michigan 21 points to open the game, the 35-21 outcome at Michigan Stadium in favor of the host may have been different.
The Wolverines ran all over the Buckeyes in the opening 30 minutes, meaning Ohio State would have to virtually climb to the top of Mt. Everest to leave the state up north with a win. OSU went to the air behind Craig Krenzel and back-up Scott McMullen. The seniors combined for a pair of second half touchdowns to close the gap to a touchdown.
McMullen went into action after Krenzel, who returned in the fourth quarter, injured his left shoulder.
Michigan quarterback John Navarre, who was facing a winless record against the Buckeyes turned the tide by making a little history of his own on the big day. Playing at the Big House for the last time, he became the first Michigan quarterback to go over the 3,000-yard mark in a season. In front of a NCAA record crowd of 112, 118 fans, he threw for 4 touchdowns and went 21-for-32 passing with 278 yards and one interception.
Michigan took the Buckeyes’ medicine and drove 89 yards down the field for the opening touchdown. Navarre completed all but two of his attempts and with a dose of Perry, the Wolverines were able to score on a Steve Breaston 1-yard option run with 39 seconds left in the opening quarter.
After OSU went three-and-out on the following possession, Michigan went back out with a long field ahead of it and tore through it. The Wolverines only needed three plays to put more points on the scoreboard. Navarre found Braylon Edwards for a 64-yard touchdown.
Edwards caught the toss across the middle, slipped away from OSU safety Will Allen and then shed Nate Salley before running down the sideline for the score with 13:33 left in the first half.
Not letting up, the Wolverines went right back at it following another OSU punt. Aided by two big penalties, a personal foul on Chris Gamble and a pass interference by Dustin Fox, Navarre went back to Edwards to go up by three touchdowns with 5:49 in the second quarter.
Desperately needing to do something offensively befor the end of the half, the Buckeyes opened up the passing attack. Santonio Holmes put them on the board 44 seconds before halftime on a 8-yard reception from Krenzel. On a fade route, Holmes hauled in the ball in the back of the end zone and was able to get one foot in bounds for the score.
The touchdown was the first Michigan had allowed at home in the first half all season.
The Buckeyes were finally able to move the ball and did it at will on the Michigan defense. On short routes between four and 12 yards, the rolled down the field in five minutes. Krenzel was 8-for-9 passing and rushed for 18 yards on three carries.
Any momentum the Buckeyes built up before the break was quickly dashed on Michigan’s drive to open the half. In a departure from the first half, the drive was fueled by the work of Perry. He rumbled in from 30 yards out to go up 28-7.
Michigan had another score in hand on its next drive on a 93-yard Navarre connection to Edwards, but the play was brought back due to a holding call. The Buckeyes took advantage of field position to close in on the gap.
The Buckeyes Michael Jenkins returned the ensuing punt down to the Wolverine’s 12-yard line, but they were forced to start 30 yards back because of a block in the back. After a holding call two plays later, it appeared OSU was going to punt again following a holding call, but they rallied on a 14-yard run by Krenzel on first down.
A few plays later, he found Jenkins for a 26-yard completion to get into the red zone. The gain was all Krenzel needed to find Holmes again in the back of the end zone, this time from 13-yards away to make it 28-14 with 6:55 left in the third stanza.
The Buckeyes stopped Michigan around midfield, but wwre forced with a long road ahead after Jenkins called a fair catch on his own 7-yard line.
Backup quarterback Scott McMullen was inserted after Krenzel injured his left shoulder on an incomplete pass. A hit delivered by Michigan’s Norman Heurer forced Krenzel to go to the locker room. OSU was forced to punt and then Michigan did the same.
McMullen took over and with the help from the running game, the Buckeyes closed the gap to a touchdown. Lydell Ross hammered the pigskin from 2 yards out with 13:53 remaining in the contest.
After starting at its own 7-yard line for the second straight drive, OSU quickly went down the field. The score was set-up on a 40-yard pass from McMullen to Holmes, which allowed Ross to score one play later. Holmes was wide open against the Wolverine secondary and then turned down field towards the end zone.
Michigan was finally able to break through the OSU defense for the first time in nearly a quarter. Set-up by a big 20-yard completetion by Navarre to tight end Tyler Eckeron on third down, the Wolverines answered with 15-yard touchdown by Perry.
Krenzel iced up the injured schoulder and went back and reentered the game with 7:50 remaining, only to throw three straight incompletions. He was unable to finish out the game though when McMullen came back in with 2:28 remaining. Although the second-stringer was able to move down the field for a few first downs, he was unable to lead the Buckeyes into the end zone. McMullen’s final play of the game was an interception, his first this season, to Michigan’s Ernest Shazor.
