6:51 PM
When Michigan secured victory with 58 seconds left, yelling erupted at the back of the press box, as Josh Gattis and other staffers ran toward the elevators.
The fans at Michigan Stadium celebrated their first win over Ohio State in a decade as the coaches rushed to join the team. The fifth-year senior safety cried as light snow fell, and he wasn't the only one.
The Michigan team had made an impressive turn around after bottoming out at 2-4 in 2020. Harbaugh's vision of power football surfaced early in his tenure, but then vanished.
It seemed like a bridge too far to beat Ohio State. The Ohio State team was not hitting its stride after trouncing Michigan State and Purdue in the previous two weeks. Since Ryan Day joined the coaching staff, the Ohio State team had beaten Michigan by a combined score of 149-86. Day, who had never lost a Big Ten game as head coach, declared last year that Ohio State would try to "hang 100" on Michigan the next time the teams met.
The Michigan team was better than the Ohio State team after a 42-27 win before a fired-up crowd.
Harbaugh said it felt like the beginning.
Seven years into his tenure, Harbaugh has brought more wins but not enough meaningful ones. He couldn't beat Ohio State. He couldn't win the Big Ten. He couldn't get Michigan, a program that takes pride in national success that happened a long time ago, into the national spotlight.
One result doesn't change everything, but it puts Michigan in a good position. With the win, the Wolverines advanced to their first Big Ten championship, where they'll be favored to win their first league title since 2004, and possibly keep Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff. It was easier to fire Harbaugh if he couldn't turn things around after Michigan didn't win a home game and restructured his contract.
"It's been a long time since we beat them," McNamara said. "It's been a culmination of everything that we've done and all the work that we've put in." We know what it takes to beat them. We have to do that every year. We have to get better.
We proved that they're human today.
Veteran players who had suffered through the losing were credited by Harbaugh for engineering the program's reawakening. The players who bullied Ohio State for
The group also includes running back Hassan Haskins, who became the first player ever to rush for five touchdown against Ohio State, and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who set Michigan's single-season sacks record with his 13th.
Play.
The Michigan running back ran for 169 yards and scored five times as the UM defeated the Ohio State.
Harbaugh said that they wouldn't be where they are without them. Guys are willing to take the team on their backs. It was like a locomotive going down the tracks. They stopped it, picked it up and started pushing.
The rest of us started pushing.
Ohio State had more talent than Michigan but did a better job of focusing on The Game. Jim Tressel won his final six games against the Michigan. Day has maintained the edge over Urban Meyer.
In January, Michigan put up an electronic sign that said "What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?" Seniors such as Hutchinson were reminded in practice that they only had one more chance.
"That's something we changed this winter," Hutchinson said. We're not worried about them and we're staring at them. We did everything we could to beat Ohio State.
Hutchinson set a Michigan single-season sacks record with his 13th.
The spirit that wouldn't be denied Saturday was generated by Michigan's emphasis on and preparation for the Buckeyes. Gattis' script was followed for touchdown drives to begin each half. Four sacks and eight tackles for loss were generated by them. The Michigan defense held Ohio State's powerful offense to 64 rushing yards.
The Michigan team was more disciplined and poised than the Ohio State team. The Michigan Stadium tunnel was the scene of an altercation with the Ohio State. They gained more energy and fed off the frenzied crowd inside the stadium.
"These guys have disrespected us, stepping on our jerseys, talking about hanging 100 on us, doing all the rah, rah," Hutchinson said. We were focused on it today.
So was Harbaugh. The coach who had a reputation for off-field antics in the first part of his Michigan tenure has become quieter in recent years. Harbaugh ended his news conference with a quip, seemingly directed at Day, who was promoted to succeed Meyer after the season.
"The things you're thinking of are the same as what I'm thinking of," he said smiling. There are different things that people have said that spurred us on even more.
People standing on third base think they hit a triple, but they don't.
Harbaugh's walk-off grand slam was Saturday. He said that it feels like the best one, but that next week's game could replace it.
"It's a celebration that will last all night," Harbaugh said. There will be a lot of joy.
Michigan needs to not become a one-hit wonder. If Ohio State goes on another winning streak, one triumph over Ohio State won't mean much.
If Saturday is indeed the beginning, Michigan needs to keep its recruiting, player development, schemes and focus for years to come.
McNamara said that they set the expectation now. It's been a long time since we beat Ohio State. We have to do that every year for the guys coming back.
We know what it took, and we're not done yet.
