Michigan – Ohio State rivalry

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Michigan Wolverines–Ohio State Buckeyes
History
First Meeting	Michigan, 36-0 (1897)
Last Meeting	Ohio State, 42-7 (2008)
Next Meeting	November 21, 2009
Number of Meetings	105
All-Time Series	Michigan leads, 57-42-6
Largest victory	Michigan, 86-0 (1902)
Current Streak	Ohio State, 5
Longest Mich Win Streak	9 (1901-1909)
Longest OSU Win Streak	5 (2004-2008)
Trophy:	None

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is the intense rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University football teams. It has attracted particular national interest over the last four decades as most of the games have determined the Big Ten Conference title and the resulting Rose Bowl match ups, and many have influenced the outcome of the national collegiate football championship. The game was ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest North American sports rivalry.^[1]

The annual match up between the two Midwest state schools has been held at the end of the regular season since 1935 (with exceptions in 1942, 1986, and 1998). Since 1918, the game's site has alternated between Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Since 1935, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 23 different occasions, and have affected the determination of the conference title an additional 24 times. ^[2]

During 1835 and 1836, the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory engaged in a brief and bloodless border dispute known as the Toledo War. Some have proposed that the football rivalry is a modern manifestation of this historical tension.^[3]

[edit] History

[edit] Early years: 1897-1949

The inaugural meeting between Ohio State and Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1897 resulted in a lopsided victory for Michigan, with the Wolverines posting a 34-0 win over Ohio State's Buckeyes. The first game foretold a long Michigan winning streak, with Michigan winning or tying every match from 1897 to 1912 and thereby compiling a 12-0-2 record before the contest was postponed for several years. The Ohio State Alma Mater “Carmen Ohio” was written on the train ride home to Columbus following the 1902 contest, which saw Ohio State losing to Michigan 86-0. The lyrics and melody (Spanish Chant) have remained largely unchanged since its conception.

Ohio State became a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1912. In 1917, Michigan rejoined the conference after a ten year absence. In 1918, the teams played their first conference matchup, with Michigan prevailing 14–0 and lodging its eleventh shutout over the Buckeyes. In 1919, the Buckeyes (led by legendary halfback Chic Harley) won their first game in the series, defeating the Wolverines 13–3. The Buckeyes won the following two contests as well, to bring the series record to 13–3–2.

Ohio State was the opponent in the dedication game at Michigan Stadium

Harley's prowess spurred the university to campaign to build a stadium for Ohio State football. The stadium was completed in 1922, and the first of many historic games in Ohio Stadium took place on October 21, 1922, the day the stadium was dedicated in Columbus. In front of a record 71,000 fans, the Wolverines posted another shutout of the home team Buckeyes, 19–0. According to lore, there was a wager on the outcome of this game, and yellow flowers on a blue background still exist today in the upper part of the stadium's rotunda^[4]. Michigan won the next five games before OSU picked up the final two victories of the decade. At the end of the 1920s, the series stood at 19-5-2 in favor of Michigan.

Michigan won three of four contests between 1930 and 1933, claiming the national championship twice. Ohio State then ran off four straight shutout victories, outscoring the Wolverines 112–0 from 1934 to 1937, followed by Michigan winning three straight from 1938 to 1940. The 1940 game, won by Michigan 40-0, was the benchmark performance of what some consider to be the greatest Michigan team in history, and was the final collegiate game of the legendary tailback tandem of Tom Harmon and Paul Kromer.

In 1941, Michigan and Ohio State met for the first time with each team ranked in the AP Poll, which had started in 1936. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes played the 5th-ranked Wolverines to a 20–20 tie in Ann Arbor. Five more times during the 1940s, the teams were both ranked for their annual matchup. Michigan won five of the next seven games before playing to their second tie of the decade in 1949. The series record stood at 30–12–4 at the mid-century mark.

[edit] “The Snow Bowl” and Woody Hayes: 1950–68

The 1950 contest, colloquially known as the Snow Bowl, is perhaps the most famous game in the rivalry. Eighth-ranked Ohio State, coached by Wes Fesler, was scheduled to host the game on November 25 in Columbus amidst one of the worst blizzards on Ohio record. The Buckeyes, who led the Big Ten, were granted the option to cancel the game against Michigan, which would have, by default, given the Buckeyes the Big Ten title outright and won them a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Ohio State refused, and the game was set to be played. Amid howling snow and wind, in what was probably the most literal example of a "field position" game, the teams exchanged 45 punts, often on first down, in hopes that the other team would fumble the ball near or into their own end zone. Ohio State's Vic Janowicz, who would claim the Heisman Trophy that year, punted 21 times for 685 yards and also kicked a field goal in the first quarter for the Buckeyes' only points. Michigan capitalized on two blocked punts, booting one out of the back of the end zone for a safety and recovering another one in the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime. Despite failing to gain a single first down or complete a single forward pass, Michigan gained a 9–3 victory, securing the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth. Heavy criticism of Fesler's play calling led to his resignation and the hiring of Woody Hayes as his successor.

Between 1951 and 1968 under Hayes, the Buckeyes won 12 of 18 contests, including a 1957 victory in Michigan Stadium, the first game in the series attended by over 100,000 fans. In 1958, Ohio State had a 20–14 lead towards the end of the game. On the final play, Michigan fullback Gene Sisinyak ran the ball from the one-yard line for what might have been a game winning touchdown, but Ohio State defensive tackle Dick Schafrath hit Sisinyak, forcing a fumble. In the 1968 game, Ohio State won 50–14, outscoring its foe 29–0 in second half and attempting an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt on its final touchdown. When asked why he went for two points with an already insurmountable 50–14 lead, Woody Hayes is rumored to have said, "Because I couldn't go for three." The victory gave top-ranked Ohio State the Big Ten title for the first time in seven years en route to an AP national championship. The Buckeyes had also narrowed the series margin to 37–24–4.

[edit] “The Ten-Year War:" Woody Hayes vs. Bo Schembechler: 1969-78

On November 22, 1969, Hayes led his top-ranked Buckeyes into Michigan Stadium against Bo Schembechler, a first-year head coach who had once been an assistant under Hayes at OSU. The Buckeyes brought a 22-game winning streak into Ann Arbor, but behind an inspiring 60-yard punt return by Barry Pierson that set up a Wolverine touchdown in the second quarter, and a defense that intercepted Ohio State six times (three by Pierson), the Wolverines won a defensive battle (both teams were scoreless in the second half) for a 24–12 upset.

The contest was the first in the famous “Ten-Year War” between Hayes and Schembechler, which pitted some of OSU’s and UM’s strongest teams against one another. Four times between 1970 and 1975, Ohio State and Michigan were both ranked in the top five of the AP Poll before their matchup. The Wolverines entered every game during those years undefeated and won only once, a 10–7 victory in Ann Arbor on November 20, 1971. The Michigan graduating class of 1975 shared or won the Big Ten championship every season, yet went to the Rose Bowl only once, in 1972. They only lost or tied with Ohio State during the regular season in that period.

In 1973, both teams entered undefeated, with the winner guaranteed a trip to the Rose Bowl. The rivals played to a 10–10 tie in Ann Arbor on November 24, and the athletic directors of the other Big Ten institutions were forced to vote on the Big Ten representative for the bowl game. In a secret ballot, Ohio State won the vote, to the outrage of Michigan athletic officials and fans. It was rumored that Michigan State University voted for Ohio State, although a more likely reason the Buckeyes won the secret ballot was the injury suffered by Michigan starting quarterback Denny Franklin in the UM-OSU game. It was unclear if Franklin would be ready to play in the Rose Bowl, and the Big Ten ADs may have felt Ohio State would therefore have a better chance to win the bowl game. Schembechler argued that Michigan was robbed of its on-field achievements, and for months afterward, Ohio State newspapers were flooded with angry Wolverine letters and threats of lawsuits.

During the “Ten-Year War,” Ohio State and Michigan shared the Big Ten title six times. Between 1976 and 1978, Michigan won the game each year, and Ohio State failed to score a touchdown in each of those contests. Woody Hayes was fired at the end of the 1978 season as a result of an incident involving Clemson linebacker Charlie Baumann at the Gator Bowl, which ended the "War." The 1978 game was won by Michigan, 14–3, giving Schembechler a record of 5–4–1 against Hayes. At the end of the Hayes tenure, the series stood at 42–28–5.

[edit] The War's aftermath - Bo vs. Earle Bruce, 1979-87

Earle Bruce took over for Hayes and led the Buckeyes to a 5–4 record against Schembechler's Wolverines between 1979 and 1987, perhaps the most balanced stretch of the storied rivalry, during which neither team won more than two consecutive games. In 1987, Bruce was fired in the week before the Michigan game due to a poor season record, but was allowed to coach anyway, and the inspired Buckeyes won an upset over the heavily favored Wolverines. After the game, Bo Schembechler told Bruce, "I always mind losing to Ohio State but I didn't mind so much today." After 1987, the series stood at 46–33–5 in favor of UM.

[edit] John Cooper era: 1988-2000

The thirteen games during John Cooper's tenure as Buckeye coach were dominated by Michigan, as the Wolverines went 10-2-1 during the stretch. Schemblecher coached Michigan through 1989, then turning over the reins to one of his assistants, Gary Moeller (1990-94). Another Schembechler (and Moeller) assistant, Lloyd Carr, became the head coach in 1995.

The most notorious matchups took place in 1993, 1995, and 1996, each years in which Ohio State entered the game without a loss.

The Buckeyes had posted a 9-0-1 record heading into the 1993 game and were looking to claim an outright Big Ten title. They headed into Ann Arbor to face a Michigan team that had already lost four times. Michigan receiver Mercury Hayes and running backs Jon Ritchie, Che Foster, and Ed Davis each scored a touchdown as the Wolverines shocked the Buckeyes, 28-0. After the game, Cooper said: "This is one of the most embarrassing games I've ever been involved with." "They outplayed us on offense, on defense, and in the kicking game. If you'd told me we would come up here and get beat 28-0, I'd have probably stayed home."

In 1995, #2 Ohio State was led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George and future NFL stars Orlando Pace, Terry Glenn, Mike Vrabel, Shawn Springs, and Rickey Dudley. Glenn insisted there wasn't anything special about the Wolverines: "Michigan's nothing," he said. Perhaps inspired by this remark, the Wolverines manhandled the Buckeyes at the line of scrimmage from the very first play. Michigan senior running back Tim Biakabutuka amassed 313 yards rushing in Michigan's 31-23 upset. The Buckeyes, again, had high expectations entering the 1996 contest. They had won their first ten games, and were ranked #2 in the nation as they entered the finale with 8-3 Michigan. When Ohio State jumped to a 9-0 halftime lead, the OSU crowd sensed a special finish and perhaps a rise to #1, but Michigan stunned the Buckeye faithful in the second half as the Wolverines came back and posted a 13-9 victory.

In 1997, the Buckeyes traveled to Ann Arbor with a single loss and a #4 ranking, while the Wolverines, undefeated, sat atop the AP Poll.^[5] Spearheaded by the play of eventual Heisman winner Charles Woodson, who ran a punt back for a touchdown, intercepted a pass in the Ohio State end zone, and caught a 37 yard pass that set up freshman running back Anthony Thomas' touchdown run, the Wolverines prevailed 20-14. The Wolverines then defeated Washington State by a 21–16 score, winning their first national championship since 1948.

Ohio State came back with a win in the 1998 contest, but Michigan went on to win in 1999 and 2000. Senior quarterback Tom Brady hit sophomore receiver Marquise Walker for the game-winning touchdown pass with five minutes to go to for a 24-17 victory in 1999. In the 2000 game, Michigan grabbed a 31-12 lead and held on to win 38–26. Michigan junior quarterback Drew Henson went 14 for 25 passing for 303 yards, three touchdown passes, and a touchdown run. At the end of the 2000 season, Cooper was fired. While he consistently fielded strong top-25 teams, his 2-10-1 record against Michigan (including his failure to win in Ann Arbor) was, along with disciplinary problems and a losing record in bowl games, a major reason behind his dismissal. Michigan students held a "John Cooper Day" celebration in Ann Arbor on February 10, 2001 in mock celebration of Cooper's record in the rivalry.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Enter Jim Tressel: 2001-07

In 2001, Jim Tressel took over as Buckeye head coach. Unlike his predecessor John Cooper, Tressel put a special emphasis on the rivalry. In his introductory speech at halftime of a January basketball game, against Michigan, he said "I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people, in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the football field." In his first year, Tressel registered the Buckeyes' first defeat of the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 14 years, by a 26–20 score. Led by senior running back Jonathan Wells,the Buckeyes raced to a 23-0 halftime lead. With Wells out,Michigan mounted a second half comeback that fell just short. The next year, Tressel achieved what Cooper could not: Beating Michigan in consecutive years with a 14–9 victory. The game was decided on the last play when defensive back Will Allen intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired to clinch the victory. The Buckeyes were led by Freshman running back Maurice Clarett, who ran for 119 yards and one touchdown. He also had a key reception to set up Maurice Hall's game-winning score. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship that season, as they defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

In 2003, Michigan struck back and won the 100th meeting between the historical rivals by a score of 35-21 in Ann Arbor. Senior running back Chris Perry, a Heisman finalist, had 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines to the victory. Edwards contributed seven catches for 130 yards and two big touchdowns. The game's attendance was 112,118, the largest crowd ever for an NCAA football game. ^[6] In 2004, the 6-4 Buckeyes defeated the heavily favored 9-1 Wolverines 37-21 behind the leadership of quarterback Troy Smith and true freshmen receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. The Buckeyes added another win in the 2005 game by overcoming a 21–12 deficit with less than eight minutes in the game. In the closing minutes of the game, the Buckeye offense scored two touchdowns to claim a 25–21 victory. Smith threw for 300 yards and completed 73% of his passes. Ginn had a game high nine catches for 89 yards.

[edit] 2006: #1 vs #2

On November 18, 2006, Ohio State and Michigan met for their annual showdown, each carrying an 11–0 record. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the two rivals faced off while holding the top two spots in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. Ohio State won the game by a score of 42–39 and became the outright Big Ten champion, earning the right to play for a national championship at the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. Michigan struck first blood with a touchdown run by junior running back Mike Hart, but the Buckeyes then scored 21 unanswered points, and at halftime, they were up 28–14. However, the Wolverines weren't ready to back down. Thanks to an interception and a fumble recovery by junior defensive tackle Alan Branch, Michigan made it 35-31 Ohio State with 14 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But after appearing to have forced Ohio State into a fourth down situation with six minutes to go, junior outside linebacker Shawn Crable was called for roughing the QB, giving the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith then passed to Brian Robiskie for a touchdown, increasing the Buckeyes' lead to 42-31 with five minutes remaining in the game. The Wolverines still had fight in them, and after Ohio State was called for pass interference on a failed 4th down attempt, giving Michigan an automatic 1st down, junior quarterback Chad Henne found senior tight end Tyler Ecker for a 16 yard touchdown with two minutes to go to cut the OSU lead to 42-37. Senior wide receiver Steve Breaston caught the two point conversion to bring the Wolverines within a field goal. Michigan needed to recover the ensuing onside kick, and they failed to do so. The Buckeyes ran out the clock for the victory, and a trip to the BCS national championship game. Troy Smith completed 71% of his passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns, essentially clinching the Heisman trophy. Ginn caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman ran for 139 yards on 18 carries for a 7.7 yards-per-carry average. Michigan running back Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns against a stout Buckeye defense. Chad Henne also turned in an excellent performance with 267 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers on a 60% completion percentage. Neither performance was, however, sufficient to turn the tide in favor of the Wolverines. The game was highly touted by ESPN/ABC (there was even a game countdown clock for a week before kickoff) and was viewed by the largest television audience for a regular season college football game since 1993, averaging 21.8 million viewers.^[7] The victory marked the first time in 43 years that the Buckeyes had won three consecutive games in the series. The game gained even more significance when, on the eve of the meeting, legendary Michigan head coach and former Ohio State assistant coach Bo Schembechler died. Schembechler was honored with a video tribute at Ohio Stadium as well as a moment of silence before kickoff. ^[8] Half an hour after the game ended, the Ohio Lottery PICK 4 evening drawing was 4-2-3-9, matching the final score of the game and paying out up to $5,000 per winner, for a total payout of $2.2 million.^[9]

Following the game, there was a chance of a rematch in the BCS title game, but Florida was chosen over Michigan to be Ohio State's opponent.

[edit] A Sea Change at Michigan: 2008–Present

Lloyd Carr retired as coach at Michigan following the 2007 season and another loss to Ohio State. Jim Tressel had compiled a 6–1 record against Carr's Michigan teams, leaving Carr with a 6–7 career record against Ohio State. In December 2007, Michigan hired former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez to take over the football program. Rodriguez, known for his expertise in the spread offense, represented a significant departure from the Wolverines' traditional offensive style. Furthermore, both Carr and his predecessor Gary Moeller had been apprenticed by the now-legendary Bo Schembechler, and Rodriguez's hiring marked the first time in 40 years that a Michigan football team would not be coached by a member of the "Schembechler school."

The 2008 game - Rodriguez's first against the Buckeyes - featured an Ohio State team that needed a win to secure a 4th straight Big Ten championship. Michigan by contrast entered the game with a 3-8 record, having even prior to its final game suffered more losses than in any other season in its 129 year history. Big plays decided the outcome of the game: A 42-7 Buckeye victory, the largest margin of victory for OSU since 1968. The victory marked an unprecedented 5th straight win for OSU.^[10]

[edit] Accomplishments

^[11]

[edit] Game results

Winning team is shown in bold font. Years of a Michigan victory are in blue. Years of an Ohio State victory are in red. Years with a tie are in white.

[edit] In popular culture

The 2007 HBO documentary Michigan Vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry focused on the rivalry, chiefly the "Ten-Year War" through the present.^[12]

In 2006, as part of their Midwest Midterm Midtacular, The Daily Show visited The Ohio State University and made fun of the rivalry on the final night by having correspondent Rob Riggle report while wearing a Michigan sweatshirt. This brought boos, jeers, and a few laughs from the OSU audience. After the sketch was over, Jon Stewart compared the rivalry to the disputes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.^[13]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] See also

• Michigan Wolverines football
• Ohio State Buckeyes football
• Bowl Championship Series
• Coaches' Poll
• AP Poll

[edit] External links

• The Ohio State University
  • Official Ohio State University Athletics website
  • A History of the Conflict
• University of Michigan
  • Official University of Michigan Athletics website
  • The 100th Anniversary of the "...border battle."
• Ohio State Vs. Michigan Football History
• The Rivalry: Documentary produced by HBO
• Daily Show Midwest Midterm Midtacular