Ohio State football embarrassingly lost against unranked Michigan, giving Ohio State one of their worst losses to Michigan in history. Ohio State entered as 21.5 point favorites, but lost at The Shoe 13-10. Here’s what went wrong for Ohio State against Michigan.
Kicking:
If kicker Jayden Fielding had made all of his field goals against Ohio State, the Buckeyes would have beat Michigan 16-13. Although that sounds like a big task for a kicker to make all of his field goals, Fielding missed a 36 yard and a 38 yard field goal, which should be easy makes for even a college kicker. Ohio State kicking has been a big problem in recent years, being the main cause for this weekends’ game, and the reason Ohio State lost the Peach Bowl to Georgia in 2022, which would have sent Ohio State to the championship game. Ohio State’s kicking problem must be fixed immediately.
The Line:
Ohio State’s offensive line has battled injuries throughout this season, and the injuries showed against Michigan. Ohio State only ran for 77 yards, despite having two of the nations’ best running backs, Treveyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Michigan on the contrary, ran for 172 yards, and in the fourth quarter showed great dominance over Ohio State’s defensive line. Ohio State’s line aggressiveness has been a problem under Day as late in games, especially against Michigan, has been weak and unstable.
Chip Kelly’s awful play calls:
In the second half, as aggressive play calls were needed, and Ohio State needed to move the ball downfield, Chip Kelly continued to call about as conservative of calls as he could have. Kelly played right into the hands of Michigan and defensive lineman Mason Graham, who led Michigan with five tackles. Kelly late avoided utilizing his best two wide receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. However Kelly’s most unacceptable call was on 3rd and 10 with the score tied 10 to 10 late in the third quarter. 16 yards away from the endzone, Ohio State needed to capitalize the opportunity to get in the endzone. Kelly instead called for a delayed run, resulting in no gain, and a missed Jayden Fielding field goal.
As the season continues, Ohio State still has hopes of winning a national title, however Ohio State suffered one of their worst losses in history, one that will leave a stain in Ohio State fans’ hearts for years to come.
