COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy waved good-bye to what was left of the shell-shocked Ohio State fans. Donovan Edwards high-fived the smattering of Wolverines fans screaming in the stands above the visitor's tunnel at Ohio Stadium. Mike Sainristil helped plant the Michigan flag at midfield right between the "Block O."
None of this seemed plausible before the top-five showdown with No. 2 Ohio State, especially at halftime. No. 3 Michigan trailed 20-17. The Wolverines had 11 rushing attempts for 10 yards without Heisman Trophy candidate Blake Corum, who was limited to one series because of a knee injury. It seemed inevitable the Buckeyes' high-powered machine would do what it typically does in The Game, especially in Columbus.
Yet for the second year, Michigan (12-0) reversed the curse. This time with a stunning big play-filled second half that ignited a 45-23 blowout. That ended the Wolverines' 22-year losing streak at The Shoe, sent Michigan to the Big Ten championship against Purdue and gave Jim Harbaugh the upper-hand on Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who dropped to 1-2 in the rivalry game.
MORE: What effect Ohio State's loss will have on Alabama, others
"It's huge," McCarthy said. "We're not so much of a team that looks to the past and worries about it. We're about the present and changing the future. It was just one of those things where everything was aligned for us."
McCarthy finished 12 of 24 passing for 263 yards and three TDs. He added 27 rushing yards and another TD. Edwards erupted for 207 of his 216 rushing yards in the second half, and the Wolverines ditched ground-and-pound for a big-play offense at the most opportune time against Ohio State (11-1). Harbaugh lauded a "locker room of heroes" and lavished praise on McCarthy.
"He's just got that 'it' factor in every way," Harbaugh said. "In their first game starting against Ohio State, and you play that great? Everybody on our team knows it, so it wasn't a ... "
Harbaugh trailed off, but the next word is obvious.
"Surprise!" McCarthy became the first quarterback to win at Ohio Stadium since Drew Henson in 2000, and McCarthy did that with the same big-play flair that answered a question being asked all week. Can McCarthy lead the Wolverines with his arm?
Touchdown passes of 69 and 75 yards in the first half to Cornelius Johnson provided a short-term answer. It allowed Michigan to get to the second half, where they had outscored opponents 218-62 coming into The Game. The Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes 28-3. What adjustments were made?
"None," McCarthy answered. "No adjustments. We had the full game plan ready for them. The message was, 'We're the best second half team in the country, and we prove it every single week.'"
The momentum flipped when McCarthy threw his third TD pass to tight end Colston Loveland with 11:56 remaining on the opening drive in the third quarter. That gave the Wolverines a 24-20 lead. McCarthy said he felt calm in that moment – and it was Ohio State that panicked. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud finished 31 of 48 for 349 yards, two TDs and two interceptions, but the Buckeyes failed to score a TD in the second half. It was an eerily similar showing as last season.
McCarthy's big plays in the passing game opened the door for Edwards to be the hero in the running game. Edwards missed last week's game against Illinois with a hand injury, so he simply switched hands when carrying the ball. He eliminated any hopes of an Ohio State miracle with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 75 yards and 85 yards that flipped the narrative in the rivalry. That was enough to get a long hug from Harbaugh before the coach who improved to 2-5 against Ohio State took the podium.
"I don't really know what it feels like," Edwards said. "It's the offensive line first, and they create such big holes when you watch the film. It's real easy to see. At that point, you just hit it and have to out-run the third-level defenders."
"One good thing about the running game is it can wear on you," Harbaugh added. "When Donovan Edwards gets free, you don't even think about it."
Michigan finished with 252 rushing yards – not quite the 297 yards in a 42-27 victory in 2021 – but the message was clear. The Wolverines played out of their minds in the second half.
The defense did the rest. Sainristil and Mike Morris were among the players who looked over at the Ohio State sideline before the fourth quarter. They knew the game was over at that point, and two fourth-quarter interceptions sealed the victory. The flag plant was not the most original move, but it makes a statement just the same.
"I have been thinking about this since January," Sainristil said. "Just to have the opportunity to come down here and win this game at this stadium, first time since 2000. Last year the only thing I was thinking about last year was the fans rushing the field. This year I was thinking about planting the flag."
That's perhaps the most visceral part of what transpired. After two decades of frustration, Michigan is no longer afraid of the Buckeyes. When asked about what he saw on his long TD, Edwards simply said, "Which one?"
Johnson talked about the mindset in the huddle before those big plays in front of a hostile Ohio State crowd: "You have to embrace it. You have thousands of people in red screaming hate words at you. You just gotta look at your boys, 'Let's go, it's third and 10, what do we got?'"
Michigan is the virtual lock to make the College Football Playoff after winning back-to-back games against Ohio State since 1999-2000. The Buckeyes – who brought in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as the response for last year's loss – lost a Big Ten home game for the first time since 2015. Ohio State is hoping for a back-door to the College Football Playoff, and Day is forced to play politics now.
"If we were able to get a shot in the top four, we'd be a dangerous team," Day said.
MORE: Day trying to figure out where to go next
Michigan has that in the present tense. Harbaugh has the right quarterback capable of leading a real national championship run, especially if Corum is able to come back from that knee injury. There were no atomic jabs at Ohio State, but McCarthy did answer a question about the magnitude of this victory. It was not a run-of-the-mill response.
"Every win is great, and especially this one, but at the end of the day this one doesn't even matter," McCarthy said. "This doesn't matter. The job is not finished. We have so much more to do, and so many places to go."
"That boy sounds like Kobe Bryant to y'all," Johnson said and let out a long whistle.
Shooters shoot, right?
Why not? On Saturday, McCarthy shot his shots, and Michigan did not miss.
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