For only the second time in the storied history of the series, the 2022 edition of The Game featured 11-0 squads from both Michigan and Ohio State. Despite the massive expectations that went with such a matchup, The Game delivered. Michigan played from behind early and capitalized on a dominant second half to whip Ohio State 45-23.

The victory was Michigan’s 2nd consecutive in the rivalry and 2nd consecutive division champion. As important, it bolstered Michigan’s Playoff bid.

The lopsided loss severely dented Ohio State’s bid to get back to the Playoff field.

The Wolverines’ offense capitalized off big plays from QB JJ McCarthy, who passed for nearly 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ohio State relied heavily on the seasoned skills of CJ Stroud, who passed for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the big plays on the day largely belonged to McCarthy and Michigan.

While Miyan Williams returned for Ohio State, the Buckeyes mainly featured DeaMonte Trayanum on the ground. Trayanum, who played running back in 2020 and 2021, had just one carry in 2022, but he rushed for nearly 100 yards against Michigan.

Meanwhile, Michigan’s Blake Corum was obviously not well, rushing just twice for 6 yards total before departing the game quickly. Michigan filled that void with McCarthy in the run game and a bevy of running backs who gradually chipped away at OSU’s rushing advantage.

Ohio State opened the game with a 12-play, 81-yard drive. The Buckeyes converted three 3rd down plays on the drive, with the final one a 3rd-and-goal strike from Stroud to Emeka Egbuka in the end zone from 4 yards out. The extra point made it 7-0 Buckeyes with 10:02 left in the opening quarter. Michigan answered with a 44-yard drive that ended in a 49-yard field goal from Jake Moody to draw the Wolverines within 7-3 with 6:07 left in the opening quarter.

Ohio State responded in kind with a 32-yard Noah Ruggles field goal after a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Ruggles’ kick made it 10-3 with 1:19 left in the first quarter. Ohio State won the yardage battle in the first quarter by a 129-49 margin, largely due to outrushing Michigan by a 65-1 count.

The teams traded possessions until the middle of the second quarter, in part due to Michigan stopping a 4th-and-short pass from Stroud to Cade Stover on the edge of field goal range. But on a 3rd-and-9 play from their own 31, Michigan found a spark, with McCarthy connecting with Cornelius Johnson just shy of the first down marker. OSU’s Cameron Brown tried to hang on for a tackle, but Johnson yanked away, leaving Brown holding his towel as he sprinted 69 yards down the sideline for a game-tying score. It was 10-10 with 7:26 left in the first half.

Ohio State retook the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Ruggles with 5:36 to play until halftime. That 13-10 edge lasted for only seconds, as McCarthy connected with Johnson again on the next play from scrimmage, with the receiver beating his defender 1-on-1 and then breaking away with a 75-yard touchdown reception. Moody’s extra point gave Michigan its first lead of the day, 17-13.

After Michigan’s 1-play drive, Ohio State answered with a 4-play drive, retaking the lead on a 42-yard connection from Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr. Ruggles’s extra point made it 20-17, and Ohio State took that lead to halftime.

Michigan opened the second half with an impressive 7-play, 75-yard drive that included several runs after a first half that saw the Wolverines total just 10 rushing yards. But the key play was a faked end-around that led to an open 45-yard scoring connection from McCarthy to tight end Colston Loveland. The extra point extended UM’s lead to 24-20 with 11:56 to play in the third quarter.

The Wolverines dominated from that point, exploding for 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Edwards capped the scoring assault with a 85-yard TD run, pushing him over 200 yards in the second half alone.

Michigan will advance to the Big Ten title game next weekend. Ohio State now must wait and hope that its regular-season resume was enough for a Playoff bid.