ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Wolverines jumped out to a 14-0 lead and then saw the Ohio State Buckeyes fight back for a 14-14 halftime tie in a battle of longtime Big Ten Conference rivals at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
No. 8-rated Ohio State entered the contest as a 12.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes came in with a 9-2 record compared with 8-3 for the Wolverines.
The game is airing live on FOX 17 and concludes the 2017 regular season for both schools.
Michigan leads the series 58-48-6 all-time since the first encounter between the two back in 1897.
On Saturday, a big pregame question was answered when the Wolverines started senior John O’Korn at quarterback. Freshman Brandon Peters and senior Wilton Speight were not in uniform due to injuries.
After the two teams traded possessions, Michigan struck first on a 2-yard touchdown run by fullback Khalid Hill for a 7-0 lead with 6:02 to go in the opener. That score stood until the initial break.
After a 42-yard punt return by Donovan Peoples-Jones, the Wolverines came right back on the very first play of the second stanza. Michigan scored on a 3-yard scoring strike from O’Korn to tight end Sean McKeon for a 14-0 advantage with 14:57 showing on the clock.
Ohio State finally got on the scoreboard when quarterback J.T. Barrett scampered 21 yards down the right sideline for a TD to trim the gap to 14-7 with 9:50 left in the second period.
The Buckeyes then quickly knotted the score at 14-all when Barrett hit tight end Marcus Baugh with a 25-yard touchdown pass up the middle at the 5:54 juncture of the second quarter. That deadlock held up until intermission.
