“I just saw the progression of the route, I saw the quarterback’s eyes and the ball came and I was like, ‘Oh, game!’ I caught it, and that’s that,” Moore told Fox sideline reporters Jenny Taft after the game. “Made history.”
The teams traded punts twice to start the game, but third-ranked Michigan got the first big break on when Will Johnson intercepted McCord’s pass intended for Marvin Harrison Jr.
He returned the ball to the Ohio State 7-yard line, and four plays later Blake Corum scored the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run over right guard on fourth-and-goal.
No. 2 Ohio State got on the board on its next drive with a 43-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding that capped a nine-play, 51-yard drive. The key play was a third down fade to Harrison for 24 yards that got the Buckeyes into Michigan territory for the first time.
Michigan extended its lead to 14-3 when J.J. McCarthy threaded a 22-yard pass to Roman Wilson between two defenders.
Ohio State answered with a tidy seven-play, 73-yard drive capped by McCord’s 3-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka for a touchdown. The big play on the drive was a 32-yard pass McCord put right over the head of a defender into the arms of Cade Stover to get the Buckeyes into Michigan territory.
That made it 14-10 Michigan with 6:27 to go in the second quarter.
On the next drive, Ohio State got a big stop when Jack Sawyer sacked McCarthy on a third down, but the Wolverines were able to down the ensuing punt on the 2-yard line.
The Buckeyes drove to the Michigan 34-yard line, but with only one timeout they had to settle for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Fielding that went wide left as time expired.
Ohio State outgained the Wolverines 193-119 in the first half, but the lone turnover loomed large.
“I felt like the guys were doing a good job early in the game, but it comes down to getting stops and then finishing drives on offense,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day, whose team moved into scoring range three times in the first half but came out with only 10 points.
INTERCEPTION@UMichfootball SEALS THE GAME 〽️ pic.twitter.com/37lF1aVeqo
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 25, 2023
The Buckeyes avoided giving up the big explosive plays that hurt them in The Game last season, but Michigan converted three fourth downs in the first half.
Michigan stretched its lead to 17-10 with a 50-yard field goal by Turner with 11:43 left in the third quarter.
But the Buckeyes responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive that featured nine runs by TreVeyon Henderson and Chip Trayanum.
After McCord was sacked on the first play, he found Harrison for 14 yards to get a fresh set of downs. After a 15-yard pass to Egbuka got the Buckeyes across midfield, they turned to the ground on the next eight plays, the last one two yards for a touchdown by Henderson.
Then it was Michigan’s turn as the Wolverines went 75 yards and regained the lead on Corum’s 22-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left.
After forcing a three-and-out, they went on the march again as the third quarter turned to the fourth. They settled for a field goal but still stretched their lead to 10 points with 11:57 to go when Turner connected from 38 yards.
Ohio State made it a one-score game with a 14-yard touchdown pass from McCord to Harrison with 8:05 left, but Michigan countered with a 13-play, 56-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and concluded with a 37-yard field goal by Turner with 1:05 left.
McCord finished 18-of-30 for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Harrison caught five passes for 118 yards and the TD.
Corum rushed for 88 yards and two TDs on 22 carries and McCarthy finished 16-of-20 for 148 yards and a TD. Tight end Colston Loveland caught five passes for 88 yards.
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