College Football: 25 most unforgettable games of the 21st century
By Phil Poling
No. 15: Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 26, 2016
After some disappointing years in the Michigan Wolverines/Ohio State Buckeyes’ rivalry, the Big Ten schools were at their best in 2016. Both teams entered the matchup 10-1. Michigan was No. 3, while Ohio State was No. 2. A likely “win and you’re in” scenario for the College Football Playoff, Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer’s dreams stood right in front of them.
It was classic Big Ten football in the first quarter, as neither team scored and punts were the furthest the ball traveled on any given play. Ohio State did miss a field goal on its opening drive, but that’s the closest either came to a score in the first stanza.
Michigan got on the board first after a 12-play, 53-yard drive ended in three points in the second quarter. The Buckeyes’ offense, however, got shut out in the first half, but Malik Hooker scored on a pick-six with four minutes before the break.
Michigan didn’t quit, however, and punched one in from a yard out with just six seconds left in the half. This gave the Wolverines a 10-7 lead over the arch-rival Buckeyes heading into the break.
Khalid Hill and Mike Weber exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. Tyler Durbin‘s field goal with one second left pushed the game into overtime. But plenty happened in between all that.
Tipped passes turned into interceptions. Fake punts went awry. A Durbin miss that would’ve tied the score at 17 with seven minutes left. It came down to the last drive though, and Durbin took care of things then.
In the first overtime, J.T. Barrett got things started with a seven-yard score before Michigan answered with a touchdown of its own. Wilton Speight and the Wolverines could only manage a field goal on their next possession, giving the Buckeyes an opportunity to win the game with a touchdown.
After a review on fourth-and-1 that resulted in a Buckeyes first down, Barrett handed the ball to Curtis Samuel who darted through a hole and went untouched to the endzone. Touchdown. Ball game. Goodnight, Michigan.