It’s been a little over a decade now since Michigan and Ohio State met in Columbus, to play in what has been referred to by many as the “Game of the Century.” Out of all of the great battles these two arch-rivals have had — 1991 and 2003, to name a couple — this one left a special legacy of its own behind.
This was the only time in the history of the rivalry that both the Wolverines and Buckeyes entered the game No. 1 and No. 2. Both teams were unbeaten, and the winner was assured of a spot in the BCS National Championship game.
To make things even more emotional, former Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler suddenly passed away a day before the game in Southfield, Michigan. Michigan went into the game with a bit of extra motivation, determined to win it for Bo, and the game itself ended up being an instant classic. Here’s a little flashback:
Even though the Wolverines ended up losing the game 42-39, it still had that instant classic feel to it. The two teams went back and forth all game long, each responding to the opposition whenever there was a momentum change.
Michigan jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a Mike Hart touchdown run, but Ohio State responded, scoring 28 of the next 35 to take a 28-14 lead. The Wolverines then scored the next ten to make cut the Buckeyes’ lead to four. Ohio State went on to punch it in a couple more times, and eventually ended up with a 42-31 lead.
With a little over two minutes remaining, Michigan quarterback Chad Henne connected with tight end Tyler Ecker for a 16-yard touchdown. The Wolverines added a two-point conversion on a Henne pass to wide receiver Steve Breaston to make it 42-39. Following that, Michigan attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. The game effectively ended at that point because all the Buckeyes had to do was run the clock out; the Wolverines were all out of timeouts.
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith was the star of the game, going 29/41 passing for 316 yards and four touchdowns. He was only picked off once.
It was the 103rd meeting between the two arch-rivals. “The Game” kicked off at 3:30 p.m. eastern time on that day, different from their traditional kickoff time of noon. The game was moved up to 3:30 for broadcasting purposes, with all of the hype that surrounded the match-up. Columbus was also the site of ESPN’s College GameDay that morning as well.
11 years later, this game will still be remembered as a special one for fans on both sides of the rivalry.
Michigan hosts Ohio State this Saturday with a chance to completely ruin any remaining chances of OSU making the College Football Playoff.
