Ohio State vs. Michigan football recap 2008

#10 Buckeyes crush arch-rival Michigan 42-7

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Michigan for an unprecedented fifth consecutive time on Saturday, trouncing the rival Wolverines, 42-7, in the series' most-lopsided game in 40 years.

“It's hard to believe because it's so difficult,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said about the accomplishment of winning five straight in the rivalry.

Tressel is now 7-1 against Michigan in his eight-year tenure as head coach at Ohio State.

With the win, the Buckeyes clinched a share of their fourth straight Big Ten championship.

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Tenth-ranked Ohio State ends the regular season at 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference, deadlocked in the Big Ten standings with the Penn State Nittany Lions, who win the tiebreaker for the Rose Bowl based upon their 13-6 victory over the Buckeyes on Oct. 25. Seventh-ranked Penn State pounded No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday, 49-18, to secure an invitation to Pasadena. Ohio State, which now is hoping for an at-large selection to a BCS bowl game but may have to settle for a trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., will learn its postseason destination on Dec. 7.

The Buckeyes won Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium with a swarming defense, holding Michigan to 198 total yards, and a quick-strike offense, hitting on six plays for gains of 35 yards or more. The OSU special teams also contributed with two fumble recoveries and a long punt return.

The 35-point margin of victory is the largest in an Ohio State-Michigan game since 1968, when Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes routed the Wolverines, 50-14.

Junior tailback Chris Wells opened the scoring Saturday for Ohio State with a 59-yard touchdown dash with 3:57 left in the first quarter, eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season on the play. Wells finished with 134 yards on 15 carries to raise his season total to 1,091 yards.

The Buckeyes increased their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter on a 53-yard touchdown strike from freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor to junior receiver Brian Hartline, who caught the ball in stride at the 15-yard line and galloped into the end zone.

“I saw that he was running even with the defender and just threw it up to him,” said Pryor, who completed 5 of 13 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. “It was perfect timing and a perfect catch.”

Michigan (3-9, 2-6) closed the gap to 14-7 with a 65-yard drive capped by a 1-yard scoring run by Brandon Minor with 2:51 remaining before halftime.

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Ohio State tallied 28 unanswered points after the intermission, beginning the second half with a two-play, 91-yard drive that included a 42-yard run by Wells and a 49-yard touchdown jaunt by redshirt freshman Dan Herron.

The Buckeyes put the game out of reach by scoring three touchdowns in a span of 5:38 late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.

An 81-yard punt return by junior Ray Small set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Pryor to senior receiver Brian Robiskie with 3:54 left in the third.

On Ohio State’s next possession, a 35-yard pass from Pryor to sophomore Dane Sanzenbacher led to a 2-yard TD run by Herron.

Michigan fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Ohio State junior Marcus Williams made the recovery. The Buckeyes converted the turnover into the final points of the game when senior quarterback Todd Boeckman completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Hartline with 13:16 remaining.

“It felt pretty good,” said Boeckman, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship game last season as the starting quarterback but has been the backup behind Pryor since the fourth game of this year. “I know all of us seniors and all of us players, to do something that nobody in the history of the Big Ten has ever done, win four Big Ten titles and then beat Michigan five times in a row, that's something special.”

Boeckman completed 3 of 3 passes for 64 yards in Saturday’s game -- the final contest at the Horseshoe for him and 27 other Ohio State seniors, including linebacker James Laurinaitis, who finished the day with 12 tackles and a sack.

“I don't think we really realize it now, but I think as we get older, we'll look back on our career and stuff and realize to be a part of the first team to win five times in a row is something that is very special,” Laurinaitis said.

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