'Job is not finished': Michigan dumps Ohio State, earns Big Ten title game berth

Columbus, Ohio — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said his advice to sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy was to “have at it” in his first game against rival Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.

Apparently, that was the message he gave the entire team.

McCarthy, in his first year as the starter, threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, Cornelius Johnson had two huge touchdown receptions, and running back Donovan Edwards, with a cast on his right hand and leading rusher Blake Corum on the bench most of the game, had back-to-back touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards to lead Michigan to its first victory at Ohio Stadium since 2000.

BOX SCORE: Michigan 45, Ohio State 23

Michigan, the No. 3 team in the College Football Playoff rankings, upended No. 2 Ohio State, 45-23, before 106,787 to win for the second straight time against its rivals. This also is the second straight Big Ten East Division title for the Wolverines (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten), who will play for the Big Ten title next week in Indianapolis and a shot at a CFP national semifinal berth.

“Every win is great, especially this one,” said McCarthy, who was 12-of-24 passing for 263 yards and had six carries for 27 yards rushing including a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. “But at the end of the day, this one doesn’t even matter.”

At that point, McCarthy removed his hat with the Big Ten East Division champions logo.

“This doesn’t matter,” said McCarthy, who tossed the hat on the table where he was sitting. “The job’s not finished. We’ve got so much more to do and so many places to go. Job’s not finished and we’re ready to get after it.”

Johnson finished with four catches for 160 yards and touchdown catches of 69 and 75 yards. He was asked what it means for him and the program to win two straight against Ohio State (11-1, 8-1).

“It’s definitely personal,” Johnson said. “For me personally, I was 1-1 against these guys coming in. It was even, so I had get up on these guys. Everyone keeps track of their personal records. We had old Michigan players come in and talk to us during training camp and all people ask is, ‘What’s your record against (Ohio) State? Doesn’t matter your personal achievements, what was your record and how many rings you got?’ That’s what matters most, and I was glad I was able to come in here with my guys and take care of business down here.”

The Wolverines had been described as “workmanlike” by the CFP chairman because of their reliance on the run game and a strong defense. Ohio State had the high-flying offense, ranked No. 2 in scoring and averaging 46.5 points entering this game.

But it was the workmanlike Wolverines who finished with 530 yards, including 278 passing and 204 yards in the first half. They had 11 rushing yards in the first half then finished with 252 thanks to Edwards, who, despite the cast on his right hand, finished with 22 carries for 216 yards and two catches for 9 yards.

The Wolverines’ run game, which had carried the team all season, was thought to be limited heading into the Ohio State game with injuries to Corum, who had been considered a Heisman Trophy candidate, and Edwards. Corum suffered a left knee injury late in the first half a week ago against Illinois, and Edwards had missed the last game and most of the previous game with an injury to his right hand.

Corum started the game but left in the first series limping. While McCarthy and Johnson connected in the pass game, Edwards had five carries for 9 yards in the first half.

“Everyone’s got to step up,” McCarthy said, calling Edwards “special and so talented.” “Blake is an extremely important player to our team, but we’ve got 142 other guys that are just chomping at the bit to get after ‘em. Extreme confidence coming in.”

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who had heard the knocks that the Wolverines weren’t able to hit on deep throws, said he always believed otherwise.

“We knew that that we could make those kinds of plays,” Harbaugh said. “Cornelius Johnson really got us started with the catch and then broke the tackle, 75 yards. The very next time we came back, one play, 75-yard touchdown. We never got away from the running game. One good thing about the running game, it can wear on you. That’s why it’s usually better as the as the game goes on.”

Defensively, Mike Morris, the Wolverines’ top edge rusher who leads the team in sacks, was extremely limited and had one tackle in the first half. That didn’t seem to matter.

Ohio State had 315 yards at halftime and had the ball eight more minutes than Michigan. The Buckeyes led 20-17 at the break but had been stymied by the Wolverines’ defense. Michigan twice held Ohio State to field goals and stopped the Buckeyes on a fourth-down attempt.

Michigan took a 24-20 lead early in the second half with a 45-yard touchdown to freshman tight end Colston Loveland, and the Wolverines never trailed again.

“Right after that touchdown coming out of the half, I just felt like we were able to do everything we wanted to do at that point,” McCarthy said. “I felt so comfortable, so calm. The first half, I was a little amped because I’ve been waiting to play this game for so long. Once the nerves calmed down and everything settled, I knew it was over from then.”

After scoring on three touchdown passes, Michigan would get three rushing scores in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Ohio State was held to 177 second-half yards, including 47 in the third quarter. The Buckeyes were 1-for-7 on third down in the second half.

The Wolverines have prided themselves on being a second-half team, particularly on defense. They outscored Ohio State, 28-3, in the second half and among the bigger defensive plays was Mike Sainristil’s breakup of a C.J. Stroud pass in the end zone on third down that forced a field goal.

“We felt like any kind of stop was going to be like gold. We weren't going to mess up any stop with any kind of penalty, or even if they got into a punting situation, being offsides or roughing in the punter,” Harbaugh said. “Those stops were like gold to us coming into this game. It was great that we got we got so many in this game. I just can't say enough about the players, the coaches. They’re incredible.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @chengelis