I went to my pizza joint tonight and they had last year's Ohio State-Michigan game on replay on their big screen. It was 10-3 "Buckeyes" when I sat down to wait for my order and I tried to recall. Wasn't this the one at Ohio State? Yes, the whole stadium was scarlet. Wasn't this the one that Michigan ended up rolling? It was hard to believe given the score. I remembered, whichever The Game that one was it was the most thrilling and shocking The Game I had ever seen. I was intrigued and as I drove home I decided to put it on my 'puter when I got home while I ate. It was That Game. It was also one of the Best college tackle football games I had ever seen and as cerebral as I have ever seen for Jim Harbaugh earned his place in Maize and Blue heaven with his game plan. He thoroughly coached the pants off Ryan Day.

Folks, That Game looked like it would be 50-3 Ohio State. Their first possession, Harbaugh won the toss but weirdly deferred, the "Bucks" marched down the field pushing overmatched "Wolverines" down and running over them. On defense they harassed and chased baby-faced 19 year-old Mich. QB J.J. McCarthy all over creation. It was going to be a slaughter. "Weren't there a lot of big plays in That Game?" to self. There were. The first was a desperation 3rd and 9. McCarthy, chased, threw a ball to the sideline that well could have been a pick six but instead was snagged by a UM receiver an instant ahead of him and was off. Sixty-nine yards I believe that one was. 

Even at 10-10 it looked like a fluke. OSU's C.J. Stroud came back with a long vertical TD pass of his own to receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. but weird shit was already starting to happen. Ryan Day was determined to use his supposed speed advantage and tried with a number of those nauseating horizontal pass-run plays. He never broke one for a TD. Michigan was faster, or just as fast, and Day dinked five yards here, seven yards there to a, I think, 20-17 HT lead. By then the game was so weird I didn't know which way it was going to go but probably in the same "Bucks" rout it looked certain to be in the first quarter.

OH MY ABSOLUTE COMPLETE AND UTTER EVERLASTING DAYS! Michigan could not run the ball in the first half but McCarthy's wizardry had made them tentative of committing up front and the second half the Ohio State defense was thoroughly out-maneuvered by Jim Harbaugh. The Michigan receivers kept getting open, down the middle, down the sidelines. Ohio State's defensive secondary was out-schemed and outrun. McCarthy completed two long second half TD passes to go with his one in the first half and Ohio State was rattled and panicked. False start penalties on offense, a please-put-me-in-jail-Mr.-Referee head butt personal foul committed out of bounds, two crucial pass interference penalties, one in the end zone that gave UM the ball on the Ohio two yard-line. The Michigan running game got going...via J.J. McCarthy, the 19 year-old quarterback. God damn the pusher if you're Ohio State. Suddenly Michigan had the lead, first 24-20 and then 31-20. Ohio State continued to dink and dunk but now the Winged Helmets were teeing off on Stroud, stuffing the run and come what may keeping OSU receivers and ball carriers in front of them. Ohio State could not get back in the game with that abortion West Coast offense they were running.

And then at the beginning of the 4th quarter, one of the leaders of the Michigan defense stood up on the sideline benches and delivered an impassioned message to his group. Pointing at the Ohio State sideline he mouthed for the cameras and screamed for his teammates, "THEY'RE JUST WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! THEY'RE JUST WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!" which was finesse pantywaists. And then in that decisive 4th Q "Wolverine" running back Donovan Edwards broke identical play calls deep in Michigan territory, both off right tackle, one for 75 yards, one for 85 yards. Untouched on both. Those runs were breathtaking. Michigan had bent in the first half but had not broken and in the second half they broke and humiliated Ohio State in Ohio Stadium. Final score: 45-23.

The most cerebral college tackle football game I have ever witnessed. Hail to the Victors Valiant! After the game, I remember this from last year, Ryan Day was shaking in terror during his post-game remarks. He had been thoroughly outclassed by Jim Harbaugh. That was That Game. I can't remember a greater game that I saw.