The 110th game between Ohio State and Michigan might have been the most thrilling, a back-and-forth affair that came down to one final play.
The Wolverines went for the win — and the Buckeyes stayed undefeated.
Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner’s 2-point conversion pass with 32 seconds left and No. 3 Ohio State held on for a 42-41 victory against Michigan on Saturday as one of the greatest rivalries in sports added another memorable chapter to its storied history.
“That’s an instant classic,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.
Gardner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess to make it 42-41, but instead of kicking for the tie and possibly pushing the game to overtime, Wolverines coach Brady Hoke asked his players if they wanted to go for it and got a unanimous response.
“We played the game to win,” Hoke said.
Gardner tried to zip a pass to Drew Dileo into traffic near the goal line, but Powell came up with it and the quarterback was left lying on his back with his arms extended to his side, the back of his helmet resting on the cold turf.
“We felt like we could win the game right there,” Gardner said, looking and sounding as saddened as any athlete after a setback.
Buckeyes cornerback Roby Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal Ohio State’s 24th consecutive victory and keep its national championship hopes alive. And then thing got even better for the Buckeyes when Auburn beat Alabama later.
Meyer insisted the streak was not as significant as winning his second game in as many tries against Michigan.
“No question — the win over our rival is better,” he said.
Braxton Miller accounted for a career-high matching five touchdowns for Ohio State (12-0, 8-0) and Carlos Hyde ran for a 1-yard score with 2:20 left to make it 42-35.
The Buckeyes left Ann Arbor knowing they will play Michigan State in the Big Ten title game next Saturday in Indianapolis, needing to beat the Spartans — and have No. 1 Alabama or No. 2 Florida State lose a game to have a chance to reach the BCS national championship game. No. 4 Auburn provided an assist by defeating the Crimson Tide by returning a missed field goal 100 yards on the final play for a 34-28 victory.
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