Big plays power No. 3 Michigan to 45-23 win over No. 2 Ohio State

No. 3 Michigan is a win away from a second straight Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance after its offense ripped apart No. 2 Ohio State’s defense in a 45-23 win in Columbus on Saturday.

Michigan scored TDs of 45, 69, 75, and 85 yards on Saturday as Ohio State’s strategy of playing man defense against Michigan receivers backfired at the most inopportune times. That man coverage strategy was even exploited by Michigan’s run game when Donovan Edwards scored on a 75-yard TD run with just over six minutes remaining to put the Wolverines up 15 and essentially put the game away.

Edwards broke through the line on the play and had no Ohio State defender near him after receiver Ronnie Bell ran his defender away from the play. All Edwards had to do after breaking through the hole was get away from a safety with a bad angle and Ohio State’s dreams of an undefeated regular season were over.

The win is a massive one for Jim Harbaugh as he’s now taken down Ryan Day’s Ohio State squad in back-to-back seasons after failing to beat the Buckeyes in any of his first six seasons at Michigan. The Michigan win also means Day is 1-2 against Michigan after his predecessor Urban Meyer never lost to the Wolverines.

Michigan’s victory also came without Blake Corum for much of the game. The running back attempted to play after he suffered a knee injury late in Michigan’s win over Illinois a week ago. But Corum was visibly hampered and had just two carries in the first half before he sat the rest of the way.

Edwards picked up the slack. He scored on an 85-yard run on his first offensive play following his 75-yard TD run and had 22 carries for 216 yards.