Michigan football’s “FIDO” approach is pretty darn good

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Not even a walking boot on his left foot could stop the smile from creeping across Michigan football running back Kalel Mullings’ face.

There he was, sitting with Ohio State in the visitor’s media room on the second level at the southwest corner of Ohio Stadium, thinking about what happened just moments after his Wolverines put the finishing touches to a 13-10 win over their rival had , No. 2 Ohio State.

It was the Wolverines’ fourth straight win in the rivalry for the first time since 1988-91, playing a central role in one of the biggest chapters – certainly the biggest surprise – of the series. Mullings ran a career-high 32 carries for 116 yards and Michigan’s only touchdown, but it was his longest run of the day that made the biggest impression.

With Michigan on third-and-six at OSU’s 44 with 3:24 to play, Mullings ran into a wall at the line, fended off a tackle with a stiff arm, then cut outside right tackle and scampered 27 yards up the sideline With 45 seconds left in the game, he set up Dominic Zvada’s game-winning 21-yard field goal.

“I dreamed about this exact moment, these exact things that have been happening all week,” Mullings said. “It’s amazing.”

Mullings finished 1 yard behind exactly half of the Wolverines’ offensive output – coordinator Kirk Campbell’s group finished with just 234 yards on the day. That UM still won is a testament to head coach Sherrone Moore and the culture he instilled.

Few gave the Wolverines (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) a chance to win against the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2).

“No chance?” Head coach Sherrone Moore responded to a question about optics on Saturday. “That’s cool. I didn’t even know, people talk about it, I have no idea about it. Locked in the office. (AD) Warde (Manuel) told me that I can’t sleep there anymore, so I’m not sleeping there, but I was fully focused on our team… and worried about winning the game .

And thanks to his diligence, the next meeting between the two programs will come nearly 2,200 days after OSU’s last win over UM, and not a single player will be playing on either roster when the win was reversed.

No Loveland, no Johnson, no problem

The resilience Moore preached all year proved to be the difference, starting with the Wolverines’ response to the opener without two likely future first-round draft picks – tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson – starting the game would miss Saturday.

Replacing Loveland, Hogan Hansen caught a 9-yard pass for a first down in the first quarter and Marlin Klein added consecutive third-and-6 conversions at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter to keep UM moving hold.

Quarterback Davis Warren completed just nine passes (in 16 attempts) for 62 yards, and they combined for four receptions and 22 yards.

“It’s next man up,” Moore said. “Hansen made the first third-down catch and is a true freshman. Nothing annoys him, nothing worries him.

For Johnson, it was Aamir Hall with the first big stop. After a turnover on downs, UM held OSU near the goal line. On third-and-9, Hall saw quarterback Will Howard’s eyes and skipped a receiver’s route. After making the pick, the transfer from Albany took him back to OSU 2.

Two plays later, Mullings was in the end zone and Michigan never trailed again.

“The guys on defense keep making plays and giving us chances,” Mullings said. “Cheers to Aamir, cheers again to the defense. Ten points. Best offense in the country and all that stuff? Ten points.”

“Forget it and move on.”

On the ensuing drive, OSU marched 55 yards in 10 plays before stalling near the UM 20 and settling for a field goal attempt.

But Jayden Fielding pushed it wide right. Michigan wasn’t able to take full advantage – the offense had sputtered at this point, only managing 5 yards on a quick three – but Tommy Doman let loose his best punt of the year; It caught the jet stream, bounced and rolled 68 yards to pin the Buckeyes within their 10 yards.

The Buckeyes were forced into a punt of their own and booted just 31 yards into the wind, putting UM within field goal range, although Zvada hit a 54-yarder to make it 10-3 for the Wolverines.

Ohio State tied the score with a nine-play, 75-yard drive 30 seconds before halftime, but UM didn’t let that deter them.

“FIDO – we always talk about ‘Forget it and move on,'” Moore said. “Games will happen. They are a good team. So that’s what we did.”

The two teams exchanged punts before OSU had the ball on the 16th deep in UM territory. With 4:51 to play on third-and-7, Makari Paige skipped the route and came away with a timely interception. But three plays later, Warren gave the ball back to the Buckeyes on a Caleb Downs pick.

Still, in true “FIDO” fashion, UM’s defense didn’t allow a single yard in three plays before some lively fielding missed another short field goal, this time to the left from 34 yards out.

“Film doesn’t lie”

Of all of UM’s resilient moments on Saturday, none was more impressive than a late defensive response.

After Michigan finally got its offense going, spurred by Klein’s third-down conversions and Peyton O’Leary’s flying 18-yard reception on third-and-8 after a Warren pass while rolling right, the game was tied To extend, UM had first-and-goal at the 3. But Warren held on to the play-action fake for too long and instead of hitting an open Hansen in the end zone, he threw to linebacker Jack Sawyer threw an interception on the goal line.

Again, UM’s defense could have been demoralized. But again, OSU held it without a first down and forced a punt.

“To get the three, it was a four-and-one in our red zone, I just felt like I had to punt at that point,” OSU coach Ryan Day said. “If you don’t get it done, the game is probably really on the line. So, yeah, I can’t say much more than that.”

Shortly afterwards, Mullings’ earth-shattering run gave Zvada the winning goal.

From start to finish, UM answered every OSU body hit with one of its own. After all, as the Wolverines knew, they were the last ones standing.

“We’re just more physical, the film doesn’t lie,” senior edge Josaiah Stewart said. “We attacked the whole game. We took the fight to them. We didn’t wait.”

After that, of course, OSU took the fight to Michigan. The Wolverines attempted to raise a flag on the “O” at midfield, which drew many Buckeyes back onto the field for a brawl.

Michigan football’s “FIDO” approach is pretty darn good

ByAmelia Pressman

By Amelia Pressman

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