Buckeyes Defense Manhandled by Michigan in Bitter Loss

Denard Robinson sprints to a 41-yard TD run

At 2926 days, the streak is finally over for the Buckeyes. That's how many days it had been since Ohio State had lost to Michigan, and the bitter taste of defeat at the hands of the Wolverines is as painful as ever.

Watching the Big House after the 40-34 win over the Buckeyes brought a sick feeling to the stomachs of Buckeyes fans everywhere.  Before this game, the Buckeyes had won seven meetings in a row, which is one of the longest streaks in the history of this rivalry and it was difficult to see that streak come to an end. Missed opportunities, poor coaching in critical moments, and Denard Robinson all combined for the heartbreaking loss for Ohio State.

The missed opportunities for the Buckeyes were the most difficult thing for them to overcome. Freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, who had an otherwise impressive game statistically, had troubles hitting open receivers throughout the entire game.

Miller was throwing the ball better than usual for just about the entire game, but he missed at least three open receivers for touchdowns throughout the span of the game. These missed passes would've completely changed the momentum and could have led the way for a huge upset for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State coach Luke Fickell came into this game knowing that, aside from a possible bowl game, this would most likely be his last game as head coach of the Buckeyes and you could see it in the way he coached. Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman were unusually aggressive in their play calling, which helped the Buckeyes' offense tremendously and ultimately gave them a chance to win.

All of this good coaching was undone by a single call late in the fourth quarter when the Buckeyes were on their final offensive drive. On third down, Fickell did what even a coach of a grade school football team knows not to do: he spiked the ball on third down. That gave Ohio State just one more chance to get the first down, which they failed to do.

Lastly, the defense just couldn't find a way to stop Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Robinson is one of the most explosive players in all of college football, but that is no excuse for a defense that is as talented as the Buckeyes to fail to come up with a way to adjust to his play and slow him down.

This devastating loss to the Wolverines is a tough end to the regular season, the Buckeyes' winning streak against Michigan, and Luke Fickell's tenure as the head coach of the Buckeyes.