Skull Session: Fun Is Kicking Ass

Game 13 is across the nook.

Next Stop Indy

8:00 PM
Lucas Oil Stadium
FOX
Indiana pic.twitter.com/6Vt5px0pKI

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 1, 2025

Have an excellent Tuesday.

 ABSOLUTE CINEMA. Ohio State’s inventive group cooked with this.

Best factor about being 12-0 pic.twitter.com/jfGpEnTXVu

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 1, 2025

That’s the good stuff.

 FUN IS KICKING ASS. Tuesday is normally Moving Day for me — the purpose within the week after I transfer on from Ohio State’s final win and sit up for the following opponent. But even with the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, this isn’t a kind of weeks. The Buckeyes simply beat the Wolverines for the primary time in six years, and there’s nonetheless a lot to debate. Let’s unpack all of it with this in thoughts: Fun is kicking ass, the road Ryan Day dropped earlier than his group traveled to Ann Arbor final week.

“Fun is kicking ass,” Day stated. “We’re preparing to do that, and that’s it. The fun part is winning. We’ll save the fun for being in the locker room and celebrating after the game.”

That’s precisely what the Buckeyes did, because of a commanding run recreation and a dominating protection.

 THE RUN GAME. Ohio State ran the ball 47 occasions for 186 yards within the Big House. Bo Jackson led the group with 22 carries for 117 yards — that’s 46% of the carries and 63% of the yardage from a freshman! — whereas CJ Donaldson, Isaiah West and Julian Sayin mixed for the remaining 25 carries and 69 yards.

While a few of that success belongs to Jackson, the heroic efforts of Ohio State’s offensive line deserve probably the most reward. Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Tegra Tshabola and Phillip Daniels didn’t enable a single strain (not simply zero sacks — zero pressures), and the offensive line bullied Michigan’s defensive entrance. The Slobs took their souls.

“You watch our film, the O-line in this past game was as good as I’ve seen,” Day stated on Sunday. “The physicality, the way that they played, you know, it was pretty amazing. I think there was 43 knockdowns between all five of them, which I’ve never heard of before. They just played their tail off. And I’m just proud of the physicality, the mindset and the confidence they played with in this past game.”

You know the place I’m headed subsequent: the 20-play, 81-yard drive that drained 11:56 off the clock within the second half.

Ohio States full 20 play 11:56 drive to seal the sport pic.twitter.com/tWFHUCX28p

— Brodie (@SadOSUhoopsFan) December 1, 2025

With sufficient snow on the sector for Brutus to cross out the M within the south finish zone and sketch a Script Ohio on the objective line, Ohio State beat Michigan at its personal recreation. In 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Wolverines wore the Buckeyes down after halftime. Hassan Haskins, Donovan Edwards, Blake Corum and Kalel Mullings are names I’ll keep in mind endlessly as a result of Ohio State might by no means cease them within the closing half-hour. But in 2025? Jackson (and possibly Donaldson and West) will reside in Michigan’s head rent-free due largely to this:

• Donaldson 8-yard run
• West 2-yard run
• Jackson 2-yard run
• Donaldson 6-yard run
• Sayin 2-yard run
• Donaldson 7-yard run
• Sayin cross incomplete
• Sayin 3-yard run
• Donaldson -1-yard run
• Sayin 9-yard completion to Max Klare
• Jackson 13-yard run
• West -1-yard run
• West 14-yard run
• Jackson 9-yard run
• Jackson 0-yard run
• Sayin 2-yard run
• Donaldson 5-yard run
• Donaldson 1-yard run
• Sayin cross incomplete
• Jayden Fielding 23-yard subject objective

Would a landing have been sweeter? Of course. But it didn’t matter. Fielding’s kick made it a three-score recreation with 8:10 left. Bryce Underwood and Michigan’s offense towards that Ohio State protection? Ha. The Wolverines stood no probability.

 THE DEFENSE. The Silver Bullets have been traditionally good all season. That continued on Saturday, as Ohio State held Michigan to 9 factors, turning into the primary group in 50 years to carry its first 12 opponents to underneath 17 factors (1975 Florida). Oh, and the Buckeyes additionally restricted the Wolverines to 163 whole yards, 100 dashing yards, 63 passing yards, 9 first downs, 1-of-9 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down.

That’s diabolical.

Similar to the run recreation, the protection made its presence felt within the second half. 

Leading 17-9 at halftime, Ohio State acquired the kickoff, however its drive stalled close to midfield. Following a Joe McGuire punt that bounced into the tip zone for a touchback, Michigan took the ball at its personal 20, and Bryce Underwood opened the drive with a 26-yard strike to Donaven McCulley. However, the protection by no means flinched. Instead, the Buckeyes stuffed back-to-back performs and compelled an Underwood incompletion, resulting in a Michigan punt. On the following drive, Julian Sayin delivered a 50-yard bomb to Carnell Tate to provide Ohio State a 24-9 lead.

Game, blouses.

From that second ahead, Ohio State’s protection was pretty much as good as it has been this season. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. seemed like a person possessed, Sonny Styles like a freight practice and Caleb Downs like a heat-seeking missile, resulting in second-half numbers like this for Michigan:

• 6:20 occasions of possession
• 39 whole yards
• 3 first downs
• 2.2 yards per play
• 5 carries for -8 yards
• 5-of-13 passing for 47 yards and one interception
• 0-for-4 on third down
• 0-for-1 on fourth down
• 13 whole yards on the ultimate 17 performs

The Buckeyes, as Styles stated after the sport, whooped the Wolverines.

“Before this game, we talked about not caring what happened in the past, saying this team’s different, and going out there to play for the love of your brother, not for the hate of the other team. And I thought we did that today — just a bunch of band of brothers playing for each other,” Styles stated. “And we talked about it before the game, we got to win the second half. We had a few games the past few years, we lost the second half. That was a big thing. We came out in the second half and whooped ‘em.”

Styles credited his teammates and Matt Patricia for the efficiency.

“I think a lot has to do with Coach Patricia,” Styles stated. “I think he’s a great coach, great teacher. He’s making us a smarter defense. He does a good job teaching fundamentals. … He’s done an amazing job.”

Ryan Day echoed Styles’ sentiment on Sunday.

“It’s pretty clear to anyone close to the program that he’s done a great job,” Day stated. “He’s a very likable guy who just has a great personality, cares about his players. He’s very intentional, meshes well with the staff. … We had a defensive staff already intact, and these guys just came off a national championship, and I felt like they were the best defensive coaching staff in the country. But we needed to bring in someone to work with them and work with our players. And Matt turned out to be a great fit.”

No kidding.

Ohio State’s protection dominated in its greatest recreation of the 12 months — and will probably be simply as vital towards Indiana and within the College Football Playoff. Defense wins championships, and the Silver Bullets may very well be (learn: might be) the distinction because the Buckeyes chase (learn: win) a second straight nationwide title.

 “THE MOST RELAXED TEAM ON THE PLANET.” ESPN’s Bill Connelly known as Ohio State “the most relaxed team on the planet” following its win over Michigan.

I like that description.

I like it a lot.

Here’s a few of what he wrote in regards to the Buckeyes this week:

Those issues have been definitely true sufficient, however Saturday in Michigan, within the face of more and more Michigan climate, Ohio State was relaxed, sound and simply pretty much as good because it has been all season.

…

The Wolverines have been by no means going to have the ability to sustain, and in contrast to final 12 months, the Buckeyes have been by no means going to panic. Instead, they handled Michigan like another opponent on this machine-like run to 12-0. 

Mmm, that line about panic is so true. Down 3-0, a Julian Sayin interception, down 6-0, a drive that ends in three factors regardless of a number of goal-line makes an attempt, a slim lead into the third quarter — the Buckeyes by no means panicked. Ryan Day stated as a lot on Saturday.

“We knew there was gonna be adversity and we weren’t gonna let it faze us. Adversity came on the second play of the game (his interception), so we have to keep battling. As an offense, that is our whole mindset, just keep battling.”

Caden Curry stated the protection has the identical mindset.

“We always come out knowing that we can be the best defense in college football and we want to play the right way and play our game,” Curry stated. “We knew our offense would come out swinging, so we knew whatever (Michigan) brought us, we would have to stop it. I feel like we came out there and played as hard and as fast as we could. We were just on top of it all day.”

Curry added,” We know what we now have executed and know what we are able to proceed to do. We need to preserve having that mentality, preserve preventing every single day and simply get higher every single day.”

Connelly closed his part on the Buckeyes with this:

Damn, it’s onerous to choose anybody however Ohio State because the clear title favourite.

I agree!

 DAILY DUBCAST. Today’s Eleven Dubcast welcomes again Kyle Jones to preview the upcoming episode of Film Study that may overview how Ohio State dominated Michigan on each side of the ball after the Buckeyes overcame a sluggish begin to The Game.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “At Last” – Etta James.

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