DALLAS (FWAA) – The Michigan Wolverines took advantage of turnovers, powered their ground game to success and stalled the Ohio State offense throughout its 13-10 win Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. For taking its fourth straight win over the Buckeyes in the bitter rivalry game, Michigan earned the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Nov. 30, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the seventh time for Michigan (7-5) to win the weekly award and the first since this weekend of 2022 when it also won at Ohio State, 45-23.
Tied 10-10 with 6:13 remaining, the Wolverines mounted an 11-play drive, including nine rushes for 53 yards by Kalel Mullings, to set up the game-winning 21-yard field goal by Dominic Zvada with 45 seconds left. Mullings had the key play on the five-minute drive, breaking multiple tackles at the line of scrimmage on a third-and-six run that took Michigan from midfield into the red zone.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore improved to 2-0 as head coach against Ohio State, with his first win coming last season when he filled in as the Wolverines’ interim coach during Jim Harbaugh's three-game suspension from the Big Ten.
Michigan’s defense shined in the victory, holding Ohio State to season lows of 10 points and 252 total yards. The Wolverines added interceptions from Aamir Hall and Makari Paige, one at the Michigan 10-yard-line and the other at the Ohio State 10, to contain Ohio State on the scoreboard. In the fourth quarter, Michigan allowed just 10 total yards and no first downs to secure the win.
Mullings rushed 32 times for 119 yards and scored Michigan’s only touchdown following Hall’s interception at the Ohio State 10. The Wolverines totaled 234 yards (172 rushing, 62 passing) and won the time of possession by more than seven minutes. The team that has won the rushing battle in this game has been the winner now 23 consecutive times, as Michigan out-rushed Ohio State 172-77.
Zvada’s second-quarter field goal from 54 yards made him seven-for-seven from 50-plus this season, adding to his program record. The FBS record for made field goals from 50-plus yards in a season is eight. Adding the game-winning kick, Zvada is 17-of-18 on the season.
“Our guys played great, especially the D-line,” Moore said. “The O-line played great when they needed to, and they got some real good push and we kind of hammered them. The wind was a factor so you couldn't throw as much and be effective in throw game. You definitely had to have a good run plan. ... (On Mullings) He's hard to bring down. He runs angry, he runs physical. I'm so proud of him. Career high 32 carries, 116 yards. All you can ask for.”
This was the 120th meeting and Michigan’s now four-game win streak in the series is its longest since taking four straight from 1988-91. Michigan is now 29-28-2 in games played in Columbus, including a 26-24-1 all-time at Ohio Stadium, and owns a 63-51-6 advantage all-time.
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2024 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I programs. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Nov. 30 were:
- Notre Dame (11-1): The Fighting Irish outlasted USC, 49-35, on the road for their 10th straight win. Notre Dame punctuated the win with two pick-sixes in the closing minutes. Christian Gray picked off a pass at the Irish one-yard line with 3:39 left and returned it 99 yards to put his team ahead 42-28. USC drove into the red zone again, but an Irish blitz forced a hurried throw that Xavier Watts picked off and returned 100 yards for another score and the final tally.
- Syracuse (9-3): The Orange trailed 21-0 early in the first half but rallied to beat No. 8 Miami, 42-38, at the JMA Wireless Dome, completing the largest comeback in program history and giving Syracuse its first win over a top-10 team since 2017. Syracuse continued its high octane offense with 479 total yards, including 380 through the air from Kyle McCord, who was 26-of-36 hitting seven different receivers. The win was the Orange’s third over a ranked team this season, a first since 1998.
- Texas (11-1): The No. 3 Longhorns clinched a berth into the SEC Championship Game with a 17-7 win at Texas A&M. Texas’ defense shined all night, holding the Aggies to just 244 yards of total offense, forcing a pair of turnovers and not allowing an offensive touchdown keyed by two critical fourth-down stops. Quintrevion Wisner was the Texas workhorse on offense with 33 rushes for a career-high 186 yards, his second straight game with more than 150 rushing yards.
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Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Camping World Kickoff, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic and the Florida Cup & FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
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