Kornacki: Defense, Allen Superb against Buckeyes
11/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was arguably the finest defensive effort any Michigan team had ever made against Ohio State and the greatest kicking exhibition any Wolverine ever put forth.
What Kenny Allen did with his leg and what tenacious defenders like Taco Charlton, Mike McCray, Ben Gedeon and Chris Wormley did to the Buckeyes may not have resulted in victory, but it can't be discounted in defeat.
What the nation's No. 1 scoring and total yardage defense did -- especially if strength of opponent is a criterion -- is something that was quite simply off the charts.
Consider:
The Buckeyes scored only two touchdowns and 17 points before two overtime periods in Saturday's (Nov. 26) showdown, and the defense couldn't be blamed for either touchdown.
The first came on a pick-six by Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, and the second came after another interception and penalties gave the Buckeyes first-and-goal at the four-yard line.
And what the defense did after allowing 10 plays for 72 yards (10 by penalty) on OSU's first possession was unfathomable.
On the next 45 plays run against the Wolverines, the Buckeyes gained 80 yards.
"They just keep swinging," said OSU coach Urban Meyer. "We knew going in it was going to be that way. That's one of the best defenses we've ever gone against."
Michigan totally controlled the Big Ten's top scoring (43.8-point average) and top yardage (493.1 per game) unit until quarterback J.T. Barrett went 41 yards on a quarterback draw with 10 minutes remaining.
Overtime periods skew statistics, but OSU had 280 yards total offense after regulation play ended. That was 213 yards below its average.
"I thought we did a heck of a job defensively," said Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The No. 3-ranked Wolverines had eight sacks and were as dominant as dominant could be in what ended up being a 30-27 loss to the second-ranked team in the land.
Aiding the defensive effort was Allen, the human field-position machine.
"I thought Kenny Allen played really outstanding -- especially on that last punt," said Harbaugh. "His kickoffs were great. His field goals were great. That's about as well as you can play."
Allen averaged 47.4 yards on seven punts and still put six of them inside the 20-yard line. He had a 67-yarder that did go into the end zone for a touchback and a 55-yarder downed at the OSU four-yard line.
His four kickoffs each went deep into the end zone or entirely through it, and none was returned.
He ran his streak to 12 consecutive converted field-goal attempts with a 28-yarder to open the game's scoring and a 37-yarder in the second overtime that should have been the game-winner.
The play of the game ended up being a fourth-and-one at the Michigan 16-yard line in the second overtime. Barrett tried squirming ahead for the one yard as safety Delano Hill denied him, and Wormley turned it into a windmill of a takedown.
Field officials spotted the ball incorrectly, giving him the first down, and the replay official didn't reverse it. Ohio State scored a touchdown on the next play for the win, but there never should've been another play.
Harbaugh said he saw the replays on the stadium scoreboard, adding that his opinion concurred with his assistant coaches' in the press box. Barrett was one foot short. There's now a Twitter hashtag: #SpotGate.
"It didn't look like he got the first down," said McCray, who had nine tackles, two pass breakups and one sack. "So, it was on to the next play, and we didn't capitalize."
Wormley said: "It looked like he was short, but I guess the refs saw something different. You have to play through those types of calls and that type of adversity."
The senior co-captain, nicknamed "Papa" by defensive end Chase Winovich, stands up to everything and takes on accountability.
Had the defense continued to play as it had through nearly three-and-a-half quarters, this game wouldn't have come close to overtime. But it allowed some chunk plays after that and couldn't stop one drive that began at the Michigan four-yard line after an interception and penalties.
"When you shut down an offense that has so many weapons and so many players who can make plays," said Wormley, "and you shut them down for most of the game and have a 10-point lead, you feel pretty good about yourself.
"We were just playing lights-out that first three-and-a-half quarters. They got some plays, and they have some good players. We needed to make a few plays at the end, and the outcome probably would've been a little different."
There were plenty of defensive standouts.
Gedeon had a team-high 10 tackles, one sack, two tackles for losses and a quarterback hurry.
Charlton altered the way Ohio State attacked because he was so dominant at times, getting nine tackles, 2.5 sacks and three tackles for losses.
Jabrill Peppers made his first interception and had seven tackles, while Hill had eight tackles. Channing Stribling made four tackles, one sack, two tackles for losses and one pass breakup. Dymonte Thomas and Jourdan Lewis both had four tackles and provided strong pass coverage.
Bryan Mone and Ryan Glasgow were rocks in the middle, refusing to be moved, and Glasgow had a big sack, while Mone had one tackle for lost yardage.
Rashan Gary, Matthew Godin, Maurice Hurst and Winovich also added plenty of punch along the trenches.
They showed why they are not only statistically the best defense in the country but also the best when the eye test is your criterion.
When asked, Wormley said he "absolutely" believed Michigan should continue to remain the College Bowl Playoff rankings as one of four teams headed for the Dec. 31 semifinal games.
"There are probably some things that have to go our way," said Wormley, "and there probably are some people who have to be on our side with the committee, but we've played good football all year and are keeping our fingers crossed. ... I think we have the talent and have the players, and we're a playoff contender. Hopefully, people see that and put us in the playoff hunt.
"We're excited about whatever happens. This is the most fun I ever had playing football. You build off the things you did well and take that into the bowl game and prepare for that the best you can."
McCray added, "We had a great season and didn't get the outcome that we wanted. But we've got to get ready for the bowl game and seal the deal."
