I Didn't Think Michigan Could Beat Ohio State...Until It Finally Happened

I won't lie; I'd given up on the dream. 2020 sucked for everybody, but if there was one good thing that came from 2020, it said I didn't have to endure another Earth-shattering beat down at the hands of Ohio State. I started watching sports in 2003 when Michigan beat Ohio State with John Navarre, Chris Perry, and Braylon Edwards. I figured that beating Ohio State was commonplace. I was wrong. I listened to them beat a six-win Ohio State team on the radio, waiting outside of Ford Field to watch my high school play in the state championship game in 2011. However, as an adult, I did not know of any success against Ohio State; I only knew of heartbreak and failure. Before Michigan's game in 2021, I remember thinking they had had a wonderful season. Yes, they slipped up in a game they should've won against the Kenneth Walker-led Spartans, but as a whole, they found themselves in a familiar position. As time passed, we learned that the COVID year was somewhat Fugazi, but we didn't know that at the time, and 2020, in many ways, was a bottoming out for Michigan football. One year later, there was no chance they would knock off Ohio State, was there?

This was the first Ohio State game I remember coming into, sans the first few years of the Rich Rod era, where I tried not to give myself hope. Hope can be a dangerous thing when put in the wrong hands. Even after Michigan's opening drive touchdown, in which A.J. Henning scored on a reverse, I could only politely smile. When Cade McNamara threw a pick in the end zone, I said, "There it is." My cynicism was justified. Then Michigan just kept hanging and hanging in, and they were running the ball effectively; Aidan Hutchinson was everywhere on defense, and I started to sit up on the couch. I remember the exact moment in which we lost cabin pressure. That was when Hassan Haskins scored his second of five touchdowns to open up the second half. Michigan was playing their game against the Buckeyes, and my anxiety had reached the point of return. If they lost this game, we'd have another Thanksgiving weekend ruined at the hands of Ohio State. If not, then Michigan fans were going to experience a collective feeling of euphoria that we hadn't experienced for well over a decade. Thankfully, the ladder happened.

This was the beginning of a three-year magic carpet ride that ended the Jim Harbaugh era. It wasn't that long ago that jokes about Michigan not making it to Indy were legitimate and consistent. Michigan went there in 2021, and we were curious if they would ever get back there. Thankfully, 2021 was not a fluke in Michigan began the most dominant stretch of football in the history of their stored program. We've seen Michigan win in Indy, pull off a classic Rose Bowl win, and we've seen them win a national championship, but I think I speak for a lot of fans here when I say that the 2021 game against Ohio State will hold a special place and a lot of peoples hearts. It got us to believe again.

Beating your rival is a lot of fun. I love it when Michigan beats Michigan State. I loved it when they beat Notre Dame back when they still played each other. No matter how subpar the opponent may be, I will always enjoy beating teams like that, but beating Ohio State is a spiritual experience, and something about that 2021 game felt like an ascension to heaven. It was that slow buildup that made it so special. It wasn't explosive. It was Jim Harbaugh football, one long drive after another, ultimately culminating with David Ojabo's sack of CJ Stroud, which officially sent the message that this Michigan team was different.

Seeing Michigan hoist the National Championship trophy a year ago was a dream come true, but every journey starts with a single step, and that was 2021. For once, I was not the only grown man who cried that day. And I have no clue what the future has in store for Michigan football. I'm not feeling particularly good about this upcoming game on Saturday. Still, there was a period in which I genuinely wasn't sure if the golden age of Michigan football was something we'd ever see. After this emotional victory, I remember saying, "Nothing was ever going to feel better than this." I was wrong. This was just the beginning, but I'll always remember the first time.