Ohio State lost to Michigan for the third straight year, this time by a score of 30-24 on Saturday, keeping the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten Championship yet again.
Here were selections from the Buckeye Sports Bulletin staff for players worthy of receiving Buckeye Leaves after the loss to the Wolverines:
Patrick Engels: Defensive end Jack Sawyer once again showed why he was a five-star recruit against the Wolverines with another strong performance off the edge. Sawyer seemed to be all over the field the entire game and was key in the run game with three solo tackles. He also racked up another significant sack when he and Michael Hall teamed up to bring down J.J. McCarthy in the second quarter.
All in all, Sawyer ended up with six tackles (one for loss), and the previously mentioned sack, giving him another impressive showing in what could be his final few games as a Buckeye.
Braden Moles: Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming has had a tough go of it for much of his career with the Buckeyes, but he was a star for Ohio State against Michigan.
Fleming hauled in arguably two of the most important passes of his tenure with Ohio State, including a pivotal 9-yard catch on third-and-7 in the first quarter and a later 28-yarder that put the Buckeyes in scoring position later in the drive to tie the game early in the fourth.
He finished with three catches for 58 yards, not as much as some of his teammates, but his impact was noticeable throughout the contest.
Greg Wilson: The best wide receiver in college football left his mark in the best game in college football this season. He was the team leader in yards again with five catches for 118 yards, and catches that came in big situations.
He corralled a long pass with one arm with a Michigan defender all over him enough to be called for defensive pass interference, but Ohio State was able to decline it because he somehow made the catch.
He also got into the end zone again in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard touchdown to bring the Buckeyes back within three points when they desperately needed a score to stay in the game. It didn’t end up mattering because they fell to the Wolverines for the third straight year, but not by any fault of Harrison.
