Mirroring previous remarks made by Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara said Sunday his team’s dominant victory over Ohio State last month was a surprise. Michigan snapped an eight-game skid in the rivalry series and ended the Buckeyes’ reign atop the conference.
“Honestly, I expected the Ohio State game to be closer,” McNamara said, per Wolverines Wire. “Honestly, didn’t expect to physically dominate them.”
Michigan owned the line of scrimmage in the game, rushing for nearly 300 yards including a 169-yard effort out of Hassan Haskins, who scored five touchdowns. Gattis said after the game controlling the point of attack was key to defeating the Buckeyes, calling them “a good team,” before noting that, “They’re a finesse team, they’re not a tough team.”
“It was huge,” Gattis said, talking with MGoBlue host Jon Jansen. “Started fast in setting the tone for the game and really creating the identity of the game that we were going to dominate on both fronts, not just offensive line but defensive line as well, just being able to smash them however we could and really set the tone. They’re a good team … they’re a good team.
“They’re a finesse team, they’re not a tough team,” Gattis said. “And we knew that going into the game that we can out-physical them, we can out-tough and that was gonna be the key to the game, and that’s what we prepared for all year long. You saw earlier this year in the game they lost to Oregon, Oregon was the most physical team on the field. That’s the way they lost, and we committed to that recipe, and it paid off.”
