Buckeyes need to get back on defensive

Brady Hoke is one sly fox of a football coach.

All those yards the Michigan Wolverines didn’t get against Big Ten Conference rivals Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa in November — Hoke was saving them up for Ohio State.

It almost worked.

The Buckeyes, a two-touchdown favorite Saturday, were gashed for 603 yards — including 451 passing yards by quarterback Devin Gardner — and nearly saw their 23-game winning streak end at Michigan Stadium.

Tyvis Powell saved Ohio State (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) when he jumped a route and intercepted Gardner’s two-point conversion pass at the goal line.

Gardner was trying to squeeze a pass to Drew Dileo and for one of very few times on Saturday, a Michigan receiver wasn’t wide open.

Gardner had just thrown a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Devin Funchess with 32 seconds left to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 42-41.

But Hoke is no Pat Dye, who directed his Auburn team to play for a tie in the 1988 Sugar Bowl against Syracuse and forever became known as “Pat Tie.”

The Wolverines lined up to go for two and the Buckeyes called a timeout.

“We were going over some stuff that they could do on the two-point conversion,” Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier said. “We pretty much knew what was coming.”

For once.

Hoke wouldn’t second-guess his decision to go for two.

“We played to win the game,” he said.

Michigan (7-5, 3-5) didn’t win, but Gardner (32 of 45, 451 yards, four touchdowns) and the Wolverines did just about everything but.

“That’s an instant classic,” Meyer said.

The Buckeyes’ sorry pass defense made it so.

Michigan couldn’t stop Ohio State, which rushed for 393 yards with running back Carlos Hyde (226 yards) and quarterback Braxton Miller (153) combining to do the overwhelming bulk of the damage.

Hyde’s 1-yard touchdown run with gave the Buckeyes a 42-35 lead, but Ohio State’s defense had no answer for Michigan.

Gardner led the Wolverines down the field one last time and Ohio State couldn’t get a stop until it was almost too late.

Jeremy Gallon (nine catches, 175 yards), Jake Butt (five catches, 85 yards), Dileo (five catches, 60 yards) and former Liberty High star Fitzgerald Toussaint (four catches, 48 yards) all got open with ease.

They got open deep. They got open short. They got open on the sidelines. They got open in the middle.

Hoke and Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges burned Ohio State repeatedly with a throw-back screen pass and other quick-hitting passes that Gardner executed flawlessly. The Buckeyes were repeatedly out of position and it nearly ruined their season.

It could still be ruined next week by Michigan State, a far better team than the one Ohio State barely survived Saturday.

Co-defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Everett Withers either have to get the secondary fixed or start polishing their resumes, especially now, since Auburn might have done the Buckeyes a huge favor with a stunning 34-28 win over No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

Ohio State could be in position to clinch a spot in the BCS title game with a victory over Michigan State.

How galling would it be if the Spartans played the role of spoiler after the stars seem to be lining up to give the Buckeyes a shot at unbeaten Florida State?

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @edpuskas85.