Eight-year-old Jacob Mahoney signed – not sung, signed – the national anthem just before noon here Saturday in an old, cavernous stadium before the renewal of an old, storied rivalry.
Urban Meyer was over near the Ohio State sideline, hand on heart, eyes on the American flag, but he couldn't stand still, couldn't contain the anticipation ripping through him. As the Michigan band played and Jacob's hands moved, Meyer rocked back and forth before breaking into a sort-of mini pace – two steps forward, two steps back, one to the side, one back again.
This was the Michigan game, which always carries a heightened importance to Meyer. And this was the first of what is expected to be many significant clashes with Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who in 11 months brought much fanfare and clear improvement. There was no doubt Meyer wanted to make a statement to start this thing, wanted to remind everyone who was still in charge in these parts.
The loss to Michigan State had caused Meyer to stare over the precipice, perhaps back to his days at Florida. He's a brilliant coach – with three national titles and two other undefeated seasons. Yet in Gainesville it all came unglued at once, attitudes and aptitude and apathy.
This was way more than that, though.
Seven days ago his program delivered a dud against Michigan State, ending the Buckeyes' 23-game win streak, imperiling their playoff hopes and, most importantly, most painfully, calling into question everything about the program Meyer had built. Players sounded off postgame. Others tweeted out. Meyer looked at a program that had lost its identity, on the field and off.
"That was one of the hollowest feelings," Meyer said. "That was as hollow after a game as I've ever felt."
This, from a man who was once hospitalized after losing an SEC championship game to Alabama.
So here was Saturday, the first crack at the next chance and Urban Meyer was some kind of ball of nerves and emotion and energy. He couldn't stand still during the national anthem.
"You could see it in his eyes," quarterback J.T. Barrett said.
"Right when we woke up," running back Ezekial Elliott said.
Ohio State 42, Michigan 13.
Meyer 1, Harbaugh 0.
Mostly though, the pride restored, the proof of the foundation constructed in Columbus returned. The only downside is wondering if it came one week too late to save any hope for the College Football Playoff Ohio State won just a season ago.
"I've been very fortunate to be around some big-time games, from the bottom of my heart I told these players that might be the best one I've ever seen," Meyer said. "To come back from that kick to the stomach we took last week, it was an awful week of practice, not awful [in terms of execution but in] the way everyone felt."
The loss to Michigan State had caused Meyer to stare over the precipice, perhaps back to his days at Florida. He's a brilliant coach – with three national titles and two other undefeated seasons. Yet in Gainesville it all came unglued at once, attitudes and aptitude and apathy.
He swore Ohio State would be different but then Buckeyes rushed for just 78 yards and Elliott declared postgame he was turning pro at season's end while complaining about not getting the ball enough (12 carries for 33 yards). Mostly it felt like the Spartans were just tougher mentally and physically. That can rattle you.
"You can win a million in a row," Meyer said. "You lose two in a row and it's back to square one."
Instead Meyer defused the Elliott situation by trusting the sincerity of an otherwise exemplary kid – "He apologized 37 or 38 times, I lost track," Meyer said. "I told him, 'You don't have to apologize, you have back investment with me.' " All was forgiven. They had Thanksgiving dinner together. Besides, as Meyer smartly noted, Zeke was right – he should have gotten the ball more and the play-calling wasn't good enough.
So the offensive coordinators went up in a box to speed the process and sharpen the focus. Then Elliott got the ball – is 30 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns enough for you? Barrett added 139 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground and one through the air.
"The whole Zeke thing," Meyer said before pausing briefly. "They are all good kids, these kids are good kids. The emotions … you know you go on a winning streak and you see it snap …"
Elliott apologized publicly himself, trying to put an end to a challenging chapter.
"People questioning my love for my university," Elliott said. "People questioning my love for my brothers, questioning whether I would come out here and play hard."
How hard did he and his teammates play? The Buckeyes put together five touchdown drives of 75 yards or more, just manhandling Michigan in every imaginable way. Defensively, they limited the Wolverines to a mere 57 rushing yards.
In the parlance of Jim Harbaugh, this was a steak-and-whole milk beatdown.
Harbaugh's first season in Ann Arbor yielded a four-win improvement to 9-3, but this was a brutal reminder of how far the program still has to go, that there are no magic tricks to take a long average program to the top of the Big Ten.
Mostly Harbaugh was left to secondary status here. Meyer even wore his own pair of khakis and by the game's end, with the scoreboard lopsided and so many Wolverines fans gone early, some Buckeye fans high in the South end zone stands unfurled a scarlet and grey banner that mockingly read: "Welcome Home Coach Harbaugh."
"We'll regroup," Harbaugh said. "They played better."
Better than the Wolverines, yes. Better than a week ago, too. Without question Michigan State played a role in that, its unforgiving defensive front stopping the Buckeyes' run game in its tracks. That's the Spartans though and that's why they are headed to the Big Ten title game to face Iowa.
Last week Ohio State couldn't match it. This week maybe they could have.
That will be the one depressing aspect of an otherwise glorious day of brutalizing their archrival in their house … the what-could-have-been regrets for this club. Ohio State didn't just underperform against State, but in so many games across its weak and listless schedule, needing too many close calls to build much sympathy from the selection committee.
Now at 11-1 the Buckeyes are like every other one-loss pauper, begging for recognition and trying to pump their résumé for a backdoor sneak back into the playoff. A year ago a 59-0 drubbing of Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game was enough. This year there are no more chances to impress.
Pretty much all they have is this one imposing, impressive domination of a heretofore-strong Michigan team.
It may or may not be enough to reach the playoffs.
For Urban Meyer, after that most hollow of weeks, after looking for affirmation of what his program was supposed to be about, after a national anthem too tense to stand still for, it was enough. At least for now.
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