Inside Dwayne Haskins' record-setting day against Michigan: 'I was licking my chops'

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a day of bursting through century-old historical standards, torching the nation’s No. 1 defense and billy-clubbing Michigan out of the national title race, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins appeared generally unimpressed with what had appeared in front of him.

Michigan entered the game with the country’s No. 1 overall defense and pass defense, with each spot secured by an average of more than 20 yards from the second-ranked team. And Haskins’ appraisal of that defense speaks to the improbability of what unfolded: “I was licking my chops,” he said of Michigan’s defense. “I see one-high coverage, and that’s a quarterback’s dream.”

After a season of fitful and sporadic performances that often mirrored the tumult amid the Ohio State program, the Buckeyes delivered an authoritative performance on Saturday that even the most optimistic Bucknut couldn’t have envisioned. They didn’t just pummel No. 4 Michigan, 62-39, they did it by taking a machete to the record book.

And that all began with Haskins, who finished with five touchdown passes on a day where he went 19-for-30 for 318 yards.

That resulted in the most points Michigan had surrendered in regulation in program history, worse than an 1891 performance against Cornell, a 58-point deluge that had reigned for well over a century as the standard bearer for Michigan defensive incompetence.

When this was relayed to Urban Meyer in a stairwell after the game, he delivered his favorite expression – “WOW!” And then tried to digest the information: “So that’s the most points they’ve ever given up? Against the No. 1 defense in America? By far.” He then paused before repeating his favorite phrase: “WOW.”

In the micro, Ohio State’s offensive gameplan exploited the tendencies of Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown. Known for press-man coverage and relentless blitzing, Brown coordinates his defenses through relentless oppression. But Ohio State coordinators Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson found answers to Brown’s pressure, which included an early flurry of crossing routes, a few wheel routes and some screen passes.

Haskins’ day was filled with dizzying statistics, including his five touchdown passes nearly matching the seven total Michigan had yielded all season. But the most impressive stat may have been that he wasn’t sacked, surprising considering Ohio State’s offensive line had been riddled with leaky protection and pre-snap penalties all season.

That was aided by Haskins, who didn’t miss a single blitz pick-up call. Ohio State coaches estimated after the game that Brown blitzed about 75 percent of the plays. And Haskins had an answer for all of them, whether pre-snap with an identification or rolling out to buy time and avoid pressure. It was a savvy performance that belied this being only his 12th career start.

“I’m not done yet,” Haskins said. “I want to be one of the best to ever do it when I get done playing here at this university. And this is a dream come true for me.”

Haskins is well on his way to one of the best seasons in both school and Big Ten history. He’s set the Big Ten record for passing yards (4,003), leaping Curtis Painter of Purdue. He’s set the Big Ten record for touchdown passes (41), besting Drew Brees’ record from back in 1998. Along with total yards and touchdowns, he holds single-season Ohio State records for completion percentage (68.9), completions (313) and total offense (4,130).

“To break all these records and go on to win all these games the way we’ve won these games is a blessing,” Haskins said.

This game allows Ohio State to start dreaming. They’d entered the weekend ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff standings. This will likely leap them up to No. 6, and they’d need Alabama to beat Georgia (projected No. 4) in the SEC title game to end up in a debate with Oklahoma (projected No. 5) for the fourth and final playoff spot.

Ohio State will play Northwestern in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title next week, which will give them another chance to impress the College Football Playoff committee. And it will give Haskins another chance to keep torching defenses, one of the few consistent things about Ohio State this season.

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