ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was a scene Michigan football fans had seen before. The Wolverines controlled The Game against Ohio State but left a window open. And the Buckeyes were poised to take advantage.
As OSU drove the field needing a touchdown to escape Ann Arbor with a win, the Michigan defense stood tall. While safety Rod Moore will go down in history for sealing the game with an interception of Buckeye quarterback Kyle McCord, effectively ending the game, it was pressure caused by Jaylen Harrell and Mason Graham that made McCord’s ball errant.
On Tuesday, Harrell recalled the pressure he and Graham created and how he made the game-changing play.
“Me and Mason had a little stunt going on,” Harrell said. “I came inside to open up, he wrapped around. So I came in, then was really open. So I kind of bulldozed my way through. So ran him over and then the quarterback.”
But he wasn’t without fear — at least not after his initial reaction.
Harrell was one of the players who took off his helmet and got a penalty for excessive celebration. When the play went into further review, suddenly, terror gripped the senior edge rusher, because if Moore had dropped the ball, then Ohio State would retain possession and move 15 yards closer to the end zone.
Thankfully for Harrell, Moore secured the catch and The Game was over.
“I was really excited. Too excited,” Harrell said. “You know, I got a flag. If Rod didn’t catch that, it would have been bad. So I thank God he did.
“Yeah, I won’t do that again!”
Up next, Michigan football will take on Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. Kickoff will be 8 p.m. EST from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.