One of the biggest plays on Saturday almost never happened. It wasn’t Austin Mack’s incredible catch in traffic, or a long run by J.K Dobbins or Mike Weber, but rather Marcus Baugh’s touchdown reception from the arm of J.T. Barrett.
After withstanding a first quarter that saw the Buckeyes trailing 14-0, and negative yardage in the stat column, Ohio State began to climb their way back into the game. Late in the second quarter with the Buckeyes threatening the red zone, Ohio State broke tendency by passing on first-and-10.
The play started with an audible from the sideline which moved K.J. Hill from the slot to the backfield, along with Weber.
Slight confusion by Hill and Victor pre-snap prompted Coach Meyer to run down the sideline looking to possibly call a timeout. As Meyer neared the referee, Barrett organized the formation and snapped the ball.
The Michigan linebackers, reading run blocking from Price, bit on the hard play fake to K.J. Hill and Marcus Baugh was able to sneak past the secondary for an easy pitch and catch.
Despite a disappointing sample size, plays that involve multiple backs in the backfield have been wildly successful this season, but in a week full of thanks, Buckeye fans should be especially grateful Urban Meyer likes to save his timeouts.
The play that almost never happened is the subject of this week’s Buckeye Breakdown.
