Buckeyes hold off No. 2 Wolverines

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Troy Smith and his Ohio State teammates poured on all the offense they had, and Michigan stayed right on their heels.

The No. 1 Buckeyes streaked into the national title game all right, with a dazzling 42-39 win over the Wolverines on Saturday.

And there's No. 2 Michigan, still on their heels.

The Game, replayed for the national title in January?

Could be.

"If this was boxing they'd definitely get a rematch," Ohio State defensive back Brandon Mitchell said.

Smith and the blazing Buckeyes put their speed on display with a barrage of big plays — and they needed every one to beat an inspired Michigan team.

The "Game of the Century," the first 1 vs. 2 matchup in this storied rivalry, was played a day after the death of feisty former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. The teams couldn't have honored his memory with a better game, although it certainly wasn't the brand of football he and Woody Hayes coached when they battled for a decade.

"There were a lot of good playmakers out there today," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "It was a fast-break game the whole way."

The No. 1 Buckeyes (12-0, 8-0) have their first outright Big Ten title since 1984, but they might not have seen the last of Michigan (11-1, 7-1) this season. The Wolverines can still make it to the title game in Arizona if the Bowl Championship Series standings break their way.

"I guarantee if we play, it would be a whole different game," Michigan running back Mike Hart said. "We should have got them the first time around. We didn't. If it doesn't happen, that's our fault."

Two defenses that came in allowing 20 points per game combined were unable to stop each other's attack. It was the second highest-scoring game in the 103-game series, which dates to 1897; the most points scored was 86 in 1902, the fourth meeting, which Michigan won 86-0.

This one was surely more entertaining.

"The national championship was something aside, was something different from this," Smith said. "This is The Ohio State University-Michigan game. It's the biggest game in college football. And today the best team won."

Smith played a near perfect first half and finished 29-for-41 for 316 yards, a third straight magical performance against Michigan that might have just locked up the Heisman Trophy for the senior.