ANN ARBOR, Mich. – After an offensive explosion in 2018’s game, the Ohio State offense was able to take the lethal offense on the road to defeat Michigan for the eighth-straight year.

The Buckeyes dismantled Michigan’s defense to the tune of 577 total yards to win the game 56-27. In a game in which Ohio State’s secondary struggled, Ryan Day needed his offense to be ready from the opening kick. Michigan would draw first blood, but the Wolverines were unable to stop Ohio State’s rushing attack and deep strikes through the air.

In the final regular season installment of What We Learned, let’s take a look back at the important takeaways from The Game.

With the passing game not in a rhythm and the Buckeyes trailing early, it was J.K. Dobbins who provided the offense with a security blanket. On 3rd and 14, it was Dobbins who brought In Justin Fields’s first pass completion of the game, and the junior would take it 28 yards to the five-yard line. Dobbins would then punch in his first of four touchdown runs of the game.

Matching a career-high in rushing touchdowns, Dobbins would also finish with a career-high 211 rushing yards on the day. In the first half alone, Dobbins would tally three rushing touchdowns and eclipse the 100-yard mark to help the Buckeyes to 28-16 lead. His presence early was especially helpful when the defense struggled to find its footing. Dobbins would finish the first half with 6.1 yards per carry.

With the amount of talk, rightfully so, that Chase Young has received throughout this season, this game was a reminder that the No. 2 on offense can take over a game as well. Dobbins was the consistency the Buckeyes needed in this game, and his ability to execute at a high level going forward will largely dictate the effectiveness of this offense.

Fields struggled out of the gates to connect on his passes, but he was able to use deep strikes to accumulate yards and inflict damage on the Michigan defense. While the rushing game was consistently picking up five to 10 yards a rush, the pass game needed big chunk plays to be effective.

The most significant connection came on a 57-yard strike to Chris Olave in the first quarter to extend the game to 14-6. After struggling with accuracy up to that point in the game, Fields was able to deliver a ball right in the bucket to give Olave his 11th touchdown reception of the season.

With shades of Olave’s performance last year, Garrett Wilson was able to make the freshman impact in this year’s game. While Wilson would make a mistake in the return game later in the contest, his impact in the pass game was exceptional. He would haul in two passes of over 40 yards and finish the game with three catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.

The Ohio State defense was without Shaun Wade, and while this alone did not cause the defense’s debacle in the pass game, it played a large part. The Ohio State pass defense looked different, and it was not a good different.

Coming into the Michigan game, Ohio State’s defense had allowed a high of 218 passing yards in the game against Michigan State, but the Wolverines were able to set the new mark before the first half was over. At the half, Michigan had 250 passing yards, and this was accumulated through numerous chunk plays. Michigan’s pass offense would gash the Buckeyes for 20 yards or more on six different occasions in the first half.

After a half to forget, the Buckeyes were able to make adjustments in the second half. In the second half, the defense would allow only 55 passing yards. Shea Patterson would finish the day with 305 passing yards on 18-of-43.

Fields needed a drive or two to hone in his accuracy, but he was ultimately able to produce a great performance. Fields would pass for over 300 yards for only the second time in his career, and he would also throw for four touchdowns.

In the first half, Fields would pass for 200 yards on only eight completions, and he would follow this up with a three-touchdown performance in the second half. He would complete 14-of-25 passes overall, and his most significant moment may have come late in the third quarter.

After going out with an apparent knee injury earlier in the drive, Fields was able to return to the game and deliver a 30-yard touchdown pass to Wilson on his first play back. The play meant more than just six points. With the health of Fields being paramount to Ohio State’s championship aspirations, his ability to roll out to the left on the play showed that the injury would not be as costly as it originally appeared. Fields is a special player, and the Buckeyes will need him to continue to be special in order to win out.