Michigan players defend midfield logo after Ohio State loss

Ohio State football dominated Michigan en route to a 27-9 win on the road on Saturday, Nov. 29, but the Wolverines weren’t going to let the Buckeyes celebrate on the field after the game.

After Michigan’s first loss to Ohio State since 2019, the Wolverines gathered around Michigan’s block ‘M’ logo at midfield, guarding the Buckeyes from potentially planting a flag or otherwise celebrating.

Michigan players planted a Michigan flag at midfield after an upset win over Ohio State last season, before a brawl broke out between both teams. Police were then called over to break up the fights, and pepper spray was even used.

Both schools were fined $100,000 for their roles in the altercation.

Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore said before the season at Big Ten media days that flag planting would no longer happen, and no flags would be grabbed in general.

“There’ll be no more flag-planting,’ Moore said. ‘There’ll be no more grabbing the flag.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day improved his record in ‘The Game’ to 2-4 against the Wolverines, despite leading the Buckeyes to a national championship win in 2025. Running back Bo Jackson ran for 117 yards on 22 carries and caught four passes for 49 yards in the win.

First-year quarterback Julian Sayin was also efficient, although he threw an interception on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the game. The redshirt freshman completed 19 of 26 passes for 233 yards with three touchdowns in the game.

While there’s still plenty of hatred between Ohio State and Michigan, there were no antics after the game this time around, despite a number of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and on-field tension.