Michigan’s season ended with bruises delivered by Ohio State, but one Wolverines fan still found a reason to smile Saturday night. Cameras inside Lucas Oil Stadium caught a Michigan supporter grinning ear to ear as Indiana stunned No. 1 Ohio State, offering a moment of comic relief for a fan base still licking its wounds.
For Michigan, the irony was too perfect. The same Buckeyes who had dismantled the Wolverines weeks earlier were suddenly the ones unraveling on the conference’s biggest stage. Indiana’s 13-10 victory not only ended Ohio State’s unbeaten season, but it also delivered a dose of poetic justice that many in Ann Arbor couldn’t help but appreciate.
The moment spoke to something larger. Even in a year when Michigan fell short, the rivalry never sleeps.
Michigan fan at Indiana vs Ohio State Big Ten Championship pic.twitter.com/FEfRxZwpm9
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Indiana controlled the second half behind quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who overcame an early interception and a crushing hit to deliver several big-time throws. His 17-yard touchdown strike to Elijah Sarratt midway through the third quarter put the Hoosiers ahead for good and likely cemented Mendoza’s place atop the Heisman race.
Indiana avenged Michigan against Ohio State
Ohio State had chances, including two possessions inside the Indiana 10-yard line, but an offense that had not trailed all season sputtered when it mattered most. The Buckeyes’ inability to sustain drives, finishing 33 percent on third down and coming up empty on a pivotal fourth-and-one, underscored the offensive issues that had simmered beneath their undefeated record.
As Indiana’s defense swarmed Julian Sayin for five sacks and confetti rained across the stadium, Michigan fans watching from home and the stands savored an unexpected twist: the Buckeyes were being out-toughed and outplayed in the exact ways they had punished the Wolverines.
For Michigan, there is no erasing what happened in Ann Arbor. But on Saturday, as one Wolverines fan gleefully watched Indiana celebrate its first outright Big Ten title since 1945, there was at least a brief, cathartic reminder that college football’s chaos never stops. That even the toughest losses can come with a punchline.
