Wolverines Inspired by Zinter's Gruesome Injury in Victory over Buckeyes

No. 3 Michigan beat No. 2 Ohio State, 30-24, with go-ahead, 22-yard Corum touchdown coming on first play after All-Big Ten right guard was carted off field

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – This was storybook stuff.

The Wolverines had just lost standout offensive right guard Zak Zinter to a serious foot injury late in the third quarter of Saturday’s showdown game. His teammates surrounded Zinter as he was attended to by medical staff members.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said, “When it happened, I looked back and Zak was screaming. And Karsen [Barnhart] was literally holding his foot as it was just like limp, and it was a sight that I don’t wish upon anyone to see.

“At that moment, seeing the look in everybody’s eyes, seeing them rally together – it was something about…It was spiritual, honestly. It was a different drive that came out of everybody after that happened because we’re doing it for one of our leaders, and one of the brothers that we all love.”

High emotion rose out of every square inch of the Big House, with fans chanting, “Let’s go, Zak! Let’s go, Zak!” He thrust one fist into the air and then the other while approaching the tunnel in the cart he was riding, and then waved to the crowd, soaking in the love.

And then the 110,615 switched their chant: “Let’s go Blue!”

“Zak Zinter can hear that as he’s going up the tunnel,” Michigan radio analyst Jon Jansen told his listeners.

Right tackle Karsen Barnhart switched over to his guard spot, and Trente Jones joined the starting front five at right tackle.

And on the very first play, Blake Corum took the handoff, followed center Drake Nugent’s block to the left, made safety Sonny Styles miss, and blazed down the field for a 22-yard touchdown.

It was a magical moment.

Corum said, “Seeing him go down in the last [regular season] game hurt. It was very emotional seeing what he was going through down on the ground. But we came together, and we knew we had to do it for him, and the very next play – boom. We went up.”

The fans roared and the No. 3 Wolverines (12-0) had broken the 17-17 tie and were on their way to a 30-24 win over the No. 2 Buckeyes (11-1). Michigan clinched a third consecutive East Division title and will play for the Big Ten championship in Indianapolis against No. 17 Iowa (10-2) next Saturday, when Coach Jim Harbaugh returns from a three-game suspension.

The Wolverines have beaten OSU three consecutive years for the first time since 1995-96-97, and Zinter has been a starter through this entire run.

Zinter, a 6-foot-6, 322-pound senior from North Andover, Mass., was a consensus first team All-Big Ten pick in 2022, and this was his 42^nd start.

“When my guy was going down,” said Corum, the game’s leading rusher with 88 yards on 22 carries for two touchdowns, “you know, Zak’s my guy. He’s a guy who came back for unfinished business. That’s why we came back [rather than entering the 2023 NFL Draft].

“I know he’s going to come back stronger than ever – one of the best guards in the nation, and it’s tough losing a piece like that. But I believe in my guys. I believe the next man is ready to step up, but I’m praying for Zak.”

Zinter was a semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award and is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Award that is described as “college football’s top scholar-athlete award.”

Wolverine tight end Colston Loveland works on the line with Zinter, and said, “Everyone on our team loves that guy. He’s just such a personable dude. He works hard, and is obviously really good at what he does. So, seeing a guy like him go down definitely hurt us. A lot of people, you know, some tears falling. It’s just sad to know he got that taken away from him, but I think that definitely motivated us to, ‘Let’s get this for Zak.’

“Now, hopefully, we can go see him in the hospital and just make him feel safe, and let him know that we’ve all got his back.”

Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore also coaches the offensive line in addition to coordinating the offense. It was tough on him watching Zinter go down.

“It was extremely difficult,” said Moore. “Around the player for four years, you don’t want to see any of them get hurt in any way. It was hard – especially a kid of his caliber on and off the field, more so off the field. Just such a great student-athlete, great person.”

His parents, Paul and Tiffany Zinter, attended the pre-game Senior Day festivities and came down on the field when their son was injured.

“I just got off the phone with his mom,” Moore said in the post-game press conference. “So, I think we got some positive news. So, he’ll heal, and he’ll be ready to go down the road at some point.”

Wolverine receiver Roman Wilson, who caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from McCarthy, also was moved by watching Zinter deal with the injury that brought a hush over the crowd.  

Wilson said: “Seeing a guy like Zak – our team captain and a good friend on this team, a good person – it just really hurts. That’s the heart and soul of our team, and our offensive line. You don’t want a guy like that to go down. It just sucks…But I’m praying for him; I wish him the best.” 

His catch in the second quarter came on a wild third-and-10 play that Wilson said was “drawn up” by Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell specifically for him.  

McCarthy took a huge chance by throwing the ball into double coverage. However, he threaded a perfect pass between cornerback Denzel Burke and safety Malik Hartford that Wilson grabbed while rolling into the end zone.

Burke stripped the ball, but the play review showed Wilson had crossed the goal line before that occurred.

Wilson, upon hearing the result of the review on the sideline, shouted, “YEAHHH!”

Moore appeared to both hug him and keep him from running onto the field with his helmet off – which could’ve resulted in a 15-yard penalty.

“J.J.’s looking for me to get open and that’s what I’ve got to go do – make a big play in a big game and help this team win,” said Wilson.

Moore noted, “It was a ridiculous throw.”

Wilson added, “Crazy. Did you see the throw? Insane.”

Moore then said, “I mean, I knew he’d make a play. I told him before the game, ‘Listen here, when the game matters in some critical situations, I’m going to put the ball in your hands because I know you’re going to make a great decision, and help us win. You’re going to find one of your dudes.’

“It was an amazing play by him.”

That provided Michigan its largest lead,14-3, in a game in which it never trailed.

But in the end, “winning it for Zak” came down to keeping the Buckeyes out of the end zone in the game’s final seconds.

The visitors had to go 81 yards in exactly 1:00 with no timeouts left, and a pair of 22-yard passes had them 37 yards away with 34 seconds left.

It was tense.

But then edge rusher Jaylen Harrell pressured quarterback Kyle McCord into throwing quickly and almost blindly. The throw sailed into the arms of Wolverine safety Rod Moore, who caught it nearing the ground and held on. Replays confirmed it as a clean interception, and all that was left was for McCarthy to take a knee in the victory formation.

The Buckeyes did not recruit Moore out of Northmont High in Clayton, Ohio – located just north of Dayton and west of Columbus. So, he chose the arch-rival Wolverines over offers from Notre Dame, Iowa and Wisconsin.

“I mean just being from Ohio,” said Moore, “the whole game is personal every year. It’s so personal to me. And before the defense went out there, I told myself, ‘You’re either going to make the play or somebody else is to seal the game.’ And I told the [defensive] front, they have to get to the quarterback for us. I believe Mason [Graham] and Jaylen did, and I made the play.

“It was a dream come true – making the game-winning play in one of the biggest games, probably, in college football history…I was on the field looking like, ‘I just called game. I did that.’ ”

He was much more graphic in speaking with former Michigan receiver Jason Avant on the radio shortly after the game ended: “Man, it feels great. You know I’m from Ohio, and sealed the game on their ass.”

There was no shortage of high emotion in “The Game,” and when it was over, “The Victors” played long and loud. You get the feeling a game ball will be making it into Zinter’s hands when everything settles down, and his teammates and coaches visit.

That would be a fitting storybook ending.