One touchdown drive. One big throw. One breakaway run. That's all the Wolverines required over the final 30 minutes of football to drive out of Columbus hailing themselves.
Instead, they couldn't drive anywhere, and wound up in a roadside ditch. After three first-half touchdowns, the thought of a second-half shutout in the 'Shoe ranked with a disgraced former coach who cheated the Buckeyes onto probation and out of bowl consideration getting a hero's ride in front of the home fans.
Both happened on Saturday.
Former Buckeyes hoisted Jim Tressel skyward, drawing thunderous applause from 105,000 in Ohio Stadium. That moment alone reinforced everything anyone ever suspected about the cultural divide between Columbus and Ann Arbor.
Just win, baby.
Just win, and all the cheating, dishonesty, and deviousness doesn't matter. You're hailed as a hero, one the mouth-breathers of the south would embrace again in an instant.