For the Ohio State Buckeyes, getting out to an early lead over the Michigan Wolverines has been a must. They've won every meeting between the two teams since 2003, and the best way to reinforce that stat is to grab the lead early. So they did - on their opening possession, Braxton Miller completed a 54 yard touchdown pass to Corey Brown, and after a Drew Basil extra point, they had a 7-0 lead.
Michigan wouldn't be deterred, however; answering back with a 41 yard touchdown rush by quarterback Denard Robinson. That tied the game, and gave the ball back to Ohio State. It probably would have been better for them if they just didn't accept it, though. After an incomplete pass to start the drive, Zach Boren was called for holding, Jack Mewhort was called for a five yard false start and after a loss of two yards on a rushing attempt, Mike Adams was called for holding and the result of that was, you guessed it, a safety. So the Buckeyes gave up the lead, trailing 9-2.
It was the first time the Buckeyes had trailed the Wolverines since Nov. 17, 2007. After getting the ball back to Michigan following the safety, Ohio State faced more woes, as Michigan took eight plays to march down the field and eventually complete a Robinson pass to Junior Hemingway for a 26 yard touchdown.
The Buckeyes were forced to punt on the next drive, and Michigan took over as the first quarter came to an end.