Wolverine Digest

Former Buckeye Jack Sawyer admits fair losses to Michigan, questions 2022 due to scandal

Chris Breiler|
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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We're starting to see some progress from the Buckeyes when it comes to acknowledging Michigan's recent dominance—but there's still plenty of work to do. A promising sign came recently when former Buckeye Jack Sawyer admitted that Michigan beat Ohio State straight up in both 2023 and 2024. That's progress.

But like many of his teammates — and plenty of fans in Buckeye nation — Sawyer is still struggling to come to terms with the 2022 and 2021 losses. During a recent podcast appearance, he conceded that the two most recent defeats were legitimate, but claimed something felt off about the 2022 game. His evidence? Michigan's defense read and blew up a poorly executed screen pass.

"I'll tell you this, I think they beat us straight up last year, obviously, and the year before. But my sophomore year, we left the field... we were like, 'this feels weird.' Sawyer said. "We lost by double-digits, and it felt like we had beat the sh** out of them all game. You know, we ran a screen pass that we had never put in—not the formation, not the look, anything. And like, you see them on the sideline, they're doing it, and we change it. We audible to it or whatever, and when we run it, all the D linemen—as soon as the ball is snapped—the linebackers, everybody, they sniffed it out."

Just to clarify: Sawyer is claiming that Michigan had the sign for a formation that the Buckeyes never used, and for a play that Ohio State had never run.

If you're struggling to make sense of that, join the club.

Many Buckeye fans are now clinging to hope that the NCAA will deliver a harsh penalty in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal from 2021-23. While additional punishment beyond what the Big Ten already imposed back in 2023 is expected, it's unlikely to include anything as severe as vacated wins or a postseason ban—although anything is possible.

Still, regardless of what consequences Michigan ultimately faces for the actions of Connor Stalions, one thing seems certain: many Ohio State fans (and players) will never fully accept that Michigan was simply the better team from 2021 to 2023. For them, that era of dominance will always be clouded by the actions of a low-level staffer.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.