quarter. The Buckeyes defeated the No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes the following week 38–17 in Kinnick Stadium. Ohio State finished their non-conference schedule defeating Bowling Green 35–7 and then defeated Michigan State the next week in Spartan Stadium 38–7, with the Buckeyes defense controlling much of the game. Blowout victories over Indiana and Minnesota would be followed by a 17–10 victory over Illinois for the Illibuck trophy. A 54–10 victory over Northwestern the following week gave the Buckeyes an 11–0 record heading into the rivalry game, with their ranking remaining consistent at No. 1 in all major polls. Quarterback Troy Smith entered the game against Michigan with 2,191 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes, while also leading the Heisman Trophy debate. Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez led the Buckeyes in receiving yards with 677 and 673 yards, respectively. The Buckeyes rush defense had given up only 90.2 yards per games and three touchdowns, while they were tied for first in the nation with 21 interceptions. James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins led the team with five and four respectively. Game summary Traditionally, the rivalry game between Michigan and Ohio State kicked off at noon on ABC. However, due to the circumstances of the matchup, ESPN and ABC moved the kickoff time to 3:30 p.m. EST, making it one of the only times the rivalry game had been played under the floodlights. The 2006 edition of "The Game" kicked off at 3:44 p.m. EST on November 18, 2006, in front of a crowd of 105,708 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game received extensive media coverage from ABC and ESPN, including in the preceding week and from a visit from ESPN College GameDay the morning of the game. The game itself drew a 13.0 rating, with an estimated 21.8 million viewership on ABC, making it the most watched regular-season college football game since the 1993 game between Florida State and Notre Dame. First quarter Ohio State won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving Michigan the ball to start the first half. The opening kickoff by Aaron Pettrey was taken for a touchback by Michigan, with the Wolverines starting their first possession at their own 20 yard line. Mike Hart received the ball on the first play from scrimmage, rushing for three yards. Three straight completions from quarterback Chad Henne drove them into Ohio State territory. A nine-yard run from