Ohio State-Michigan GIF recap: Marcus Hall flips off, Gardner sighs

After The Game we witnessed earlier today (and the subsequent mad evening that followed), all things considered, you guys would probably be okay if this entire recap were just gibberish and awesome GIFs, right?

None the less, Ohio State survived Michigan, 42-41. The Wolverines now famously went for two, but Tyvis Powell (on a hint from Buckeyes safeties coach/special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs) made a diving interception to clinch the game for OSU. And then some absolutely absurd stuff went down in Auburn, Alabama.

Now, before we look forward to Michigan State – and believe you me, we'll be doing plenty of that this week – let's take a look back at the key moments from the day that was, shall we?

Though Ohio State certainly didn't start this one the way they would've ideally liked, Braxton Miller did everything in his power to close the gap (and in a hurry). Keeping the trend alive, every time Devin Smith gets a touchdown, the Buckeyes win.

Braxton Miller is finally looking pretty close to 100% healthy. Check out how quickly he gets to fifth gear after turning on the jets here. There's almost no defending this.

Ugh. Hate to see something like this, but credit where credit's due. Those Funchess is a tight end in name only, that's still a pretty amazing athletic feat there. Tip of the hat (but wag of the finger, too).

Here's where things started to get really chippy. Though it'd been a number of years since we'd seen both teams engaged to this extent, these sorts of things can happen in rivalry games.

...And this is the kind of thing that will get you ejected from a football game. In his first The Game, no less.

If you're faint of heart, you might not want to onMouseOver this particular GIF. Alas, this will either endear you to him or cause you to adamantly dislike Marcus Hall for the few games remaining in his Ohio State career. Part of that may hinge on whether or not the league offices elect to take further action against the Buckeyes' right guard after this business went down on his way out The Big House.

Braxton was so filthy on this particular play that he Jedi mind tricked these two Wolverines right into each other. Six points to the Buckeyes.

For good measure, here's the full sequence. You can see Braxton sprint out right, look down field, and then turn on the jets when needed. Just a special athlete.

After the defense seemed either unwilling or unable to make their impact known in the early goings, this particular play helped breathe some new life into them. Though the momentum would ultimately prove to be short lived, this was a big one at the time none the less.

And that's how you knock a ball loose. Duck your head down, get it on the ball, and try your luck in football plinko. Advantage: Buckeyes.

Though Michigan had a lot of success on the run option much of the afternoon, Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde, arguably the two front runners for the Big Ten's offensive players of the year, did as well.

Ohio State needed 6. Jeff Heuerman, the Buckeyes' leading receiver on the day, helped them get it. Buckeyes QB Braxton Miller delivers a strike and then the tight end Heuerman did the rest.

Braxton Miller gonna Braxton Miller. The Buckeyes needed a spark of life and Miller was as electric as ever. When this guy's healthy, even if you're a defense like Florida State or Auburn's, it's awfully hard to slow him down.

Though on the previous play, El Guapo was ruled down just shy of the endzone (even following review), here, there was no doubting it. Hyde had himself an afternoon (once again).

The Buckeyes needed a stop in the worst of ways after Michigan drove the length of the field to potentially tie the game (Hoke as mentioned instead elected to gamble for the win). They got it.

Hard to blame poor Devin Gardner for feeling the way he did after having the monster game he did. Ohio State couldn't shut him down for 59 minutes and 28 seconds. But then they did. Better luck next year, champ.

And for good measure? The play of the night of the year of the millennium.

Ian Cuevas and SB Nation's Clay Wendler contributed to this report.