And no help from his coaches.
They went completely away from running game, and especially the power runing game (RB's had 16 carries combined, JT had more than that).
In the national title run, Cardale benefitted from the threat of a pounding running game; that made defenses respect play-action passing game that allowed receivers to get deep (and open). JT benefited from that scheme leading up to that title run as well.
IMO, the scheme is bad - this year they seem hell-bent on trying to prove (maybe to themselves) that they can throw the ball when it isn't this team's strength (at any level, be it QB, WR of pass-blocking). Yes, they need to do be able to throw it, but they've got to have the power run game to go with it - they should have started there instead of the other way around, especially in a big game. The RB's did average 6.3 yards per carry - but they only got 16 carries.
This seems to be in part a function of Meyer's offense (not his coordinator's offense) being too QB-centric, both in terms of run and pass games.
Balance, imo, is not just between run and pass, but balance within each of those facets of the offense. But I have not seen it since @OKLA last year. In the past, when they've won big games, they've had that balance. JT would carry the ball less times but for equal if not more yards than now (e.g. Mich 2015, bowl game v ND). They lost to MSU in 2015 in the rain when JT carried the ball more than Zeke (who got all of 12 carries), didn't get much that route - and couldn't/wouldn't throw it.
I think they out-coached themselves again last Saturday. Not that JT and company helped much either. A program loss if there ever was one.