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Rapid Reaction: Ohio State notches signature win, rolls over Michigan State
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Final score: #4 Ohio State 34 #25 Michigan State 10
Brief recap: Another “big test” for Ohio State, another lopsided victory for the Buckeyes. To be fair, Michigan State did bring a serious challenge out of the gate. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter thanks to a 60-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to Binjimen Victor, and it appeared as if the Spartans would be in for a long night. Brian Lewerke hit Darrell Stewart on a 20-yard strike on the next drive to give MSU some life and close the gap to 10-7. But that’s as close as Mark Dantonio and company would get. Ohio State scored two more first half touchdowns — another Fields pass and a 67-yard run by J.K. Dobbins — and took a 27-10 lead into the break. Both offenses slowed down in the second half, but Fields accounted for a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to close it out.
Key moment: Michigan State scored on back-to-back possessions to get the game to 17-10 with less than 4 minutes to play. And then Ohio State responded with a 67-yard run by Dobbins, giving Ohio State two-touchdown lead. If the Buckeyes don’t score on that possession, it would’ve been a one-score game with Michigan State getting the ball out of halftime. The Buckeyes stole the momentum at the end of the second quarter.
Key stat: Ohio State’s defense clamped down on 3rd down against Michigan State. The Spartans converted on just 4-of-13 attempts on Saturday night. They needed to be able to move the chains more frequently.
Key player: Another big night for Dobbins, who rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. That’s good enough for a 7.2 yards per carry average. Doing that on any defense is pretty good. Doing it against Michigan State’s vaunted run defense? Almost unheard of.
What it means for Michigan State: The Spartans needed a nearly flawless effort on both sides of the football to pull off the upset in Columbus. Clearly that wasn’t the case. Michigan State’s offense wasn’t great, but part of that is due to Ohio State’s defensive talent. Michigan State’s defense needed this to be a low-scoring game, but it couldn’t stop Fields, Dobbins or the other Buckeye receivers. It’ll be interesting to see how Michigan State responds, with Wisconsin and Penn State still on the schedule. This was a disappointing loss, but the Spartans still have a chance to notch some key wins.
What it means for Ohio State: Each week, the Buckeyes have faced a more challenging opponent. Michigan State was easily the best team the Spartans have played this season. While OSU struggled at times in the first half, it was still able to pull out a convincing win. it shredded one of the top run defenses in the nation with very little trouble. That’s a pretty scary thought. Considering how easy Ohio State has made things look so far this season, there are really only two challenges left until the season finale against Michigan — Oct. 26 vs. Wisconsin and Nov. 23 against Penn State.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB