The conservative attack bogged down from the beginning and became so predictable as to take any guesswork out of ascertaining what OSU was trying to do.
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The Spartans do have a loss to Nebraska, so they will need to beat Penn State next week to clinch a trip to Indianapolis. Had they not forced two turnovers and committed none, Sparty would have beaten them by double digits. “This is a huge gauge for us going into a few of the biggest games at the end of the season, because this is the biggest game we’ve played yet this season”.
The Buckeyes come into the game defending their 23-game winning streak, in what is the start of their most hard stretch of the regular season.
The Buckeyes rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (13.8 points per game) and have given up just 34 points over their last four games.
Much of the first quarter was uneventful, with the first three drives of the game resulting in punts.
The big story coming into Saturday’s matchup was whether MI State quarterback Connor Cook would play.
No one gave MI State a chance to win even with Cook healthy, but even with the senior quarterback out of the game and backups Tyler O’Connor and Damion Terry alternating drives, the Spartans stuck with the Buckeyes.
“I think we maybe had a couple of opportunities, but it just was obviously tough conditions to throw the ball”, OSU coach Urban Meyer said.
The value of top-flight coordinators has been readily apparent for both MI State and Ohio State.
Meanwhile, the defense at MI State and offense at Ohio State have taken steps back in the first season without their coordinators. “In a game like that, weather like that, you’ve got to be a little bit better”.
The first half was back-and-forth.
What’s next for Ohio State?
“All the goals are right in front of us”, MI State coach Mark Dantonio said. The one thing that made a difference (is we’ve) been chased all year long so far in 10 games and this game we got to be the chaser.
O’Connor then hit fullback Trevon Pendleton on a wheel route for 12 yards to tie the score at 7 with 7:57 left until halftime.
MI State’s defensive line, led by defensive end Shilique Calhoun, is among the best in the nation and has helped the Spartans rack up 29 sacks, tied for 14th best in the country.
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It’s clear that Cook will attempt to play but unclear how proficient he will be against the sturdy Buckeyes’ defense. “We have had a few injuries that we have had to deal with as well”, Dantonio said. The Heisman contender ran for 33 yards on 12 carries.
