Elliott ran for just 33 yards on 12 carries against MSU, then ripped the coaching staff and said there was no chance he’d return in 2016.
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The No. 6-ranked Spartans (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) can clinch the Big Ten East and a spot in the conference championship game in Indianapolis on December 5 with a win over Penn State (7-4, 4-3) at 3:30 p.m. this Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Cowboys lost to Baylor, so the game doesn’t have the same Playoff implications for both teams as it did last week, but a Sooners’ win should put them in contention.
In a press conference after the 17-14 upset loss at home to MI State, Elliott announced that he had played his last home game as a Buckeye because he will be declaring for the National Football League draft. Not to mention, this MI team under the direction of Jim Harbaugh in his first season at the helm has improved mightily in just one year, as they come into this year’s edition of “The Game” with a record of 9-2 on the season.
Senior linebacker Darien Harris, 45, takes down Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott in the second quarter during the game against Ohio State on November 21, 2015 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
And here’s an incredible stat, tweeted out Sunday morning by the great Phil Steele: In each of MI State’s two landmark wins this season – over MI and Ohio State – the Spartans trailed for the entirety of the game, only grabbing the lead with time expired. “There’s no chance I’m coming back next year”.
“What happened today was kind of a bad dream”.
A somber Urban Meyer was also disappointed with a few of the offensive play selection, but admitted he calls a lot of the plays so the blame should be directed towards him. I felt like we weren’t put in the right opportunity to win this game.
“To see (O’Connor) succeed against a top team like that, to win in OH, a game like this is very personal for guys like us”, Cook said.
“We ran a lot of gap schemes and we were gashing them”.
“You’ve got friendly fire like this, (as a coach) you’d better meet it head on”, Wannstedt said. “So we could chase this game, so we could play with emotion”. Those plays weren’t called anymore.
But that game plan came as a surprise for OSU, as all week, coaches and players insisted they were scheming for a game in which Cook would play, despite the Hinckley, Ohio, native ailing from a right-shoulder injury suffered against Maryland a game prior.
“I think disheartening is a correct word when you feel like you’re 14-7 or 7-0, you go up and you’re up 14-7 and they take it the length of the field”.
MI State kept the ball on the ground with its quarterbacks and tailbacks, running it a total of 51 times for more than 200 yards, while dominating the time of possession. “I deserve more than (12) carries. I think he’s the real deal and he’ll probably be a late first-round pick”.
Most expected Elliott to turn pro but, ahem, not like that. “After that, I knew I was going to make it”. Especially if you’re sort of on a run a little bit and then you lose and the way it went down we felt like we could control something at least in that outcome, because it was so close. So finger will be pointed right here.
OSU coach Urban Meyer iced him with a time out. “But I’m actually good where I’m at”. We didn’t – very conservative. Without Cook, MI State completed just one pass in the second half and still managed to drop the Buckeyes to 10-1.
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The second costly turnover by MI State helped Ohio State take 14-7 lead with 3:33 left in the third quarter.
