If either Ohio State or Michigan had held on to beat Michigan State, a bid to the Big Ten title game would be at stake again on Saturday in the latest iteration of one of college football’s greatest rivalries.
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Sparty isn’t going to go down easily. I’m not sure he’ll be up to that level against Ohio State, but if he’s even close to it, he’s a big factor in this game.
The Ohio State Football team pulled out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center around 3 p.m. The band left just a few hours before that. But even though Michigan State and coach Mark D’Antonio have given the Buckeyes a run for their money in the Big Ten lately, there was no doubt where Meyer’s attention was focused as the new season rolled around. Oklahoma State will need all hands on deck to beat the No. 6 offensive and No. 27 defensive units in the nation. It might depend on who’s under center for the home team. The run blocking in particular was superb against Ohio State, enabling the Spartans to rush for 203 yards. If Cook can’t play, O’Connor and Damion Terry are the QBs in waiting. Success on the ground also opens up opportunities for quarterback Christian Hackenberg down the field.
The game this week at Oklahoma State could mean the difference in playing in the playoffs or receiving a bid to another bowl and causing more confusion to the selection process altogether. That’s how Barkley started with a 56-yard gain against MI and only finished with a net of 68 at the end of the day. He was 7 of 12 for 89 yards and a 12-yard TD pass to fullback Trevon Pendleton.
Aaron Burbridge and Chris Godwin aren’t exactly household names.
This is about as lopsided as it gets. Michigan State and its coach, Mark Dantoinio, are proof positive of what Franklin hopes to accomplish is possible.
But to do so wouldn’t be a black-and-white task; no, Hackenberg’s time at Penn State has not been deconstructed as simply as an ’80s jock rock movie where there is quantifiable, categorical “good” and “bad” and the touchdowns of the “good” overpower the sanctions of the “bad” and the hero rides off into the sunset in the green pickup truck, a town in bloom behind him, lovely blond girlfriend by his side. The Nittany Lions have ended red zone visits in the end zone 53 percent of the time in 2015.
“And for the most part, that’s why I sleep pretty well”. Five players (Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Javon Bess, Deyonta Davis and Matt Costello) are averaging over 9.5 points per game, which has allowed Valentine to continue to be a jack-of-all trades stud who excels at everything.
Now consider unnatural rivals Michigan State and Penn State. Both have great motors. Those teams play each other earlier Saturday, but the victor can only make it to the Big Ten title game if the Spartans lose. One’s more finesse, the other’s more power-oriented.
Penn State is 1-8 ATS in its last nine games on the road. The veteran signal-caller is among the best players in the Big Ten.
And although Dantonio doesn’t seem like the type, there has certainly plenty of reason for the Michigan State coach to break out into song – and dance. It hasn’t played out that way statistically. MSU was founded on February 12, 1855, and Penn State was founded 10 days later. He played the first defensive series against MI but was shut down when it was clear he wasnt healthy. Michigan’s defense is very, very good and despite the sky-high expectations entering the season, Ohio State’s offense just hasn’t put it together this season. Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-18 win that secured a Rose Bowl berth. That, plus a field goal, would be that. While I wasn’t at the game in 2002, I was in Columbus for the weekend, and was able to see firsthand just how intense the rivalry was.
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The score here could vary wildly depending on Cook’s health. Still without an inspiring performance against Michigan State, the 2015 regular season will end on a disappointing note and be classified by many as frustratingly inconsistent. They deserve some credit.
