Barrett’s seven-yard touchdown run with 1:05 left in the first quarter gave the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead.
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Despite the lopsided results, MI did find itself with a shot at momentum early in the game after its defense put together two straight stops on Ohio State’s opening possessions.
However, the tone was set late in the first quarter when Elliott scampered for a 66-yard gain two plays after MI roughed Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston.
UM quarterback Jake Rudock was 19 for 32 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. If the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Bosa skips his senior season, he might be the No. 1 pick in the National Football League draft. Michael Thomas, who leads the Buckeyes with 47 catches for 659 yards, was limited to two receptions for eight yards, but has caught at least one pass in his last 27 games. The quarterbacks, Connor Cook of Michigan State and C.J. Beathard of the Hawkeyes, have to be the first-team and second-team All-Big Ten quarterbacks, in no particular order. Whereas the Buckeyes have only managed one shutout this season, the Wolverines have had three.
If Iowa loses to Michigan State next week, there is a real possibility that Ohio State would be ranked ahead of Iowa in the final poll and therefore a real possibility that the Rose Bowl could choose Ohio State over Iowa. “So trust me, my staff and our players feel like we’re playing for a lot on Saturday and feel like that every single Saturday”.
Meanwhile, Ohio State was looking the weakest it has all season.
On first-and-10 from the MI 25-yard line, Barrett dropped back and threw a ball deep down the field for halfback Jalen Marshall. He caught the pass around the 10, bounced off one defender and spun past another before diving into the end zone.
Earlier in the drive, the Buckeyes were committed to the run and featured Elliott. He did not return as the Buckeyes continued to dominate in the second half.
And so, once again, Penn State will have to prefer for some very different looks on offense.
“(Ohio State offensive coordinator) Ed Warinner gets blistered, and it’s part of the title, but he did a marvelous job”, Meyer said.
With Ohio State beating Michigan on Saturday, and assuming Michigan State holds on to their lead against Penn State, the Big Ten is in real good position to get three teams into the New Years Six. This time it was a slant pass on fourth and goal with 14:51 remaining in the game to make the score 34-16 Michigan State. The end result was a 42-13 demolition over MI.
Everyone in the stadium knew that Elliott was going to get the ball a lot following the debacle against Michigan State. The Nittany Lions moved the ball well for a while, but they unraveled in the second half as the Spartans wrapped up a spot in the Big Ten championship game.
After running back Ezekiel Elliott’s scathing criticism of the OSU play-calling against the Spartans, some wondered how the NFL-bound junior would respond.
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Two plays later, Elliott found the end zone. The Wolverines star defensive tackle has 30 total tackles and 10 tackles for a loss on the year.
