Connor Cook began waving his arms, motioning for the crowd to yell louder.
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Ohio State has won 11 of the last 12 games in what has become a lopsided series with MI. “I mean, it is just swinging as hard as you possibly can against very good players”.
Michigan State joined Iowa in the Big Ten championship game, making Indianapolis the site of what looks like a de facto College Football Playoff quarterfinal and further burying Ohio State. The victor will nearly assuredly be selected for the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes improved to 11-1 with the victory.
Well, Michigan State just came home after an enormous win at Ohio State, with its star quarterback uncertain to play because of a shoulder injury, and beat Penn State handily. Cook went 19 of 26 for 248 yards and three touchdowns. “That was a reality check”. Those numbers will need to be significantly better on Saturday against MI, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 nationally in total defense. While Alabama’s overall resume features more wins against good teams, Clemson gets the edge in big victories with wins against Notre Dame and Florida State.
It was 41-16 in the fourth quarter when Malik McDowell intercepted a pass that had bounced off fellow defensive lineman Shilique Calhoun.
Ohio State can not afford to leave him in favorable matchups in the red zone or on third-and-distance scenarios. Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg hit tight end Kyle Carter for a first down to the MSU 23, but Carter was stripped.
You could call all that insane or simply say it’s not that insane at all.
For as little as MI could stop an Ohio State team with steam coming out of its ears, the Wolverines also couldn’t score themselves. This could be the moment MI fans were waiting for ever since the Harbaugh hire: the Buckeyes would be dethroned and the Wolverines would reign over the Big Ten. Will this be the week that the coaching staff integrates the fifth-year senior into the game plan – and possibly allows him to play some quarterback again and throw a pass or two? The pass rush has been a huge asset for Penn State, but without both starting ends, the Lions failed to make plays in the backfield against the excellent Spartans offensive line. He bounced off one defender and spun past another before diving into the end zone.
The most important thing for Ohio State on Saturday is to win the game and salvage as much as it can out of this season after last week’s crushing loss against Michigan State. The Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor this weekend, and are looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season last week to Michigan State.
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The Iowa-Michigan State loser would then go to the Rose Bowl, under this scenario. The running back had 30 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes demolished the Wolverines, 42-13. His 13-yard run late in the third quarter gave the Buckeyes an 18-point cushion, and his 17-yard run midway through the fourth, mercifully for MI, ended the scoring. 77-yards later thanks to a Saeed Blacknall catch, fumble and recovery got the Nittany Lions to the two.
