But for now, the Spartans and their fans can enjoy this victory.
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“I deserve more than 11 carries”.
“Oh, boy, we’ve got to get a couple of first downs and start finding a way to complete a pass and beat our rival”, Meyer said. “We focused on this moment and we played hard”.
This week’s rivalry game will be must-see TV, but it will also be very telling about the future of the Ohio State program and the tone of the offseason.
Cook took a shot to the shoulder last week against Maryland. Most of his passes were softly lofted over the middle of the field, not showing his usual ability to put any power behind his throws. Michael Geiger kicked a 41-yard field for MI State on the last play of the game. So it was OK for MI State to pass in the rain, with a backup quarterback, no less, but not for the Buckeyes?
Elliott remained consistent, with his 100-yard game streak reaching 15 before being snapped by the Spartans, but Jones clearly wasn’t playing as well as he did down the stretch last season.
“We come in with something to prove”, Dantonio said.
Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs into Damon Knox #93 of the MI State Spartans and Riley Bullough #30 of the MI State Spartans at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 21, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. It was the only time MSU led in the game. MI State, a 13-1/2-point underdog and without injured starting quarterback Connor Cook, came into Columbus and shocked the surprisingly one-dimensional Buckeyes.
Elliott then dropped this tweet after speaking to the media.
Macgarrett Kings muffed a punt and Terry McLaurin recovered at the Spartans 6.
Barrett hit Jalin Marshall for a go-ahead touchdown on the next play.
“I don’t care if I rushed for 20 yards or 200 yards but I just wanted to win that game”, Elliott wrote. But this time it was against the Buckeyes. “And obviously you start loading up the box in those kind of situations, and we were”.
“I was not content”, Meyer said after the game. Had the Buckeyes won they would have been headed to the BCS National championship. Will that same team show up in East Lansing on Saturday? The Buckeyes have rarely been threatened by mostly so-so opposition on their way to 10-0, but they have also rarely looked like the juggernaut many expected this season. Coach Urban Meyer can’t be pleased to hear guys commenting on their National Football League futures with that many snaps left to play in a season where there is still so much more than can be achieved. “I really do. I can’t speak for the play-caller”. The Spartans control their own destiny. Christian Hackenberg passed for 137 yards for Penn State (7-4, 4-3).
Their 30-game winning streak in regular-season conference games? Notre Dame keep winning, and so do Alabama, at least for now.
A win over the Hawkeyes will give the Spartans a very strong resume for a playoff berth. 7 OR (8-3 overall, 6-2 PAC 12), a win over then-No.
Even if the Rose Bowl didn’t pick Michigan, whether it was because it chose Iowa if Michigan State wins the Big Ten or Michigan State if Iowa wins the Big Ten, Michigan still could be selected by the Fiesta Bowl or Peach Bowl as an at-large team.
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“Our offensive line dominated”.
