The Nittany Lions are certainly a tough out, but there are a few key factors that lead me to believe MI State will edge the visitors with or without their star quarterback. But there’s another streak the Buckeyes want to continue.
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It wasn’t supposed to be that way for the No. 9 Buckeyes (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten), who play at No. 12 MI on Saturday. It won’t be an easy assignment. Elliott, one of the best running backs in college football, carried the ball just 11 times and questioned why he didn’t get the ball more. “But we tried inside and outside and they beat us at the line of scrimmage and we were unable to execute in the throw game”, said Meyer. “We didn’t – it was very conservative.” . They played their best game.
BIG DAY FOR HARBAUGH: MI coach Jim Harbaugh says when he was younger the day of the Michigan-Ohio State game might have been the biggest day of the year. “It just hurts. It hurts a lot”.
“I don’t know if there’s any one solution”, he said. He was honest and that was pure emotion after the game but he just told me and all of Buckeye Nation that he’s ready to move on. I asked for those plays to be called, and they weren’t.
“I really do. I can’t speak for the play calling”. Based on the first-year improvement, it’s completely reasonable to assume that the programs will maintain a level of success for years to come. This wasn’t the first insane finish the legendary basketball coach has been present for this season, though, as Izzo was also at the MI game in Ann Arbor when the Spartans won on a miraculous botched punt returned for a touchdown. They’ll likely see a heavy dose of freshman phenom Saquon Barkley, but their performance against the talented ground game of Ohio State makes me believe they’ll smother the Nittany Lions’ efforts, especially with a suspect offensive line.
MI State won with back-up quarterbacks Tyler O’Connor and No. 3 quarterback Damion Terry as the injured Connor Cook watched on. Smith would not say if Elliott will be punished by coach Urban Meyer. If Ohio State is going to come out on top of their rival for the fourth year in a row, you would have to think Elliott will have to be a much bigger part of the offense than he was on Saturday.
“How we lost, I just feel like we weren’t put in the right opportunity to win this game, we weren’t put in the right situations to win this game”, Elliott said. We can’t dwell on that, because if we dwell on that we’ll go up there and lay an egg. He is easily the best running back in this draft according to Lambert.
At his Monday press conference, coach Urban Meyer said Elliott would not face discipline for criticizing the Buckeyes’ play calling in a stunning 17-14 loss to MI State on Saturday.
Specifically, Elliott was upset that he had just 12 carries in the game.
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The Buckeyes never had an answer against MI State. Sophomore quarterback JT Barrett finished 9-16 through the air for 46 yards, adding 15 carries for 44 yards. Should the Buckeyes fall for the second straight game on Saturday, it may be bigger news than who is left standing after rivalry weekend.
