Buckeyes Preview 11/11/17: Michigan State Spartans @ Ohio State

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


The Buckeyes have been on an emotional roller coaster the past two weeks. After completing one of the greatest comebacks in Ohio State history by beating then No.2 Penn State, the Buckeyes went on the road to Iowa and got throttled 55-24. With that loss the Buckeyes chances at a National Championship are all but finished as absolute chaos would have to happen in college football for the Buckeyes to climb their way into the top 4.

Despite their National Championship hopes being shattered the Buckeyes still control their own destiny in the Big Ten. If Ohio State wins-out they’ll make it to the Big Ten Championship game and would be a lock for one of the New Year’s Six bowl’s if they win the conference. But that path goes through No.12 Michigan State.

The Spartans come into this game on the opposite end of the spectrum after having upset Penn State last week. They are tied for first place in the Big Ten East with Ohio State and have their eyes set on the same goal.

“Where we’re at right now is pretty much where we wanted to be, in control of our own situation, or destiny, I guess,” Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio said. “We at least can control some things. That’s where you want to be in November.”

The Buckeyes biggest task will be getting past last week’s crushing loss.

“(Getting) back to the fundamentals and what we do: Executing,” said Buckeye quarterback JT Barrett who threw four interceptions last week against Iowa after throwing one previously on the year. “Move on from last week because we’d like to get it back, but we can’t. With that, we just have to grow from it, learn from it and get better.”

Defensive end Jayln Holmes also knows the importance of playing in the moment and moving on from last week, especially because he’s a senior.

“You just (have to) finish out strong,” Holmes said. “I’m a senior, it seems like yesterday I just got here. So, I (have) two more games in the ‘Shoe. I just (have to) play angry and actually take advantage of this opportunity, because I won’t have any more games left. My goal is to finish strong.”

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has been preaching to his team all week about the implications of this top 15 matchup.

“You look at the standings, and Ohio State and Michigan State are 1, 2 in the Big Ten East,” Meyer said. “And everybody knows this game for the last, what’s our sixth year of playing them or something, usually it’s just a prize fight. So the tougher team usually wins.”

Coach Meyer spoke a lot about toughness a week ago before the Iowa game. He spoke of how the Hawkeyes were always ready to play and left everything out there on the field.

Maybe the Bucks were emotionally spent after Penn State. Maybe they didn’t take Iowa seriously or give them the respect they deserved. Either way let’s hope their minds are right coming into Saturday, or else what happened last week could happen again.





What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
When: Saturday November 11, 2017 at 12:00 PM ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio
Watch: FOX
Spread: OSU -17
Over/Under: 53.5
Money Line: OSU -850, MICHST +575

Buckeyes Preview 11.18.16: Ohio State @ Michigan State

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


The Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) are running on all cylinders recently while many of the teams above them in the college football rankings have fallen.  Over the past two weeks the now #2 ranked Buckeyes have outscored their opponents a whopping 124-6.  J.T. Barrett and his offense couldn't have picked a better time to start clicking as the regular season is now down to this weekends game against Michigan State and then a showdown with #3 Michigan.

One reason for the Buckeyes revitalized offense is they are doing a better job of getting playmaking H-back Curtis Samuel the ball.  After touching the ball 10 times in a loss to Penn State, Samuel has 14, 13, and 9 touches in the last three games.  Nine may not seem that impressive but remember that Samuel played a little over a half in that 62-3 blowout against Maryland.  Samuel is the only FBS player with over 600 yards rushing (637) and receiving (750).

Another reason behind the Buckeyes offensive output is quarterback J.T. Barrett.  Barrett has four total touchdowns in the past two weeks and has posted a passer rating no less than 167 in both of those games.  The Buckeye quarterback also completed his second longest pass of the season, a 75-yard touchdown reception to who else but Curtis Samuel.

"He just knows how to make a play," cornerback Marshon Lattimore said on Samuel.  "He knows how to go out there and do what he has to do to put us in a position to win."

While Ohio State is seemingly two games away from a playoff birth, the Michigan State Spartans (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) have had a disappointing season to say the least.  After starting the season ranked 12th in the nation and having eyes on a back-to-back Big Ten championship and a playoff birth, the Spartans won't have enough wins to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2006.

Even though Ohio State has Michigan lurking around the corner they have some payback to deal out against Sparty.  It was Michigan State who last year ruined the Buckeyes perfect season and cost them a shot at a Big Ten championship, and Ohio State guard Billy Price hasn't forgotten.

"There's a little bit of human element that comes into the game, especially with them ruining senior night for us last year and ruining the season we were supposed to have last year," Price said.  "It's in the back of your head, absolutely."

As Ohio State looks for revenge, Spartans coach Mike Dantonio would love for his team to ruin another season for the Buckeyes this Saturday.

"We've come to play every single football game, so it's unfortunate where we're at," Dantonio said.  "But you can't look past it.  You can't look backward here; you have to look to the future.  Ohio State is a big game for us, for this program, and always has been."



What:  Ohio State Buckeyes vs Michigan State Spartans
When:  Saturday November 19, 2016 at 12:00 PM ET
Where:  Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
Watch:  ESPN
Line:  OSU -22, O/U 53

On The Mark 11.22.15: #Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Recap

Ugly day leads to ugly loss for the Buckeyes 17-14 to Michigan State
By @MarkW2112

It was Senior Day in Columbus but there was also a feeling that this would be the last game for such talent as juniors Ezekiel Elliot and Joey Bosa. The way the Buckeyes played, it was a very disappointing day for all involved as a stagnant offense couldn't really do much against the stout Michigan State defense.  In the end, the Spartans won 17-14 due to bad offensive play calls and mistakes on defense.

J.T. Barrett may have had one of his worse performances since last years Virginia Tech game.  He passed for only 46 yards and ran 15 times for 44 more.  It was definitely a day he would like to forget.  What was worse was that Ezekiel Elliot only ran 12 times for 33 yards, ending his 15 game streak of rushing for 100 yards or more.  It seemed that the offensive coaches were mostly concentrating on having Barrett run the option out of the backfield instead of trying to get it Elliot.  Elliot was able to get a touchdown after a fumble recovery by the defense while Barrett threw a touchdown to Jalin Marshall after a fumbled punt set them up within the 5 yard line.  But for most of the day, it was 3 and out as they could not establish any kind of pattern.

The defense played as well as they could.  Connor Cook did not start to Michigan State went with a 2 quarterback system of Tyler O'Connell and Damion Terry.  They combined to move the ball for 90 yards passing and 50 yards rushing.  It was workhorse running back Gerald Holmes who led with 65 yards and a touchdown and help set them up for the final field goal to win the game.  Joey Bosa, playing his last game in Columbus, also jumped off sides 4 times during the game but was disruptive most of the game.  But, when it counted, Michigan State was able to make just enough plays to set themselves up for the win.

My take:  The Buckeyes offense was obviously affected by the wet weather.  But it was still no excuse for them to run basic plays over and over again as it seemed they forgot they had a stout running back in Ezekiel Elliot and, instead, put the game in to J.T. Barrett's hands.  It was a disaster.  The defense was good but not good enough to stop Michigan State from going on long touchdown drives after they were given leads.  It was a heartbreaking way for the seniors and juniors that are leaving early to go in the NFL to end their time at the Horseshoe.  But this team has been off all year, especially on offense, since Tom Herman left to become the head coach of Houston.  It was a fun year but, sadly, the Buckeyes failed to win which pretty much puts them out of a playoff spot this year. 

Player(s) of the game:  Michigan State.  They did just enough to beat the Buckeyes on a cold and rainy day.  It was a full team effort.

Next for the Buckeyes:  The Game against That Team Up North in Ann Arbor, next Saturday at Noon.

#Buckeyes Preview 11.20.15: Michigan State #Spartans @ Ohio State

By @jddisantis

This Saturday the number 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will face their toughest task and first real challenge of the year, as the number 9 ranked Michigan State Spartans come to Columbus.  

This game means a lot to both teams as the Buckeyes want to continue their undefeated season into Michigan next week and book their spot in the Big Ten championship game, while Michigan State needs a win for an outside shot at the Big Ten championship themselves.

The Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) are coming off of a 28-3 road victory against Illinois.  While not looking all that impressive, a 25 point in-conference road victory is nothing to ignore.  The Buckeyes got starting quarterback J.T. Barrett back after a one game suspension in hopes of returning some chemistry to their offense, but did little to put Buckeye faithful at ease.  Barrett threw for 150 yards while adding another 74 on the ground.  Although the offense as a whole wasn't in sync, Ezekiel Elliott continued to improve his Heisman resume by racking up 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Michigan State had National Championship hopes at the beginning of this year, but after being victim of bad officiating at Nebraska, the Spartans are looking to salvage their season with a victory against the Buckeyes.  Sparty comes to Columbus with one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Conner Cook under center.  Cook has 21 touchdowns on the year to just four interceptions, but injured his shoulder last week against Maryland.  "My shoulder is good," Cook said earlier this week.  "I'm going to be ready to go so there's no issue with that."

With the last two games of this season proving to be the Buckeyes biggest challenges, and rivals, Ohio State must stay focused on the task at hand and not get caught looking ahead to Michigan or a possible Big Ten championship.  The Buckeyes have yet to play their best this season but can't afford to start slow against Sparty. J.T. will have to keep the offense up tempo and in rhythm to get the Ohio State out in front and keep them there.  The defense will have their stiffest test in facing off against Conner Cook.  The Buckeyes will have the opportunity to silence some critics and gain some momentum heading into Ann Arbor next weekend with a win against the Spartans.

What:  Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans
When:  Saturday November 21 at 3:30 PM ET
Where:  Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio
Watch:  ABC

On The Mark 11.9.14: #Buckeyes Recap

Big Statement: Ohio State Defeats Michigan State 49-37 As J.T. Barrett Shines Even Brighter
By @MarkW2112

I am gladly eating my words.  I felt the Ohio State Buckeyes, going in to Spartan Stadium to face the Michigan State Spartans, might be a slight underdog to beat them at home.  I was wrong.  Behind a phenomenal statement game by J.T. Barrett, the Buckeyes win 49-37 in convincing fashion.  The young offensive line came together for Barrett, who was able to have time to throw at will.  He went 16-of-25 for 300 yards and 5 total touchdowns, including 1 to Devon Smith, who had a monster night with 6 receptions and 129 yards.  Smith's touchdown right before halftime made it 28-21.  Before that, Barrett a threw a 79 yard TD to Michael Thomas to tie the game at 21.  This was significant because before that, Dontre Wilson fumbled a kick off return yet somehow the Spartans weren't able to capitalize with any points.  So the Thomas touchdown was a huge momentum shift in the Buckeyes favor.  From there, they were able to score at will, including 2 rushing touchdowns by Ezekiel Elliot, who also had a fantastic night with 150 yards rushing.

Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook did a great job, going 25-of-45 for 358 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Jeremy Langford was able to run at will, with 137 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.  However, the defense was able to make just enough stops to allow the Buckeyes offense to take the lead.  There were a few times where the Buckeyes forgot how to tackle but it worked out in the end.

My take: the Buckeyes came in to East Lansing and faced an extremely confident Spartans team who knew they had the Bucks number last year during the Big 10 Championship.  But this year, with J.T. Barrett in tow, the Buckeyes were able to do whatever they wanted on offense.  While perhaps not as dynamic as Braxton Miller, Barrett may be a better overall quarterback, showing great touch and accuracy as well as toughness running the ball, getting first downs when needed and pushing it in to the end zone twice.  Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford had great games for Sparty but the defense did just enough to allow the offense to come back on the field and score at will.  It was one of the best Big 10 games I've seen in quite a long time.  It was also the first real signature win for Urban Meyer.

Next up: facing the surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.

On The Mark 11.8.14: #Buckeyes v. #MichiganState Preview

By @MarkW2112

This is it.  The biggest game the Ohio State Buckeyes will play this year.  And while it is against a Michigan team, this time it's the Michigan State Spartans that will stand in their way to make a trip to the Big 10 Championship this year.  As we all know, the Sparty's won the championship against the Bucks last year.  This year the Bucks and Spartans are both in the Big 10 East division so which ever team wins will write their ticket to Indianapolis.

Once again, it's the big prime time stage for the Buckeyes away from the friendly confines of Columbus, this time the setting will be East Lansing.  The only hope for the Bucks is that playing in front of the hostile crowd in Happy Valley 2 weeks ago give J.T. Barrett and the offense a slight edge over a much smaller crowd.  He faces an excellent defense who dominated the Bucks last year.  The Spartans offense, led by quarterback Connor Cook, look to pick apart the young defensive backfield while trying to contain Joey Bosa on the defensive front.

My take:  this is going to be the hardest game of the season for the Buckeyes.  Michigan State is tough on both sides of the ball and may have gotten better from their match up against the Bucks last year.  J.T. Barrett, Ezekiel Elliot and the offense have their work cut out for them while the defense needs to try and clamp down on the Spartan's offense.  It's a tall task for a young team.

Prediction: for the first time this year, I'm predicting a Buckeyes loss.  At this point, the Spartans are just slightly better than the Bucks.  That said, I hope I eat my words.

What: Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan State Spartans
Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Time: 8 PM EST
TV: ABC, ESPN3