In their first road test of the season, the Ohio State football team crushed Michigan State, 38-7. While the Alabama-Georgia clash will be remembered as the defining game of the weekend, the Buckeyes passed another hurdle in flying fashion. Through four games, Ohio State stands at 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten).
The Buckeyes got off to a hot start and marched down the field after receiving the opening kickoff. Quarterback Will Howard found receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith as well as running back Quinshon Judkins and the offense was flowing smoothly until an unnecessary roughness penalty on tight end Will Kacmarek stunted the drive. They were then forced to settle for a field goal, which kicker Jayden Fielding calmly drilled.
On the Spartans first drive, quarterback Aidan Chiles took his team 55 yards down the field, but took a gamble on a 4th-and-1 in Ohio State territory and was stuffed by linebacker Cody Simon. It was then the Buckeyes’ turn to take a fourth down gamble at Michigan State’s three-yard line, but this time, Howard calmly found tight end Gee Scott Jr. for the touchdown, extending the lead to 10-0.
The bad luck continued for the Spartans’ on their next drive, as cornerback Jordan Hancock chased down tight end Jack Velling and stripped the ball right to linebacker Sonny Styles who scooped it up. The Buckeyes gave it right back, however, as Howard made an awful decision and was intercepted by Spartan linebacker Jordan Turner who took all the way to Ohio State’s 12-yard line. One play later, Chiles found receiver Jordan Glover for the touchdown.
Ohio State quickly responded, though, as running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded for a huge 37-yard run and then Smith took an end around for a 19-yard touchdown. Both offenses slowed down after that, but just before the half, Howard found Smith for an incredible one-handed catch that took them into Michigan State territory. Buckeye fans then had a bit of a scare a few plays later when Howard stood in the pocket and took a huge hit, forcing him out of the game. His replacement, Devin Brown did a good job and quickly found Smith for another touchdown on his first play to go up 24-7 heading into the break.
Thankfully, Howard returned in the second half and in their first drive, the Buckeyes chugged down the field before finding wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for an explosive 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Michigan State’s struggles continued on their next drive, when Chiles threw a horrendous pass that was intercepted by cornerback Denzel Burke. That made things easy enough for Howard and Co., and it was Howard himself who ran it in for a six-yard touchdown. With the game out of hand, both teams took out their starters for the fourth quarter. Both offenses then sputtered and no points were scored, ending the game at 38-7.
While Howard played through pain and got the job done, there are still some questions about his level of play, especially compared to the talent that this Buckeye team has. His interception was awful, but other than that he did enough. He’s firmly cemented as QB1, but it’s clear he has work to do if wants to silence his doubters. Elsewhere, the tandem of Judkins and Henderson were quieter today than in recent weeks with just 114 combined rushing yards and no touchdowns. Not a concern, just a game where they weren’t really needed.
Once again, Smith continued to turn heads with 102 total yards and two touchdowns. We’re getting to the point where people are starting to ask if he’s the most talented receiver to ever play at Ohio State. That’s not crazy, is it? Speaking of, with his 96 receiving yards, Egbuka is now just 527 away from breaking the Buckeyes’ all-time record. With the way he’s looked lately, he should cruise past it barring an injury. It was also nice to see the tight end room finally get involved with the Smith Jr. touchdown. To conclude with the offensive side of the ball, the offensive line looked strong for the most part. They look to be continuously improving after the disaster that was last season.
Defensively, the score looked pretty, but things were pretty shaky. Timely Spartan turnovers, some forced and some not, bailed the Buckeyes out on multiple occasions and kept things clean. The defensive line looked alright, but not as active as they could have been and the linebackers had their shining moments but were inconsistent. The secondary also looked decent, but it’s easy to be the most confident in that veteran group led by Burke, Hancock, Lathan Ransom, Caleb Downs and Davison Igbinosun. On the stat sheet, backup edge rusher Mitchell Melton had a big day with 1.5 sacks. Fellow edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau and Styles each had a sack and linebacker C.J. Hicks had a half of a sack as well. Similar to with Howard, the concern level is not too high because on the bright side, the Buckeyes just dominated a historically good conference opponent on the road, but one can find criticism with larger threats ahead. Nevertheless, this defense should still be considered the best in the country.
Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was medically cleared to return after missing last week’s game, but didn’t play a snap against the Spartans. It’ll be interesting to see how his situation is handled as he is a key part of the Buckeyes’ defensive front. Howard’s status will also be monitored throughout the next week as he recovers from his knock.
Ohio State will return to Columbus next Saturday to face Iowa. The Hawkeyes will be the best team that the Buckeyes have faced thus far, but similar to this and maybe every week, the scarlet and gray will be big favorites.
Photo Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images / Dale Young-Imagn Images
