East Lansing– The Spartans have a tall task ahead of them on Saturday night, hosting the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes at Spartan Stadium.
During Ryan Day’s tenure as head coach of the Buckeyes, their calling card has always been talent. There were reports this offseason that the roster assembled by Day cost over $20 million in NIL funds.
The Buckeyes’ offense is explosive, scoring at least 49 points in all three games this season.
However, the Buckeyes haven’t faced tough competition, playing two MAC teams and Marshall, out of Conference USA.
The Spartans will be the first Big Ten and Power Four opponent for the Buckeyes, which means there could be some growing pains early for the Buckeyes. So the Spartans must start fast if they want to put the Buckeyes on their heels early.
Here are five players that MSU needs to look out for:
Wide Reciever, Jeremiah Smith:
Freshman wide receiver Jerimiah Smith has been the star of the Buckeyes offense. Smith has gained national recognition for his play as a true freshman, scoring two touchdowns in his first-ever collegiate game.
The five-star recruit from Miami Gardens, FL. has shined early catching 14 passes. He also leads the team with 283 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Smith will be battling with Spartans’ wideout Nick Marsh for many freshman awards.
Spartans’ defensive backs Charles Brantley and Angelo Grose have had stellar starts to the season but Smith isn’t like any wide receiver they’ve seen yet. Smith will definitely be lacing them up on Sundays in a few years.
Quarterback, Will Howard:
Senior quarterback Will Howard has been good, completing 68 percent of his passes and throwing for six touchdowns.
The Kansas State transfer isn’t being asked to carry the load that a C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields had to. His role is to get the ball to the athletes in the loaded Buckeyes’ wide receiver room and take care of the football.
Howard still has more upside than Kyle McCord, the 2023 starting quarterback who transferred to Syracuse after one year of starting.
The Spartans’ pass rush led by Khris Bogle and Jordan Turner will have to force Howard to make quick decisions and limit the big play ability.
Running Backs, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson:
The two-headed backfield of Judkins and Henderson is one of the best in the country. Judkins, a transfer from Ole Miss, is the speed outside back that can break one free at any time. Judkins has had a larger share of the carries so far, rushing for the Buckeyes.
Then there’s Henderson, the bruiser is great at finding seams up the middle, even if it means running through the defender.
Through the first three games, the Buckeyes have been careful with Henderson, a back that has dealt with some injury concerns in the past.
However in his limited action this season, Henderson has averaged over eight yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns.
Thanks to Spartans’ defensive coordinator Joe Rossi the run defense has been much improved this season, on Saturday they will need to neutralize the Buckeyes’ ground game to have a chance.
Safety, Caleb Downs:
The Buckeyes are equally talented on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore safety Caleb Downs was a star on the Alabama defense that made a run to the College Football Playoff last season.
As a true freshman, Downs led the Crimson Tide defense in tackles (107) and earned All-American honors.
After the retirement of Nick Saban, Downs entered the transfer portal as the consensus number-one prospect, landing at Ohio State.
Downs is the leader on the Buckeyes’ defense, a top-ten defense in the country. The Buckeyes are ranked fourth in points allowed per game (6.7) and second in yards allowed per game (180).
The path to victory for Michigan State
The odds are stacked against the 24-point underdog Spartans to pull off the upset, but wilder things have happened in college football.
Spartans’ quarterback Aidan Chiles will need a performance similar to his week two start against the Maryland Terrapins, most importantly Chiles needs to take care of the ball.
The Spartans’ offense will need to finish drives, something that was a problem against FAU and more recently against Boston College. Three points won’t be enough when the Buckeyes’ offense is on the other side of the ball.
Look for tight end Jack Velling to be utilized more in the red zone, the tight end caught eight touchdowns for Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith at Oregon State last season.
The Spartan running backs Nate Carter and Kay’ron Lynch-Adams need to be more dependable, the bulk of their yards have come on big plays.
The duo has to be better in obvious running situations, they have been stifled in those situations too many times so far this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans need to bring pressure and make life difficult for Howard.
They also need to force field goals, the Buckeyes have scored touchdowns on all 11 trips to the red zone this season.
This Buckeyes team has its sights set on a National Championship and a win against a different team in Michigan. Who knows, possibly the Buckeyes could let their guard down and the Spartans could shock the college football world.
You can listen to the Spartans matchup against the Buckeyes on Impact 89 FM on Saturday, with pregame starting at 7 p.m. with Oscar Henderson and Joe Dez on the call.
