EAST LANSING- Michigan State returns to East Lansing after a close loss to Boston College, looking to bounce back against the No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Spartans started off the game strong, with Honorary Captain senior defensive back Angelo Grose for a tackle for loss on the first play of the game, stuffing senior running back TreyVeyon Henderson in the backfield for a loss of four.
The Buckeyes marched down the field early, getting to the MSU red zone fast. The Spartans, off a second down penalty, get a stop on a third down quarterback keeper from senior Will Howard that was stopped in his tracks by redshirt junior defensive back Charles Brantley.
MSU starts strong offensively, testing the run game, with a 19-yard run from Junior running back Nate Carter starting things off.
“We were moving the ball successfully on them in the run game and the passing game, and we got into the red zone, but you can’t make mistakes against great teams like that”. Said Carter.
Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles rushes down the field for MSU. But on a fourth down keeper, the Buckeye defense steps up, with senior defensive end Jack Sawyer and senior linebacker Cody Simon forcing a turnover on downs.
Chiles threw 13-19 on the day, he racked up 167 yards and one interception late in the third quarter.
“I thought he was throwing the ball well in the first half, seeing the field, and the protection was there. I thought the guys were holding up for him,” said head coach Jonathan Smith.
Both MSU and OSU went back and forth in the first quarter with neither squad crossing the pylon. But the Buckeyes started the second with a short field on the Spartan’s nine-yard line.
OSU Head coach Ryan Day decided to go for it on fourth down, with a quick pass to senior tight end Gee Scott Jr. for a three-yard gain to put the Buckeyes up 10 to start the second quarter.
MSU coraled the ball again, and marches down the field to the Buckeyes 10-yard line, where Junior tight end Jack Velling catches the ball for a long gain but fumbles on the Sonny Styles tackle and turns it over.
On the next play, OSU made their first mistake offensively, when Senior quarterback Will Howard threw an interception at the Ohio State 48-yard line by redshirt senior Jordan Turner, who rushed it back 36 yards to the Buckeye red zone.
Turner had himself a night in East Lansing, rushing all over the field and causing problems for Howard. Turner gained four solo tackles and the interception turning momentum over for MSU.
“We came out, we were ready to play,” said redshirt senior linebacker Cal Haladay. “We were competing every play that we could, our effort on defense was there, flying around to the ball.”
With MSU getting to start on the 12-yard line and excellent field position, Chiles and company scored on a one-play drive to junior receiver Jaron Glover for the Spartan’s first touchdown of the night making it 7-10.
With Chiles playing clean in the first quarter of this game, a collapsing pocket changed things quickly. Chiles comes out, gets sacked, and fumbles the ball trying to escape the pocket.
Will Howard continued to use the star-studded freshman Jeremiah Smith, starting the drive with a 20-yard completion to the 44-yard line.
Howard continued to feed his receivers as he handed it off to Smith for a 20-yard rush down the right sideline for a touchdown, increasing the lead by seven. OSU increased their lead by seven making it 17-7. Smith had 83 Yards on the night with five Receptions and a touchdown play.
Chiles and the Spartans couldn’t get much going against the OSU defense, keeping the Spartan offense at bay and not allowing any more points in the second quarter.
After a hard hit to quarterback Will Howard, Junior backup quarterback Devin Brown completes his first pass of the day to Smith extending the OSU lead 24-7 in the first half.
Coming into the second half, MSU looks to bridge the gap but does not end up successful for the Spartans, running through a five-play three-minute drive resulting in a turnover on downs.
MSU tried to get their offense going again, starting with the ball at the beginning of the second half but punted it away after a first down and a three-and-out on the MSU 31-yard line.
Ohio State on their next drive took their time. Howard and company stormed down the field with dynamic plays from junior running back Quinshon Judkins, and senior running back TreVeyon Henderson getting the Buckeyes in field goal range.
Judkins and Henderson led the team in rushing, sparking the run game for OSU. Judkins had 11 carries on the night with 54 yards and Henderson had seven carries with 69 yards, the highest on the team.
The Buckeyes did what they do best in the red zone, trusting their receivers and getting them the ball. Senior receiver Emeka Egbuka sprinted into the endzone adding to their lead. OSU worked the clock with a 13-play drive for 7 minutes, scoring and increasing the lead to 31-7.
OSU continued to cap the Spartan offense, they stopped any forward progress after a pass completion from Chiles.
Then, Chiles, in a collapsing situation, threw his first interception of the day to senior cornerback Denzel Burke, returning the ball to the MSU 12-yard line.
OSU quickly took advantage of the field position with a three-play drive with Howard rushing in for six on a six-yard gain. Howard extends the lead again, making it a 31-point deficit for the Spartans.
Ohio State came out of this game victorious, winning 38-7 in East Lansing. Howard threw 21-31 on the night, with 244 yards and 1 interception.
“The biggest positive is that these guys will go back to work because we’ve got a short week, and if they learn from this and continue to move forward. That will be the biggest positive,” Smith said.
The Spartans have another Big Ten battle ahead of them, traveling to Eugene, Oregon for another ranked matchup on Friday, October 4th, at 9:00 p.m.
