Not bad! Minus a few penalties and some sloppy football early on, Ohio State does what they're expected to do. The Buckeyes cover the spread, and roll against the Spartans in East Lansing for their first road win of the season!
I can't usually relax as a sports fan. I chalk that one up to being a naturally fiery and passionate person. Plus maybe the inability to relax has become normal to me after years of being a diehard Browns fan as well. But any time I can relax watching a football game, that's a good sign. This one was never in doubt. The Buckeyes prepared well, did their homework, and finished the job without playing down to their competition. Let's take a look at how they got to 6-0 by looking at the Keys to Victory!
Get the running game rolling
The Buckeyes had a great day on the ground, running the rock 46 times for 237 yards and a touchdown, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. If you're running the ball for four yards a pop or more, you're doing something right on the ground.
TreVeyon Henderson was the leading rusher, as he carried the ball 19 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. He suffered a leg injury later in the game, but thankfully he's going to be okay. I was pleasantly surprised with Dallan Hayden as well. With Miyan Williams out for this game, and Henderson suffering the injury, the Buckeyes called Hayden's number. All the third-string, true freshman running back did was run with an attitude! He carried the ball 14 times for 70 yards and showed that he can be counted on to be productive and give Ohio State some extra depth if needed. If he keeps running like that, he could be the future for the Buckeyes as their starting running back. Way to go kid!
If the opportunity is there, light 'em up!
I know it's Michigan State. I know they have a bad secondary. But I think as fans we forget one thing: No matter what FBS team a player is on, they're all still Division I college football players, which is something the vast majority of people will never be. So when CJ Stroud not only does well, but puts up another absolutely eye-popping stat line, I just shake my head and chuckle. He makes it look so easy sometimes. All he did was go 21-26 for 361 yards and six touchdowns. In three quarters of action to boot. Yes, he did have that one pick six, and has had an interception in each of his last three games. But he's such a talented quarterback. There's a reason he's been on everyone's Heisman radar this year. And every time he puts up numbers like he did today, he only further solidifies his chances of being in New York in December. This kid is special, and I don't care what the haters say. And the scary part for the rest of the country? He's only a sophomore. I can't wait to see where his ceiling is if he reaches his full potential.
Don't allow Michigan State to get going on the ground
Here's the stat line for the Spartans on the ground. Ready? 20 carries for a grand total of seven yards. That's an average of 0.4 yards per carry, and the longest run for the Spartans was eight yards. Wow. Even below average and flat out bad running games do more on the ground than Michigan State did today. It's such an asset to a team to be able to have a legitimate run-stopping defense. And I'd bet anything that the Silver Bullets are nowhere near their best football of the season, which makes me so excited as a Buckeye fan!
I haven't been truly excited about an Ohio State defense in at least 2-3 years. Perhaps even longer than that. But whatever Coach Knowles has done is absolutely working. Like Kirk Herbstreit said during the broadcast today, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has coached against talented four and five-star athletes. Particularly when he was with the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12. But he has never had such a talented group of recruits to work with in his career. So far, all he's done is continually build a defense that by the end of the year could be a National Championship-worthy unit!
Get to Spartan quarterback Payton Thorne
Thorne went 11-18 for 113 yards for one touchdown and one interception. But Ohio State made life miserable for him today, sacking him four times. It didn't help that he had no support from the running game. But it was great to see the Buckeyes start to unleash their pass rush. They'll need that same kind of effort and energy down the stretch against better teams like Penn State, the Wolverines and perhaps in the College Football Playoff if they make it. I'm sure Larry Johnson was grinning today.
Ohio State has the week off next week before they welcome Iowa to the Horseshoe on October 22. Most teams use a bye week to rest up, heal up, and regroup. I'm sure the Buckeyes will do plenty of those things. But I also look at it as an opportunity for them to study and work to improve even more before we get to the stretch run of the Big Ten schedule. If Coach Ryan Day and his team do what they need to improve during the bye week, I'm excited to see what kind of team Ohio State will be as we shift into the later part of the season. I sense that the Buckeyes could be building toward something very, very special. But we'll have to patiently wait and see!
Until then, GO BUCKS!
Statistical Leaders
CJ Stroud: 21-26, 361 yds., 6 TDs, INT
TreVeyon Henderson: 19 car., 118 yds., TD
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 7 rec., 131 yds., 3 TDs
NOTE: Marvin Harrison Jr. has now had three career games in which he has caught three touchdown passes (vs. Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl, Arkansas State, today vs. Michigan State). He passes Buckeye great Joey Galloway, who caught three touchdown passes against Michigan State in 1993, and three touchdowns against Purdue in 1994. Stat courtesy of Eleven Warriors.
Sources: ESPN, Eleven Warriors
Picture Credit: ESPN
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