It took a bit, but once Ohio State settled down, it found rhythm on offense and pulled away from Michigan State.
The Spartans came in with a great game plan on defense but weren’t able to capitalize on the effort, fell down in the second quarter and were never able to recover.
As usual, here are five things we learned from another notch in the belt by Ohio State.
Ohio State can punch back
The Buckeyes haven’t faced too much adversity this year, but they did early on against the Spartans. Michigan State came into the game playing aggressive and downhill on defense and caused all sorts of issues for the Ohio State offense. To be frank, things looked bleak, and it sure felt like it was going to be a four-quarter game.
But rather than go on their heels, the Buckeyes kept playing, stuck to the game plan and eventually figured things out. After a slogging first quarter, the offense put up 24 points in the second quarter and went into half-time with momentum. It seemed like things were finally in control. It was a good push back against a negative experience and should bode well for the future.
Next … J.K. Dobbins is rockin’
J.K. Dobbins deserves more attention
Coming into the game, believe it or not, J.K. Dobbins led the Big Ten in rushing yards. Yeah, I know, he’s played one less game than Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, but after today, he’s going to make things close even after Taylor gets a chance to catch him next week while Ohio State gets to enjoy a bye.
It was supposed to be tough-sledding against a Michigan State defense that prides itself on stopping the run, and it was at first. But at the end of a bruising day against a physical defense, Dobbins finished with 172 yards and a TD on 24 carries (7.2 avg.). He’s got straight-line speed, but an underrated physicality to him that wears on defenses.
The kid now has 654 yards on the year and is well on his way to another season of over 1,000 yards — and then some.
Next … Depth is a huge asset for Ohio State
Ohio State’s depth had a big part in the win
Michigan State’s front-line players aren’t quite as good as what’s running through the tunnel for Ohio State, but it’s not that far off. Each time I watch them, I find myself a little surprised by the size and athleticism across the board.
But the Spartan program lacks the depth of talent Ohio State has.
And it made a huge difference tonight. Michigan State had things rollin’ early on defense and frustrations were high on the Buckeye sideline. But the OSU players kept coming in waves and you could see the Michigan State team wear down. After the second quarter, all that emotion wore off and the game was in Ohio State’s pocket.
Next … Chasing Young
Chase Young neutralized is still a force
We didn’t hear defensive-end Chase Young’s name called nearly as much tonight, but it didn’t matter. He was still disruptive, and if he wasn’t in the backfield, he was tying up two and three defenders and allowing others to roam free.
On one particular play, the offensive tackle for Michigan State took just enough of a peek at Young rushing the edge to lose sight of Baron Browning coming on a blitz further off the edge from the linebacker spot. It did not end well — at least not for Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke.
Next … Passing the test on defense
Ohio State’s defense still got it done
The Spartans didn’t score a ton of points tonight, but they did provide a bigger challenge for the Buckeye defense. They moved the ball much more consistently than other teams have so far in 2019, but the D buckled down when it had too, holding Michigan State to just one TD and ten points total.
Say all you want about the Ohio State offense. It’s going to be the defense that can potentially take this team to some pretty special things. There will be a game in which the offense doesn’t click and it might be in just a few weeks against Wisconsin.
Time to rest up and get after it.
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