The Buckeyes pull away to rout Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Maybe it was the lack of serious competition in the three non-conference games.

Maybe it played the first away game in the Big Ten’s opening game.

Whatever the reason, for most of the first half of Saturday night’s game against Michigan State, Ohio State barely resembled the juggernaut it had been so far this season.

It’s a testament to OSU’s talent and the Spartans’ crucial mistakes that the No. 3 Buckeyes were still able to pull out a 38-7 victory.

In particular, the vaunted Buckeye defense was nowhere to be seen for much of the first half. But OSU (4-0) got an early stop on fourth down and recovered two fumbles, keeping MSU mostly off the scoreboard.

“The turnover battle in this game was huge,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “If we don’t get those turnovers, maybe it’s a different game.”

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That was enough for Ohio State’s productive offense to take a full-time halftime lead, even if that unit was also weak at times.

Gee Scott Jr. caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard on fourth down for a 10-0 lead. Jeremiah Smith scored the next two touchdowns, one on a 19-yard reverse and the second on a ridiculous one-handed catch — his second of the drive — for a 17-yard score that gave OSU a 24-7 halftime lead. Devin Brown threw this touchdown after Howard took a big hit on the previous play.

“The corner put pressure on me,” Smith said. “Devin threw a great ball and I just had to make a play.”

Howard said: “That was exactly the game. I think that throw and that catch that those two made really sealed the game.”

Howard came back for Ohio State’s first possession of the third quarter and led the Buckeyes on a touchdown drive to end any tension over the outcome.

Ohio State’s defense took several hits early on

The Buckeyes allowed just 20 points in their first three games and averaged just 180 yards per game, which was second best in the country.

But Michigan State (3-2), a 23-point underdog, had little trouble moving the ball against the Buckeyes in the first half. The Spartans averaged 10 yards per play well into the second quarter.

But Ohio State’s defense made big plays when it mattered most.

The first came when linebacker Cody Simon hit MSU quarterback Aidan Chiles in the air on Michigan State’s first possession for a stuffing on fourth-and-1 at the OSU 20-yard line.

On the Spartans’ next drive, they drove to the OSU 37 when Chiles made contact with Jack Velling. The tight end was at the 11 when cornerback Jordan Hancock knocked the ball free and linebacker Sonny Styles recovered.

Michigan State then had the ball at the Buckeyes’ 16 when quarterback deflected a hit by safety Lathan Ransom and defensive end Jack Sawyer recovered. Defensive player Tywone Malone appeared to grab the Chiles’ facemask during the play, but it went unprompted.

The Buckeyes didn’t force a punt until less than two minutes before halftime.

“They moved the ball down the field a little bit, but we have a mindset of bend but don’t break,” Hancock said.

But Ohio State, which hadn’t allowed a point in the second half all season, came out tough in the final two quarters. The Buckeyes allowed just 60 yards in the second half, and Denzel Burke had an interception and a 34-yard return to set up a Buckeye touchdown.

“I think when you look at the 246 yards (allowed) and seven scores, you say, ‘God, what a great performance,'” Day said. “And definitely we did a really good job of shutting them down in the second half. But there are some things we need to look at on film and figure out the cause of some explosive plays.”

Will Howard is having a day full of ups and downs

Howard has been more than solid as Ohio State’s quarterback this season. On Saturday he started almost perfectly. Howard completed 12 of his first 13 passes to six different receivers, and the incompletion was a drop by Emeka Egbuka.

OSU had to settle for a field goal on its first drive after tight end Will Kacmarek was called for unnecessary roughness at the MSU 10.

On OSU’s second possession, Howard nearly threw an interception before hitting Scott for the fourth touchdown.

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Howard wasn’t so lucky on the Buckeyes’ next possession. When pressured, he threw his back foot into double coverage.

Linebacker Jordan Turner intercepted the ball and returned it 36 ​​yards to the OSU 11. On the next play, Chiles threw to Javon Turner for MSU’s only touchdown.

On Ohio State’s final drive of the first half, Howard threw a 27-yard pass to Smith, who jumped high to make the catch one-handed near the sideline. Three plays later, Howard scored on an incompletion up the middle. He lay on the floor for a moment, got up and then had to get back on his knees.

Brown replaced him and threw the ball to Smith for a touchdown after the freshman receiver’s other one-handed catch with 29 seconds before halftime.

Howard returned to lead OSU’s 13-play touchdown drive, capped by a 33-yard touchdown pass to Egbuka on fourth-and-5.

Howard capped off his day with a 6-yard touchdown run on OSU’s next possession. He finished 21 of 31 for 244 yards.

Ohio State outscored Michigan State 483-246.

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