Ohio St vs Mich St Recap
5 Things from Michigan St.
By Chris Lauderback
BULLY BALL
Michigan State came into last night's game ranked No. 2 in the country holding opponents to 1.86 yards per carry and No. 4 in rush defense giving up only 55.8 yards per game.
Even after a rough first quarter, Ohio State's offensive line largely bullied the Spartans the rest of the way finishing with 323 rushing yards on 6.6 per attempt. (Sack adjusted totals show Ohio State with 346 rushing yards on 7.5 per carry.)
J.K. Dobbins racked up 172 yards on 7.2 per carry including a 67-yard touchdown scamper despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter. Master Teague did his thing as well with 90 yards on 6.4 per shot with a long of 41 as he ran through arm tackles at will.
Obviously Dobbins and Teague are talented backs but give a ton of credit to the offensive line, again especially after the first quarter.
Center Josh Myers continues his eye-catching play – the dude looks like a future All-American – and left tackle Thayer Munford played hurt for the most of the night but the left side remained fruitful for Dobbins and company.
Left guard Jonah Jackson continued mauling dudes, now he just needs to eliminate the one holding call per game. I'm almost certain he's had exactly one in every game or at least five of six to this point.
After Joshua Alabi played so well at right tackle versus Nebraska, he earned the start against the Spartans but he was frankly awful during the first two possessions of the night. As a result, Branden Bowen returned from injury to play right tackle the rest of the night with decidedly better results in the run game though even Bowen would basically say afterward that his pass pro was shaky.
That said, Sparty has a hell of a defensive front and the collective Buckeye unit blew it to bits. Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa has taken a ton of flak over the last few years but his group has been pretty damn impressive through the first six games of the 2019 slate.
WADE TO GO
Shaun Wade came into last night's game leading the team in PBU with four and he was simply outstanding against Michigan State tallying five stops, a sack, one TFL, another PBU and a quarterback hurry.
Many don't realize Wade led last year's defense in interceptions (3) and ranked second in PBU (7) because the overall play of last year's defense was so forgettable.
Four of Wade's five stops last night came on plays in which he limited a Spartan to five yards or less. His first three stops held Spartan ball carriers to two yards or less. One of which was textbook as he shed the block of right tackle Jordan Reid who clocks in at 305 pounds to string out a play for a one-yard gain.
His sack on a 3rd-and-10 play late in the fourth quarter showcased his speed and earlier in the same drive, he recorded a hurry as he again came hard off the edge.
Ohio State's secondary has been nothing short of spectacular so far this season and while Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette seem to get a little more pub, Wade has also been a difference maker.
SECOND QUARTER SURGE
Ohio State has lit up opponents all season but the second quarter in particular has featured some outstanding offensive football.
After generating just 16 yards on 16 plays in the first quarter, Ryan Day's offensive exploded in the second quarter with 296 total yards and 24 points via three touchdowns and a field goal.
The running game was exceptionally nasty with 163 yards on 12.5 yards a pop including Dobbins' 67-yard touchdown gallop.
Justin Fields was also electric in the passing game completing 9-of-11 throws for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The offense also converted 5-of-6 third down tries and averaged 12.3 yards per play.
Through three Big Ten games this year, against Michigan State, Nebraska and Indiana, the Buckeyes have cranked out 724 total yards, nine touchdowns and two field goals in the second quarter alone.
Ohio State is averaging 9.8 yards per carry in the second quarter of those games and 10.3 yards per play while averaging 23.7 points. Seems decent.
DR. DAY
I have to admit there were two different playcalls last night that had me scratching my head, both of which were running plays on 3rd-and-8, but obviously Ryan Day has emerged as one of the elite offensive minds and playcallers in college football.
Last night featured easily my favorite play of the year thus far.
Early in the second quarter, after Ohio State generated just 42 yards on its first 20 plays thanks to Michigan State really crowding the line, blitzing heavily, and often overloading the right side, Day used all of that against the Spartans in what turned out to be a 60-yard touchdown pass from Fields to Binjimen Victor.
On 1st-and-10 from its own 40, Day called a play Ohio State had practiced earlier in the week at just the perfect time.
Taking the shotgun snap, Fields ran laterally to his right with the ball purposely tucked and his head down as if the plan was to run around right end. Just as Fields got outside the tackle box, he lifted his head and found Victor in a cleared out space up the right sideline. Fields hit a wide open Victor and the lanky receiver did the rest with an impressive run after the catch ending in a dive to paydirt giving Ohio State a 10-0 lead.
The timing of the play was brilliant, using Sparty's aggression against itself, and the execution was icing on the cake.
ANSWERING THE BELL
It's fun to watch Ohio State annihilate teams but the drawback from those games is that they don't put the Buckeyes in any position to face adversity.
Last night's win should prove to be one of the more valuable of the entire season as it really marked the first time the team was hit in the mouth by a physical team and faced some level of hardship in which it had to answer.
Ohio State's offense was brutal in the first quarter but didn't get frustrated. It regrouped and dominated particularly in that second quarter firestorm.
The team also found itself in a situation where the offense would score and the defense turned around and gave up points on Michigan State's ensuing possession two different times in the first half.
Each time, Fields and company answered right back.
After Victor's 60-yard touchdown made it 10-0, Michigan State promptly went 75 yards in five plays cutting the OSU lead to 10-7. On Ohio State's following possession, Fields led a 7-play, 75-yard drive capped with a 21-yard toss to Luke Farrell giving Ohio State a 17-7 lead.
Again, Sparty would answer, this time with a field goal to make it 17-10. Once more, Ohio State's offense would immediately counter, going 75 yards in three plays capped by Dobbins' 67-yard touchdown run to make it 24-10 good guys.
The offense's ability to immediately respond to Michigan State's scores kept the Spartans from gaining any real confidence in their chances of pulling an upset.
10 Things from Michigan St.
by Tony Gerdeman
1. Zach Harrison looks like a starter.
For me, this was Zach Harrison’s finest hour. He was no longer the freshman defensive end who was getting spot duty in order to build his confidence. He was in the rotation from the first quarter and never once looked out of place. In fact, he looked like much more than that. He was credited with two tackles and a half a sack, but he pressured Brian Lewerke throughout. He wasn’t just a pass rusher either as he continues to improve his overall game. Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper may be the starters, but Harrison belongs and will continue to contribute this season.
2. Shaun Wade is defending screens like the greats.
There were two screens outside that Shaun Wade stopped before they had a chance to go anywhere. The first one saw him escape the block of an offensive lineman who was split out wide. Wade engaged with him, but was still able to free himself and bring the ball down for a gain of maybe one. He stopped another screen pass with a similar gain as well. Both plays were primed to hit big. He looked like some of the best screenbusters OSU is ever had. Up there with Donte Whitner, Antoine Winfield, and Jermale Hines. Wade is an overall great player, but he made some very impressive stops that shouldn’t go unrecognized.
3. JK Dobbins is no longer a mystery.
It’s one thing to rush for 193 yards on Indiana or 177 yards at Nebraska this year, but what JK Dobbins did last night by rushing for 172 yards on 24 carries against Michigan State is another thing entirely. Ryan Day and Tony Alford asked him to run tougher and they did it with games like this in mind. Dobbins was stifled early, managing just 14 yards on his first six carries. With his next 18 carries spanning basically the second and third quarters, Dobbins managed 158 yards rushing. He carried this offense through football hell and back. This is who he is now. The 2018 version of Dobbins no longer applies.
4. The defense isn’t quite there yet.
It really seems silly to criticize this Ohio State defense after allowing 283 yards of total offense, but there were more plays out there to be made than normal. That’s not a huge surprise as they were facing their best offensive line and best quarterback of the season. MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke missed an easy touchdown on an overthrow which featured busted coverage by the Buckeyes. Spartan receiver Darrell Stewart dropped three or four passes, which would have helped as well. Still, even if they hit all of those plays, this offense maxes out at maybe 20 points. Even when this defense gives up a hit, it rarely bruises.
5. Binjimen Victor is turning into a No. 1 receiver.
Binjimen Victor leads Ohio State with 348 yards receiving, even though he is only averaging three catches per game. The Buckeye offense doesn’t necessarily have a go-to receiver or a “Number 1” receiver, but Victor is looking the part if there was ever need for one. Yeah, the drop was bad, but I was impressed with Victor’s speed on his 60-yard touchdown, and twice he put a foot in the ground and left a defender behind, once with a subtle juke and once with a dynamic one. His 79 yards receiving against Michigan State was a career high, but it was his fourth game this season with at least 65 yards receiving. He is one of the best receivers in the Big Ten and may be the best by January.
6. This game will help down the road.
Ryan Day wanted his team to experience adversity and that happened in this game. While the Buckeyes never trailed, they did experience a much more difficult opponent. The adversity came on every play, just trying to get first downs. No, they didn’t need all four quarters to get the win, but I’m not going to fault them for a 296-yard response in the second quarter. This game will help them this season. They fought like hell for first downs and they saw the results. They may not be tested like that again, but if they are, they should be able to draw back on this experience.
7. The off week comes at a perfect time.
Saturday’s night’s game was a battle that left few Buckeyes bruise-free. Chase Young, Damon Arnette, Thayer Munford, Branden Bowen, JK Dobbins, Justin Fields, and more were all the worse for wear. And now they get a week off. No, they won’t necessarily get a week off of practice, but they will be given whatever time they need to recuperate. There is no 100% at this point in the season, but everyone is going to have an opportunity to get as close to that number as their bodies will allow. And who knows, maybe it will also allow Tyler Friday to get back as well and get this Ohio State defensive line as close to full strength as it has been all season long. Ryan Day viewed this season in different parts. The first part is now over and went just as he wanted it. Now comes act II. Brace yourself.
8. Master Teague could start at 12 different B1G schools right now.
Next year, this will read “Master Teague could start at 14 different B1G schools right now” and be 100% true. Jonathon Taylor and JK Dobbins will be in the NFL next year and nobody in the Big Ten will have a better starting running back than Master Teague. I don’t get to watch Teague as much as I’d like because I’m running down to the field when he’s running out the clock. He is just a patient brute. He slowly steps on your throat and then somehow runs a 4.3 on it.
9. Justin Fields has become a leader.
Justin Fields proved on Saturday how tough he was. Not that his teammates didn’t already know it, but for everyone else, they got to see as well. He took hits, he gained yards, he stood in the pocket when needed, and lowered his shoulder when necessary. He led the Ohio State offense and you saw his teammates respond to him. In the locker room after the game, he was right next to Ryan Day with a handful of other captains. Fields continues to progress as a quarterback, but he has already emerged as a leader of this team, which is exactly what the Buckeyes needed from him.
10. This is Ryan Day’s program.
Ohio State didn’t truly become Urban Meyer’s program until September 29, 2012 in East Lansing. It took that hard-fought 17-16 win for the Buckeyes to come together as a team and see the possibilities. That group went on to go undefeated despite having no postseason available to them. Seven years later almost to the week, you saw a team that has completely bought into Ryan Day’s Ohio State football program. And now they know what they are capable of.
Ohio St vs Mich St Statistics
Michigan State Passing
Ohio State Passing
No comments:
Post a Comment