Justin Fields threw for 206 yards, ran for 61 more along with two touchdowns throwing and another rushing to pace the black-clad Buckeyes, while J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a touchdown as well as part of the strong Ohio State rushing attack.
Ohio State becomes bowl eligible with the victory (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) and will take next week off before a Friday night to Ryan Field to face the Northwestern Wildcats (1-4 0-3).
Olentangy Offerings
1) The all-black uniforms on "Black Out Night" look great as they always do, but I always feel conflicted because as good as they look, the colors aren't black!
If they were awful, I'd easily rap them, but I can't-they just look too good!
2) I think some of the sluggish starts to the night on offense was a stubborn insistence on the ground game, which Michigan State's defense managed to control for the first quarter.
Once, the offense picked up the pace between plays and tossed a few completions in the second quarter, the rushing yardage quickly piled up and the once stout Sparty began to weaken.
3) Justin Fields threw his first interception of the year, but it wasn't a totally bad throw as Fields was throwing to K.J. Hill, who was open and where he needed to be, but the ball floated a bit and with great recognition by Michigan State's Josiah Scott to leave his man and move to the football, Scott was rewarded with the interception.
4) Fields was plagued by a few drops in this one or his passing numbers could have been better.
Binjimin Victor dropped one that he certainly would have taken to the end zone and Austin Mack just missed a touchdown catch by a hair, although the throw wasn't perfect.
Fields could have had better passing numbers with a little good fortune.
5) Binjimin Victor did redeem himself for the drop with a 60 yard catch and run that saw him break the pylon plane in the photo above and showed that Victor, for all the frustration that he can bring, has such tremendous physical talent that he could be an impact NFL player down the road-IF he can develop consistency.
Victor could also be a talent that never makes it big if he cannot find that consistency.
With a veteran QB, a solid WR coach and a team that doesn't need him to start in year one, he could be one of those players that suddenly breaks out in their second or third season.
6) It meant nothing to the outcome, but the third-quarter interception by Jordan Fuller (grabbed off a tip by Baron Browning) that Fuller brought to the end zone on a tremendous return was overturned by a borderline at best blindside block call on that very Baron Browning.
Don't you just hate when a play that would live on films for years gets tossed into the dustbin because of a very questionable penalty?
7) J.K. Dobbins added another long TD run to his stat line when he ran 67 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Dobbins and his 24 carries wore down the Spartans, but in the first quarter, it appeared that Dobbins could be in for a long night.
Dobbins is certainly a back that needs the workload to get the engine purring and can look pedestrian until things click and then Boom.
8) I likely write this every week, but I wince every time that Justin Fields tucks the ball down and runs.
I've been concerned about the backups from the opening of camp and even if Chris Chugunov and Gunnar Hoak could be very fine quarterbacks, they still aren't Justin Fields or even play similarly to him, so I hate seeing him run with the ball with large leads on the scoreboard.
9) So, when Chase Young left the field late in the game holding his hand in a game that was already decided, I was sweating bullets.
It appeared that Young was fine, but I have to say injuries are constantly a worry with the schedule's bullies beginning to show up on the schedule like the exits on an interstate, I have trouble seeing the reward in a game that you are leading by 24 with under four minutes to go.
10) The first quarter was good news with bad news.
The defense stripped the ball from the Spartans twice inside their own territory and established that it was going to be a long day for Sparty.
However, the Buckeyes were in the middle of establishing the run, didn't exactly dazzle with offensive creativity, settled for two field goals attempts by Blake Haubeil, who made one of the two for a 3-0 lead.
As good as the Buckeyes have been in the second quarter, they have been very pedestrian in the first period and that trend continued on Saturday night.
11) Blake Haubeil was two for three on field goals on the evening and is five of seven for the season.
Both misses for Haubeil came between thirty and thirty-nine yards, so hopefully, that doesn't become an issue.
Only with experience does a player gain experience and you always wonder how a player will handle crunch time until they actually do so.
12) Now Ohio State has handled the latest "toughest opponent" yet in the 25th ranked Spartans and the next three opponents should be wins, but two of the three shouldn't be taken lightly.
Northwestern on a Friday night road game looks like a trap, but the off week will help.
The Wildcats are 1-4, but in only one loss (Michigan State) were they beaten badly, so it's not a layup.
Erratic Maryland smoked Rutgers after being shutout by Penn State, but I think the coaching staff will remember that almost upset last year in College Park and have their team ready.
And Rutgers? Well, I can only shine a stone so much...
Back later if I have time with the narrow victory for Gennady Golovkin over Sergey Dereyvanchenko.
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