But no one (at least that I saw) saw the bloodletting in the first half as Ohio State scored seven touchdowns to take a 49-0 lead into the locker room and held the ball most of the second half to take a 56-7 victory over Michigan State in the home finale' at Ohio Stadium.
C.J Stroud completed 32 of 35 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns while Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all finished with over one hundred receiving yards with Olave and Wilson each catching two touchdowns and Smith-Njigba grabbing one pass for a score.
Ohio State improved to 10-1 overall, 8-0 in the Big Ten and will travel to Ann Arbor next week against one loss Michigan with the winner winning the Big Ten East division.
Olentangy Offerings
1) Entering the game, one question that was asked was could the Buckeye defense stop the Spartans Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker?
Walker would finish with twenty-five yards but only on six carries because MSU had to throw the football against a deficit that increased with every possession.
2) C.J. Stroud stepped forward on the Heisman stage with his 32 for 35 performance and if Stroud is able to repeat that performance this week against Michigan, Stroud may have a chance of winning it.
3) When people look back at the loss to Oregon, what has changed in the passing game has been C.J. Stroud's ability to get the ball out of his hand quicker.
Stroud has improved in that area so much since the week two loss to the Ducks and the Buckeye passing game has flourished due to the improvement.
4) All three Buckeye star receivers with over one hundred yards and five touchdowns among them.
The difference between those receivers and the Spartans defensive backs were massive and yes the Michigan State pass defense was rated near the worst in college football entering the game but this bunch is capable of doing that to any team on any night.
5) Another positive from such a big win was that Ohio State didn't have to use TreVeyon Henderson as much as Henderson carried only nine times for sixty-three yards.
The reduced usage could come in very handy in the final game vs Michigan and possible post-season outings.
6) The much-maligned Buckeye defense allowed a single touchdown and that didn't arrive for the Spartans until the fourth quarter.
7) That touchdown was against the backup Buckeyes and it was on a short field as backup quarterback Kyle McCord threw an interception around midfield.
Give the Buckeye defense plenty of credit for the improvement, Michigan State offense isn't a weakling and shutting them down in that manner gives the Buckeye faithful some hope that the defense can keep Ohio State into games and give the offense a chance to build leads rather than trade scores.
8) The offensive line kept C.J. Stroud upright and clean for most of this game.
The offensive line gave up only two sacks and one of those was one that Stroud gave himself up for the easy sack.
Like Stroud himself, the line improvement has been great as the season progressed, and opposing defenses are having more and more problems getting pressure on Stroud.
9) Chris Olave's two touchdown catches tied and then surpassed David Boston to become the all-time Ohio State leader in receiving touchdowns.
People forget just how good David Boston was because he was on the John Cooper era Buckeyes that lost to Michigan all the time and during his time with the Arizona Cardinals, David Boston looked to be a new wave of receiver with the size of a tight end with the speed of a wide receiver.
Boston didn't play well after leaving Arizona for a big contract with the Chargers due to weight gain, steroid use, and off-the-field problems but at his best, David Boston was a damn good receiver.
10) Win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, the season keeps rolling with a trip to Indianapolis.
Lose and you go straight to a New Years Day bowl.
Don't take it for granted.
As well as C.J. Stroud has played, he is still a redshirt freshman on the road against a coach and program desperate for a win- Don't assume this is a gimme.
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