Ohio State Smacks Sparty 38-7

      Will Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Michigan State Spartans 38-7 in their first road game of the season in East Lansing, Michigan.

Jeremiah Smith ran for one score and caught another with the highlight all over social media with Emeka Egbuka with a touchdown catch and ninety-eight yards receiving to lead the offense.

Ohio State improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten with the win.

The Buckeyes will host Iowa next Saturday.

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1) I am guessing here that few of you who read this are fans of the 2000s television show "Charmed".

While I wouldn't say I'm a fan, I'm not a hater either and there is one scene that while I don't remember the episode, context, or anything else, a scene where Holly Marie Combs's character literally sucks the life out of some poor schmuck popped into my mind during this game.

That's how Jeremiah Smith took this game over in the latter stages of the first half.

2) Holly Marie Combs and Jeremiah Smith may not have much in common, but they both just rendered their opponent lifeless.

Smith is double-covered as he leaps through two Spartan defensive backs to grab a Will Howard pass with one hand for a chunk of yardage, that's amazing enough BEFORE you watch the replay and see a Michigan State DB faceguard Smith AND grabs his facemask yet STILL catches the ball!

3) Then and THEN (cue Ray Stevens from his gimmick hit "Along Came Jones"), Smith snares another pass with one hand and just drives into the end zone for the score that broke Sparty.

You so rarely see a football team walk into a locker room that is clearly lifeless and deflated as Michigan State was after that display.

4) Will Howard did throw an interception but overall looked sharp and I'm impressed with his poise.

For now, Howard is what teams hope to receive from veteran transfer quarterbacks,

5) As spectacular as Jeremiah Smith is, you forget Emeka Egbuka at your peril and Egbuka might be the first receiver taken in next year's NFL draft- Smith may be the next great receiver but there is no way that Egbuka should be looked at as Smith's version of Alvin Harper.

6) Howard took a huge hit on the final scoring drive of the first half, so it was Devin Brown who threw the touchdown to Jeremiah Smith.

I'm really torn on giving Devin Brown playing time over freshman Julian Sayin as Brown deserves snaps for what he has gone through at Ohio State but it's Sayin who is the future of the program.

7) Michigan State was in this game for most of the first half, three times driving down the field into the red zone before the defense forced turnovers.

The Spartans fumbled twice and were stopped on a fourth and one at the OSU twenty-yard line.

Bend but not break defenses can break but the Buckeyes didn't in this one.

8) The offensive line still causes me to worry a bit and the protection (especially on the hit on Will Howard) hasn't been perfect.

Even more than the protection is in the run game where I didn't see the line pushing off the ball and opening holes against the Spartans.

Granted some of that is better competition but I would like to see a little bit of power football next week against Iowa, a rough and physical team.

9) The run game wasn't as spectacular as in non-conference play but it wasn't chopped liver either as TreVeyon Henderson averaged 9.9 yards on his seven carries and Quinshon Judkins 4.9 yards on his eleven.

I'm not worried about the running backs.

10) The pass rush provided four sacks, something that last season's squad accomplished only once.

Things are about to pick up as the returnees start to play more snaps and roll up those numbers.