Another day, another conference game where Ohio State is favored by almost four touchdowns.
It’s tough to follow a Big Ten game against Rutgers with a team that is somehow less inspiring than Rutgers, but that’s exactly what we’ve got this week.
The thing is, Michigan State is not particularly good at anything this season. In fact, you could argue that the team is actually pretty bad at nearly everything. That’s going to be a problem against one of the best and most well-rounded teams in the country.
Whatever the Buckeyes did to Wisconsin and Rutgers, they’re poised to do even worse to Sparty this week. No matter how much Ryan Day tries to convince you this is actually a good team.
Players Who Matter
Jayden Reed – Wide Receiver
There truly aren’t many players on this Michigan State roster that have much of a shot at legitimately competing against Ohio State, but Jayden Reed is one of them – and maybe the only one.
Reed is legitimately one of the top receivers in the entire Big Ten conference, and he’s a dangerous deep threat. Last year, he had 59 catches for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns.
This year, his numbers have not been quite the same because as a wide receiver, he needs a competent quarterback to throw him the ball. And that’s been… quite a challenge.
Payton Thorne – Quarterback
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne was very good last year in his first season as a starter. And we’re not just talking good by Michigan State’s historic standards – he was legitimately really good.
Thorne finished last season with a 60.4 completion percentage for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns. He did have some turnover problems, however, throwing 10 interceptions.
This year, Thorne has not been the same. He’s struggled to throw the ball downfield – instead relying on dump-off passes – and he has already thrown six interceptions with just eight touchdown passes.
There might not be a more disappointing quarterback in the entire Big Ten.
Bryce Baringer – Punter
You’re damn right I’m putting a punter on this list, because he deserves it and absolutely nobody else on the roster does.
According to EPA, Bryce Baringer is the most valuable punter in the country (just barely ahead of Jesse Mirco) with a net punting average of 48.9 yards per punt. In a game where Michigan State is going to punt a lot, it’s worth pointing out that he’s a legitimate boss.
Some Storylines
All The Way Bad
Quite frankly, this Michigan State team doesn’t really do anything well. They’re in the bottom 30 percent of every major statistical team stat on both offense and defense, and they don’t really have an identity or anything they really do well.
While Rutgers at least had the whole “it’s statistically a good defense!” thing going, Michigan State is honestly just horrific all around.
Should be a barnburner!
A Very Bad Pass Defense
While there isn’t anything exceptionally *good* about this Michigan State team, there is at least one thing that’s exceptionally bad – its pass defense.
The Spartans currently rank No. 115 out of 131 teams nationally and No. 13 out of 14 in the Big Ten in pass defense, surrendering 275 yards through the air per game.
They’ve been so bad defending the pass this year that it even led Mel Tucker (who coaches the team’s corners) to admit that he’s “a horseshit football coach.”
This is probably very bad news for the Spartans as they get ready to host the best passing attack in the country.
Finally on the Road
After playing its first five games at home, Ohio State will finally play a road game on Saturday when they head to East Lansing.
While the Buckeyes are unlikely to face a terribly hostile environment with Michigan State currently riding a three-game skid, this is still probably the biggest storyline of the game for Ohio State.
Everything has come easy for the Buckeyes in the past couple of weeks. Will that continue with a change of scenery?
What They’re Saying
“They’re probably the most skilled team we’ve played to date.”
Ryan Day on Michigan State
Ran Day is either the only person on the planet that sincerely believes this or he’s blatantly lying. Either way, it’s a very kind thing to say about a program that’s lost three consecutive games and ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in every statistical category.
“You can learn a lot from being on the road, certainly. You can really mature and grow as a team on the road.”
Ryan Day on Ohio State’s first road game
While this may not be a particularly tough matchup for the Buckeyes, despite what Ryan Day says, it is Ohio State’s first road contest of the year and it will provide the team an opportunity to grow in a new way.
“You gotta wake up running every day or else somebody’s gonna get you.”
Ryan Day on coaching at Ohio State
For as cliché as shit like this sounds, Ohio State is the only team of the three legitimate national title contenders that hasn’t looked like complete shit against a far inferior team this season. Maybe this mentality has something to do with it.
What to Watch For
Offense
We’re getting to the point where we just can’t learn all that much more from this offense playing against another shitty defense. We know what every first-team player is capable of. Perhaps if the game gets out of hand, we’ll get to see some of the depth get into the game and learn who’s got next.
Defense
Again, this isn’t a terribly dangerous Michigan State team so there’s only so much you can possibly learn. But with Cameron Brown potentially still sidelined, we’ll likely see plenty of Denzel Burke on Jayden Reed, giving him a chance to bounce back in a big way against an elite receiver after a few weeks of struggles.
How It Plays Out
Ohio State is better in pretty much every aspect of the game and should be able to control and dictate play on both sides of the ball throughout the contest, even once the starters leave the game.
It may be a road game and it may come against a team that many considered a top-15 squad entering the season, but the reality is that this game is no different than playing Rutgers – just green, instead.
Ohio State 69 Michigan State 10