Ohio State Hosts MI State, Big Ten Showdown

In short, THE Ohio State still has to prove they are truly the cream of the Big Ten, and there will be no ambiguity in response to that after December 5th. The #9 MI State Spartans head to Columbus OH to take on the #2 team in the nation.

Both teams have experienced kicking problems. He leads the Big Ten with 161.7 yards per game.

Certainly Ohio State has remained unbeaten and looked sharp at times, but will they live up to the double digit favorite status in this one? Oklahoma, Florida, MI State, and even North Carolina could win out and make convincing arguments for why they should be included in the playoffs as well. But Ohio State has JT Barrett and Braxton Miller.

Harbaugh wouldn’t budge when told that the difference here is that MI needs a few help on another court, with Ohio State beating MI State.

“Cook’s main target is WR Aaron Burbridge (6’1″, 208). MI State bounced back to defeat Maryland last week after a disappointing loss at Nebraska the week prior. Madre London leads the team in carries with 99 and has 405 yards on the year.

Maybe this is an over-reaction to one game.

MI State averages 33 points per game (5th in Big Ten) and 406 yards of offense per game (5th in Big Ten).

Don’t bother asking first-year coach Jim Harbaugh or his players if they’re going to be obsessing over the MI State-Ohio State game, which will start about the same time the Wolverines’ game at Penn State is ending.

“I want MI State to win”, McKenzie said. Ohio State has yet to win against a ranked opponent and will now battle against two teams currently ranked in the top-15.

It will come down to how healthy Connor Cook really is.

This has to be the biggest game today. The Buckeyes will try to keep up the defensive pressure Friday when they host UT Arlington as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational. Struggling to get big plays and big scores. Look for Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott to thrust himself into the lead for the Heisman Trophy.

The Mavericks scored 8 of the next 10 points, tying the game at 32 on Kaelon Wilson’s layup with 54 seconds to go before the break. He only had 150 yards passing, fumbled twice, and had an INT. Lots of people blamed the offensive line for the poor passing performance. He has caught a pass in 26 straight games.

The problem in believing this showdown will be tight and competitive involves a handful of realities known by those who lately have studied Ohio State and MI State.

On the line, there’s the name everyone knows: Joey Bosa, a presumed top three to five NFL Draft pick. Jones is a very good quarterback – and arguably a better pro prospect – but Barrett’s legs set him apart.

“This definitely was one of the biggest wins, if not the biggest win, in the history of the program”, UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. They began losing important players (linebacker Ed Davis, to name one) during August practices. And I’d totally agree. “I’ve never seen a flawless team”.

It’s hard to predict the outcome of this week’s game against MI State simply because we haven’t seen the Buckeyes play anyone close to the talent level of Mark Dantonio’s Spartan squad. Cook left MSU’s 24-7 win over Maryland in the first half with a shoulder injury, though vows that he could have played last week and feels ready to go on Saturday afternoon. The high temp for the game is OK at 54 degrees, but the major problem is the 80% of rain during the game. This will limit what both teams can do throwing the football. “Now, this week, we know Ohio State watched that, and they’ll probably come back with a bunch of screens and quick passes and things like that to offset the blitzes”.

Sean Neurenberger takes over at kicker despite missing a 24-yarder (his only attempt on the year) just last week. Penn State’s coming off a much-needed bye week. This is kind of like that game for me. “I do think we’re very, very capable”. Connor Cook can’t throw the ball in the rain.