Ohio State at MI

Running back Ezekiel Elliott – a week after criticizing the playcalling that only gave him the ball 12 times in Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State – rushed 30 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

To Penn State’s credit the Nittany Lions strung together a 10-play 67-yard drive that finally ended with a red zone score as Chris Godwin hauled down an 8-yard pass from Christian Hackenberg to cut the margin to just 10 points.

In the four seasons that has been the head football coach at Ohio State, his teams had never lost a Big Ten regular-season game – until last Saturday. They’re coming off a loss like they did last week; we knew they were gonna be hungry. The passing game finished with 113 yards, good enough to keep the Wolverines honest while the rushing game was churning out 369 yards. Coach Urban Meyer said he met with Elliott and they “squashed” it. But the fact remains that Elliott ran only 12 times for 33 yards against the Spartans and now the Buckeyes face a Michigan defense that’s statistically better against the run than Michigan State. Wide receiver Aaron Burbridge has a conference-leading 69 catches for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns. Unlike Ohio State, the Wolverines struggled to move the ball on the ground.

However, the tone was set late in the first quarter when Elliott scampered for a 66-yard gain two plays after MI roughed Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston.

Ezekiel Elliott leads the Buckeyes with 20 carries for 167 yards, while Barrett has 14 carries for 104 yards. JT Barrett ran the read option to perfection in the first half. 77-yards later thanks to a Saeed Blacknall catch, fumble and recovery got the Nittany Lions to the two. But can Ohio State pick up another win today? Then, Chesson sprinted toward the end zone and dove for the pylon for his eighth touchdown in the last five games. Ohio State won by 29 points, its biggest win against a ranked MI team since Woody Hayes guided the Buckeyes to a 50-14 win against No. 4 MI in 1968.

Cook missed the Ohio State game with a shoulder injury, and Dantonio indicated he might be a game-time decision against Penn State.

J.T. Barrett’s 7-yard touchdown with 1:05 left in the first quarter has helped Ohio State to a 7-0 lead over Michigan today at Michigan Stadium.

On first-and-10 from the MI 25-yard line, Barrett dropped back and threw a ball deep down the field for halfback Jalen Marshall. “They were pretty much able to run consistently”. He did not return as the Buckeyes continued to dominate in the second half. MI has to find a lead back and five road-grating offensive lineman to become the offense that Harbaugh expects them to be moving forward.

The players spoke this week about the importance of playing Ohio State, but they followed the lead of their coach, who did not amplify this week of preparation over any of the others.

With 75,000 screaming, rowdy fans in attendance and another huge chunk at home cheering on a possible Big Ten East title, Michigan State is going to have one of its most important Senior Day games in recent memory.