Sloppy third quarter play doesn't undo dominance for most of game against Spartans
Ohio State may have volunteered for a minute waltz on the edge of the abyss against Michigan State, but the Buckeyes still look like the team to beat in the Big Ten.
Todd Boeckman, the man who allegedly nearly gave the game away single-handedly, is still the best QB in the conference...by a statistical long shot. He did manage to throw for nearly 200 yards and a pair of TDs on Saturday before his heart-stopping pair of turnovers put more than 100,000 fans in the stands into an eerily silent panic.
Oh, and the guy who everyone was questioning for a lack of toughness? Yeah, he rushed 31 times for 221 yards and a score. Man, if that Beanie Wells kid could just get his act together...maybe he could rush 50 times for 300 yards and really prove something.
The scoreboard may have shown 17 points against the Buckeyes but the defense was only responsible for three of them. Michigan State is still the leading scorer in the Big Ten (besting the Buckeyes by one-tenth of a percentage point) thanks to its defense and a Buckeye o-line that briefly AWOL in the third quarter.
Ohio State stoned an offense that is used to running the ball up and down the field at will. For the record, the only thing "rushed" for the Spartans was their quarterback, Brian Hoyer, who managed a whopping 126 yards in the air. I use the word "whopping" because it looked like it compared to the 59 yards Michigan State managed on the ground.
(For those keeping score at home, once again Ohio State outgained its opponent by more than the opponent's total offensive output).
The fact is, the two Boeckman turnovers joined a near fumble by Beanie Wells and a blocked kick as the only things that went wrong for Ohio State Saturday. The Buckeyes were up 24-0 after 41 minutes of play against a talented, tough Big Ten opponent. The Buckeyes were so well prepared for the game they even dominated time-of-possession...something an offense needs to do when an opponent shows a tendency to run the ball.
Of course, these accomplishments are somewhat undercut when you giftwrap two scores for the other team but did anyone truly think this game was in jeopardy? Everybody take a deep breath and relax. The defense continues to amaze and the offense took care of business for most of the day.
You want something to really worry about? Look at the schedule. Up next is the season's mid-term exam in Happy Valley against a resurgent Penn State squad. This will be the first of four teams looking to make their seasons by ruining Ohio State's...and by far the toughest game on the Buckeyes' schedule to date.