Ten Things People Will Be Saying After The Michigan State Game

EAST LANSING, MI — Ohio State opens its Big Ten season today on the road against Michigan State. It is the biggest game of the season for the Buckeyes and their fans, which means the highs and lows are going to be higher and lower.

This is the first game of the season that Ohio State could actually lose. Yes, I know that they are 24-point favorites, but they were 27.5-point favorites when the Spartans came to Ohio Stadium in 1998 and left with a 28-24 victory. #NeverForget

Anyway, there will be plenty of things in this game that get people talking. Here are 10 things they’ll all be saying.

“So this is what it looks like when Will Howard runs the ball.”

Will Howard is eventually going to start running the ball this season, but it will be dependent upon the defenses the Buckeyes are facing. Michigan State has the players to get after him, which means we may see some scrambling. With the need to be a little more diverse on the ground, don’t be surprised when he keeps the ball on a couple of reads this week as well.

“The Big Ten doesn’t seem too big for Jeremiah Smith.”

Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has yet to look like a freshman this season, so it’s probably safe to assume he’ll be okay in his first Big Ten game, which is also his first road game. There may be some nerves initially, but it will all quickly get back to just being football. And when it’s “just football” and he is in his natural habitat, there aren’t many players better than Jeremiah Smith.

“The pass protection is a problem.”

Michigan State is averaging 3.8 sacks per game this season, which ranks third nationally. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, are only allowing one sack per game. The Spartan defensive line gets after the quarterback and they’re going to put the Ohio State offensive line to the test. This will need to be a season-best performance from starting right tackle Josh Fryar. Would this also be a good time to stop rotating the right guards for a bit? The Spartans are going to get to Will Howard tonight. It’s what they do. It is also going to cause some concern beyond just this game.

“It’s good to know that the running game travels.”

They say that defense travels, but so does a dominating running game. The Buckeyes have all of the ingredients needed to run the ball on the road. They have the run blockers, the runners, the dual-threat quarterback, the passing threat to keep the safeties out of the box, the receiver blocking to hit home runs, and a play caller who loves to travel.

“Carnell Tate is so underrated.”

Fifteen other players on this team get more attention but not many of them do their jobs as consistently well as Carnell Tate. His presence will continue to be felt this season, both in the passing game and the running game. He is going to have a breakout receiving game at some point. His career-best yardage game is 79 yards last season against Purdue. It’s time for him to break that tonight.

“I missed Tyleik Williams.”

Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams is expected back tonight, which means he is also expected in the backfield tonight. The Buckeyes missed him last week and so did you.

“I wonder if Ole Miss has any more of them locker room cancers.”

When Quinshon Judkins transferred to Ohio State, the amount of information flowing from Ole Miss about how thrilled they were to be done with Judkins was amazing. Apparently Lane Kiffin dodged a bullet when Judkins decided to leave. Meanwhile, Judkins is playing better than ever and nobody at Ohio State has had a bad word to say about him. All of this, of course, will just lead to Buckeye fans asking if Ole Miss has any other troublesome sorts like him laying around.

“I am officially concerned about the run defense.”

Michigan State has an average Big Ten running game but they do have a pair of tailbacks who are capable of some tough running. They also have a quarterback in Aidan Chiles who is going to be part of the Spartan running game. Michigan State gives some of their yards back via sacks, but they can pick up four yards a pop on the ground and keep the chains moving. If there is a sustained drive or two, you’re not gonna be happy about it.

“This won’t be good enough against Oregon.”

Road games in the Big Ten are rarely perfect, especially if there’s some weather involved and a competent opponent. As such, the consternation will be strong at times during this game. Everything that happens will be judged as if it’s happening against a vastly different opponent in a vastly different situation, which is not going to make anybody happy.