Michigan State vs. Ohio State: Game Grades, Analysis for Spartans and Buckeyes
"That was a very poor performance."
That's what Urban Meyer could manage, via Ryan Ginn of Buckeye Sports Bulletin, after No. 9 Michigan State (10-1) invaded Ohio Stadium as a 13-point underdog and came away with a stunning 17-14 win over No. 3 Ohio State (10-1).
The Buckeyes were thwarted by Michigan State all evening, gaining a season-low 132 total yards against the inspired Spartans. They managed the win without starting quarterback Connor Cook, who was sidelined with the shoulder injury he suffered against Maryland last week.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here are the game grades from Michigan State's stunning three-point win.
| Pass Offense | C | C |
| Run Offense | D | A+ |
| Pass Defense | A+ | A+ |
| Run Defense | A+ | A |
| Special Teams | C | B |
| Coaching | A+ | A+ |
Michigan State Spartans Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
With Cook sidelined for the game, it was evident that Michigan State would go with a conservative game plan against the Buckeyes. The Spartans rotated Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry at quarterback and got safe, effective play out of them. The two combined for 85 yards and one touchdown on 7-of-12 passing through two quarters, and the Spartans only called four passes in the second half.
Run Offense
Michigan State's rushing attack was the difference in the game.
The Spartans knew they were in a dogfight and looked like the hungrier team, especially in the second half. After rushing for a meager 37 yards in the first half, Michigan State flexed its muscle and bullied its way to 163 yards in the final two quarters. Eight different ball-carriers dashed around, through and over a Buckeyes front seven that knew the run was coming.
Pass Defense
Michigan State's secondary has been gashed consistently this season, but it completely shut down Ohio State's passing attack. J.T. Barrett completed just five of nine passes for 29 yards in the first half, and it didn't get much better in the second half. He finished with 46 passing yards on 9-of-16 passing with a long of 16 yards.
Run Defense
Ohio State's run offense came into the game ranked 11th nationally with 244.8 yards per game, but Michigan State made it look pedestrian. The Buckeyes gained just 46 yards on 19 carries through two quarters with a long of seven yards.
It was more of the same in the second half as Ohio State finished with a season-low 86 yards on 29 carries.
Special Teams
Michigan State's special teams almost blew the game but ended up being the difference in the winning effort.
In the first half, Michael Geiger missed a 43-yard field goal that would have given the Spartans an early lead. In the second half, Macgarrett Kings Jr. muffed a punt at Michigan State's 6-yard line that allowed the Buckeyes to take a 14-7 lead. But Geiger came through at the end of the game, drilling a 41-yard field goal as time expired to seal the win.
Coaching
Simply put, Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State coaching staff called the perfect game Saturday night.
The Spartans had no business even being competitive in the game as a near two-touchdown underdog, and that was when the oddsmakers thought Cook was in line to play. That Michigan State overcame the injury and a hostile crowd to seal the upset is even more impressive. The Spartans loaded the box defensively and dared Ohio State to beat them over the top, and that gamble paid off huge.
| Pass Offense | F | D- |
| Run Offense | F | F |
| Pass Defense | C | B |
| Run Defense | A | F |
| Special Teams | C- | D |
| Coaching | F | F |
Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis
Pass Offense
Nothing Ohio State did on offense worked, and that was especially true in the passing game.
Barrett threw just 16 passes (for a total of 46 yards) despite facing an absolutely loaded Michigan State box. There were one-on-one matchups on the perimeter all night long, and Ohio State consistently failed to exploit or even challenge them. Leading receiver Michael Thomas had a couple of bad drops and was held to a season-low eight receiving yards on two receptions.
This didn't look like the same quarterback and offense that gashed Michigan State for 300 passing yards last season.
Run Offense
The most surprising element of the game was Ohio State's inability to run the ball and its refusal to feature Ezekiel Elliott.
The Buckeyes came into the game averaging 244.8 yards but managed just 86 yards on three yards per carry against the Spartans. Elliott accounted for just 33 of those yards—snapping the nation's longest streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing performances at 15. After getting nine carries in Ohio State's first three drives of the game, Elliott got just three in the final 40 minutes.
It was a baffling performance from Ohio State on many levels, but this was the most confusing aspect of the team's losing performance.
Pass Defense
Michigan State didn't challenge Ohio State's secondary.
The Spartans only dialed up 16 passes against the Buckeyes, 12 of which came in the first half. Eli Apple allowed Aaron Burbridge to get free on a huge 36-yard gain that set up Michigan State's first score, and fullback Trevon Pendleton's 12-yard touchdown catch fooled the secondary later in the drive.
Run Defense
Ohio State lost the battle in the trenches, and as soon as Michigan State saw that it had the advantage, it rode it to victory. Michigan State's run offense gashed the Buckeyes defense for 200 yards, using eight different ball-carriers to keep the defense off balance. Of those 200 rushing yards, 163 came in the final two quarters as the Spartans imposed their will down the stretch.
Special Teams
Cameron Johnston has been one of the best and most consistent punters in the country, but he got off to a horrendous start against the Spartans. After the Buckeyes had surrendered a long touchdown drive to the Spartans in the first half, they went three and out, and Johnston shanked a horrendous five-yard punt.
That punt didn't cost Ohio State any points, but his final effort—a 37-yard boot that dribbled to the 48-yard line—set Michigan State up in scoring position with just over four minutes to play.
Coaching
A year after putting together one of the best coaching jobs in college football history, Meyer has managed this team poorly this year, and things completely fell apart against the Spartans. Elliott getting just three carries in the final 40 minutes was a laughable gaffe on the part of the coaching staff, and it cost Ohio State a chance of winning the game and keeping its playoff hopes alive.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
