Ohio State vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction

No. 2 Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) survived an upset bid by Michigan State (3-8, 1-7) with a 17-16 victory Saturday afternoon inside a windy Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

Running back Mike Weber led the charge for the Buckeyes with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Quarterback J.T. Barrett added 191 total yards of offense (86 passing and 105 rushing) as OSU managed to avoid another setback at the hands of Sparty.

LJ Scott shined for the Spartans despite the loss. The team's leading rusher added 160 more yards to his total and scored a pair of touchdowns. QB Tyler O'Connor couldn't get much going through the air, however, completing just six of 16 passes against a staunch Ohio State defense.

Here's a look at the quarter-by-quarter scoring recap for the Big Ten clash:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Buckeyes	7	3	7	0	17
Spartans	7	3	0	6	16

Although Michigan State entered the contest with just three wins in 10 games, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer still saw an opponent with a lot of talent and potential. More specifically, he talked about the team's skill on the defensive side, per Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com.

"I think they've had some injuries," Meyer said. "You know, I don't—I still—it looks like the same Michigan State defense to me, and that's what we're preparing for, and they're very good players."

The Spartans offense provided the first sign the Buckeyes were in for a legitimate challenge on the opening drive of the game. The unit used some unorthodox looks in hopes of catching the OSU defense off guard, and it worked to perfection.

After R.J. Shelton burst through for 11 yards, the second play from scrimmage resulted in a Michigan State score. O'Connor found Scott in the flat on a fake reverse play-action throw, and the explosive playmaker used his speed to accelerate past the defense.

The Big Ten Network highlighted the 64-yard touchdown:

Tim Moody of the Buckeye Sports Bulletin commented on the terrific play call:

Ohio State got back level midway through the first quarter. Barrett accounted for all 50 yards—26 on the ground and 24 through the air—as the offense used just five plays and less than two minutes to capitalize on good field position.

Curtis Samuel scored the touchdown as he outran the Michigan State secondary to get open for a perfectly lofted throw from Barrett for a 24-yard connection.

Lori Schmidt of 97.1 The Fan noted the strong ground game sucked the Spartans defense in, and then the play action allowed OSU to beat it over the top:

Neither side accomplished much offensively for the remaining portion of the first half, as the defenses took center stage. Michigan State's Michael Geiger and Ohio State's Tyler Durbin traded field goals for the only scoring in the second quarter.

Following a sluggish start to the third quarter, the Buckeyes grabbed their first lead of the contest with five minutes, 33 seconds left in the period.

Once again, it was a quick-strike drive that led to the score. They covered 69 yards in just four plays while using less than two minutes of clock for their second touchdown. This time Weber, who gained 52 yards on the first play, ran in from four yards out for the score.

ESPNU pointed out the rising star is reaching rare air in terms of OSU freshmen running backs:

Michigan State squandered a couple of opportunities to make up ground late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.

The Spartans received good field position after the Buckeyes' score thanks to a kickoff out of bounds, but they netted just two yards before punting. They kept their next drive alive with a well-executed fake punt but didn't come away with any points there either.

But Ohio State failed to put them away. The nation's second-ranked team struggled to move the chains, which allowed Michigan State a third chance to get back even.

The third time was a charm, as the Spartans were able to get the touchdown. Scott ran the ball on eight consecutive plays to grind out 56 yards for the score.

Head coach Mark Dantonio opted to attempt the two-point conversion rather than try to tie the game with an extra point. And, despite wearing down the Buckeyes defense on the ground, the Spartans tried to pass to take the lead. O'Connor's throw was picked off in the end zone.

Allison Williams of ESPN liked the decision to play for the lead:

Henry Hutton of the Independent Tribune thought it was the wrong call based on the defensive nature of the game:

The Spartans forced a punt to get one last opportunity to complete a shocker. There would be no miracle in East Lansing this time around, though. Gareon Conley intercepted O'Connor on the second play to secure the hard-fought triumph for OSU.

Mike Greenberg of ESPN remarked on the final stop:

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports discussed the result and the playoff picture as a whole:

Looking ahead, Ohio State should remain safely inside the Top Four of the College Football Playoff rankings, though it wasn't the most convincing victory. The team's blowout wins in the previous two weeks against Nebraska and Maryland gave it a little breathing room thanks to upsets elsewhere.

The Game lies ahead next weekend, though. The Buckeyes' annual rivalry battle with Michigan always seems to carry added importance for at least one of the sides. This matchup is even more special because both sides are firmly in the championship picture.

Meanwhile, Michigan State gets one more opportunity to leave its mark on the season. The Spartans head to Happy Valley next Saturday for a clash with Penn State, another Big Ten school that continues to hold playoff aspirations as the college football regular season nears its conclusion.

Postgame Reaction

ESPN provided reaction from Meyer after the narrow escape:

Meanwhile, Barrett discussed the impending battle with Michigan, per ESPN:

Tom Eschen of WSMH noted Dantonio stated he actually made the decision to go for two in that situation long before the opportunity arose Saturday.

"All week long at the end of the game if it was close we said we'd go for two, there was still opportunity to get ball back," the coach said.

In the bigger picture, he expressed the need to come up with more game-changing moments to come away with these type of wins, as noted by Seth Newman of the Spartan Sports Network.

"In some respects we are playing very, very well," Dantonio said. "In some respects we need to make more plays."