Columbus, Ohio - Like the shadows that crept across Ohio Stadium, MSU's Big Ten title hopes became further stretched out on Saturday.
For the second straight week, the No. 21 Spartans dropped a conference game, this time to No. 4 Ohio State, 33-23. Before losing to No. 5 Michigan, 27-20, on Nov. 1, MSU had been the only undefeated team in the conference.
But down the stretch, the Spartans have faced better teams, according to head coach John L. Smith.
"They're both awful, awful good football teams," Smith said. "Both teams are big and strong and both are much better than we are right now. But, it's good for us to be tested."
Early on, MSU got off to a hot start, but cooled down quickly once again on another chilly November day.
They took a 7-0 lead after senior quarterback Jeff Smoker hooked up with sophomore receiver Agim Shabaj for a 22-yard touchdown with 6:21 remaining in the first quarter.
But the Buckeyes turned things around after the Spartans took themselves out early with penalties and dropped balls. MSU committed 12 penalties for 89 yards on the day.
Ohio State would score 17 straight points and overshadow Smoker's 351 passing yards. Smoker again struggled to keep a drive together with a lack of run support and help from his receiving corps.
The Buckeyes' defense, the best in the conference, did its job, limiting the Spartans' offense to only 16 points in the second half and five yards rushing throughout the game.
While Ohio State held off the Spartans' ground attack, MSU took itself out of the passing game. MSU receivers dropped six catchable balls, which Shabaj blamed on inexperience.
"It's huge to catch the ball, because if you catch a ball, you keep the drive going," he said. "It's young guys who are excited to play and look upfield before they catch the ball, because we want to go out there and make the big play, and sometimes we'll take our eye off the ball."
The Spartans' special teams fared well, especially when junior kick returner DeAndra Cobb gave the Spartans some hope of catching up to the Buckeyes in the third quarter.
Cobb set a MSU record after returning a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to bring MSU within seven at 24-17.
But the Buckeyes, behind kicker Mike Nugent's four field goals and quarterback Craig Krenzel's 33 rushing yards, 213 passing yards and three touchdowns, refused to relinquish the lead.
Krenzel began to expose the Spartans' inexperienced secondary, while the defense dominated the Spartans' passing attack.
The only thing to quiet the crowd of 105,194, the second largest crowd in Ohio State history, came early in the fourth quarter when sophomore offensive tackle Stefon Wheeler lay motionless on the field after he was struck in the head during a play.
Wheeler was taken off the field on a stretcher and to Ohio State University Hospital in an ambulance, where he spent the night as a "precaution," said team doctor Randy Pearson.
Pearson said Wheeler "had tingling in his arms and legs," but was listed in "stable" condition. A CAT scan showed no serious problems, Pearson said.
Wheeler was expected to return to East Lansing on Sunday.
MSU scored a late touchdown to pull within 10, but a failed two-point conversion attempt sealed the Buckeyes' victory.
After the loss, Smith told his team to forget about a championship and attempt to go out as winners in its final two games of the season.
Jon Malavolti can be reached at malavol2@msu.edu.
