Columbus, Ohio - With starting strong safety Eric Smith out, the MSU defense was forced to make many pass-coverage adjustments.
But in the end, they weren't enough, as MSU lost to Ohio State 33-23 at Ohio Stadium. Smith was out with an A-C shoulder joint injury, and the team was told Wednesday that he likely wouldn't play.
For the second game in a row, sophomore Derron Ware saw significant time at the position, with freshman Greg Cooper sharing some of the workload.
The Buckeyes attacked the Spartans' defense - rated one of the worst in the Big Ten - with senior quarterback Craig Krenzel throwing for 213 yards on 12-of-23 passing and three touchdowns.
He hit senior tight end Ben Hartsock in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Krenzel later hit redshirt freshman wide receiver Santonio Holmes for a 44-yard touchdown and sophomore tight end Ryan Hamby for a 2-yard score.
"We had a hard time executing," junior bandit Robert Flagg said. "We didn't think that Ohio State would spend that much time throwing the ball.
"Coming in, I had the feeling that we were going to bust them in the mouth and that would be it, but they are worthy opponents."
The Spartans attempted to attack the quarterback, using several players to rush and leaving their defensive backs to play single coverage while the team sacked Krenzel twice.
When the Spartans would reach the backfield, Krenzel would flush the pocket, neutralizing the upfield pressure by gaining yards rushing the ball. He gained 47 yards on 14 carries.
After Krenzel suffered a concussion last week and was replaced by senior backup Scott McMullen in a comeback win over Penn State, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said he would use both quarterbacks in Saturday's game.
Krenzel responded, showing the flair he used to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship last season.
Krenzel began hitting his receivers, and during the third quarter, the Spartans could find no answers. The Buckeyes scored on all three possessions during the period, running the score to 27-17.
During the second quarter, the quarterback defined the day. On a 3rd-and-10 play from the 17-yard line, only seconds after getting sacked by Clifford Dukes, Krenzel avoided a huge pass rush, rolled left and hit Hartsock for a touchdown.
"That was a big play," Krenzel said. "They came out with a nickel look, three down linemen, they brought some sort of blitz.
"I think I almost ran into Adrien (Clarke), though, we were just running a series of crossing routes, hoping to catch them in some man blitz, and Ben did a good job coming across, and I think they lost him as I was stepping up."
Head coach John L. Smith, who used numerous players at the defensive back position, said he tried to get as many different personnel packages in there as possible, but nothing seemed to be the answer.
Depending on which player was asked, a different answer came about how important it was that the Spartans were missing Eric Smith.
"He's one of the better guys in our secondary, and he brings an attitude or presence in our run game and the coverage game," senior linebacker Mike Labinjo said.
But Eric Smith's replacement thinks that the secondary was ready to play the Buckeyes.
"Don't get me wrong, because it's a big loss without Eric Smith," Ware said. "Communication out there was great. It was a lot better (than last week)."
