COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 25 Michigan State fell to fourth-ranked Ohio State, 34-10. Due to too many missed opportunities, offensive mistakes and the outstanding Buckeye quarterback Justin Fields, the Spartans were not able to keep up.
“You also have to give them credit for the way that they played,” coach Mark Dantonio said. “They are a very explosive team. Justin Fields, you know we’ve got people covered, and we can’t quite get to him and he sneaks out of there.”
The infamous “Shoe” was overwhelming, containing 104,797 people. The scene was loud, and the atmosphere filled with energy and anticipation. MSU captain Joe Bachie tackled Buckeye quarterback Justin Fields on the first play. Fields threw an incomplete pass on the second play. Then, Bachie attacked the skilled quarterback for a sack.
Spartan fans embraced the defensive threat that was posed within the first minutes of the game. But then, the MSU offense fell to its own mistakes. Here’s what went wrong.
Missed Opportunities
Although Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke was able to connect on 20 of his 38 pass attempts, the receivers struggled to catch the ball when it was most important. Darrell Stewart Jr., Cody White and C.J. Hayes all made receiving mistakes that could’ve led to potential touchdowns.
“It’s very frustrating when you get multiple opportunities to make plays, and you don’t cash in on things,” Stewart said. “It’s irritating, but that’s the game of football; the team who makes the least mistakes.”
David Dowell missed the opportunity to run with an intercepted pass that could’ve sparked some fire in a very deflated Spartan offense at the end of the first half.
Momentum clearly shifted downward when Spartan kicker Matt Coghlin missed the 27-yard field goal after a big drive in the third quarter.
“We beat ourselves tonight,” Stewart said. “More than anything.”
Offensive Mistakes
Following the intense defensive stop, MSU’s offense couldn’t keep the same energy. Lewerke threw two fumbles right off the bat. Those turnovers led to a missed field goal by OSU. On the second fumble, the Buckeyes were able to capitalize on the mistake and put up the first points of the game.
Michigan State picked up the pace when the third quarter began, as Lewerke connected on several passes to Elijah Collins, Matt Seybert and Trenton Gillison. But instead of finishing in the red zone, Lewerke overthrew the pass to White, leaving MSU to go for the field goal.
The biggest factor was Ohio State’s rushing game. The Buckeyes ended the night with a total of 323 rushing yards, while Michigan State managed 67 yards.
“They played football,” senior defensive tackle Raequan Williams said. “They played us straight up like we played them, and they beat us.”
Justin Fields
Fields, a sophomore Georgia transfer, was unable to be contained.
“A great quarterback is going to extend plays, and [Fields] extended plays,” Dantonio said.
Up against the nationally ranked Spartan defense, Fields was able to connect on 17 of 25 passes. He threw two touchdowns and his first college football interception.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Williams said. “A fast quarterback. He made plays. We knew that coming in, and we didn’t stop it.”
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Fields' ability to sneak out to the edge of the field to extend drives hurt MSU the most. He ended the night with one rushing touchdown and 61 rushing yards.
The Spartans won’t be able to take their foot off the pedal, as they will head to Wisconsin to play the eighth-ranked Badgers. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
“We’ve still got a top ten team in the nation next week,” Lewerke said. “And another really good team after that. ... Penn State’s really good. Wisconsin’s really good. We’ve got to group back together and get going.”
