Michigan State, to this point, has not been able to take advantage of the Buckeyes' missing starters on the offensive line as Ohio State has gone for 270 yards on offense, including 153 yards on the ground.

Near the end of the second quarter, MSU quarterback Rocky Lombardi was sacked and looked to fall hard on his shoulder and was replaced by redshirt freshman Peyton Thorne.

Here’s a few quick takeaways from the first half.

Even with four missing starters, the talent gap is too much to overcome for MSU

On third and goal Fields, after two goal line stops for MSU, was surrounded by five MSU defenders and looked to be stopped.

Nope.

Fields has been able to get whatever he wants on the MSU defense as he runs around the field like Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl. With a few NFL scouts in attendance today, Fields might start getting looks to be the No. 1 overall pick with how this game is going for him.

It’s not just Fields either. The Buckeyes' skilled players have continuously out run Michigan State defenders on the edge and even the three new starters for Ohio State’s offensive line are getting push on a talented MSU defensive line.

Right now, the talent gap is just too steep for Michigan State to overcome. While a win over Northwestern might have been a solid one, the talent gap between those two programs is nowhere near the same, and it’s showing right now.

Michigan State needs to get its playmakers involved 

This sounds like an easy concept, but so far MSU hasn’t been able to do that even one time today.

Michigan State’s wide receiver core is one of the most talented they’ve had in the last decade, yet Jalen Nailor was the only one before their final drive of the first half with a catch as Jayden Reed and the rest of the wide receivers had yet to haul one in yet.

When Thorne stepped in, the Spartans were able to make their most progress on offense for the day as Thorne found Nailor and Tre Mosley to move it past midfield before turning it over on downs.

It's not a coincidence that was the first drive where Michigan State was able to make progress when they found their playmakers in space.

MSU is at its best when these guys are hauling in catches. Nailor had a chance on a deep ball early in the first half, but it was thrown short and almost intercepted. 

It sounds simple, but Michigan State needs to find a way to get their playmakers involved.

As the lone bright spot, Xavier Henderson has been impressive

Henderson, on the very first drive for Ohio State, had two plays where he was able to come and play in the box for run coverage and make stops when the Spartan defensive line couldn’t. 

Before OSU was able to score on third down, Henderson on second and goal burst through the line of scrimmage for a tackle for loss.

Through the first half Henderson has seven tackles, matching his season high.

While his efforts haven’t been rewarded as the Buckeyes run away with the game early, Henderson is playing with a fire today against the team that reigns supreme in his home state.  

While nothing is going Michigan State’s way today, I figured I’d try to find something positive. He’s the only thing you’d be able to find.