One of the bright spots in the loss was redshirt senior wide receiver Jayden Reed who has been playing through a freak injury in which he collided with a bench on the sidelines and required stitches a few weeks ago. He connected with Thorne several times and finished with 67 yards and a touchdown.

Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns as well as throwing one interception. The Heisman contender bounced back after an off game against Rutgers last week. He joined Thorne in sitting out the fourth quarter.

Also aiding OSU’s win was second year running back Treveyon Henderson who finished the day with 118 rushing yards as well as a touchdown.

The Spartan offense took the field first and came out looking as if they might strike quickly. Thorne completed a 20-yard pass to Reed for the first down in solid field position. After a few unsuccessful plays, Thorne attempted to throw to Reed once again, but the pass was intercepted by third year safety Lathan Ransom, one of three defenders covering Reed in the end zone.

The Buckeyes then took over and made the Spartans pay immediately. They marched down the field almost effortlessly before Stroud threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Worried their matchup with No. 3 Ohio State could quickly become a blowout, the fans at Spartan Stadium fell silent. They quickly returned to cheering when sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley intercepted Stroud’s pass and ran in back for a 32-yard touchdown to tie the game. Brantley’s interception was the first for the Spartan defense this season.

However, it didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to get back on top.

Stroud threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to wide open second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to put OSU up 14-7. Stroud’s ability to tear up the MSU secondary is what allowed the Buckeyes to strike quickly and keep their scoring drives under four minutes.

A scary moment happened toward the end of the first quarter when freshman safety Jaden Mangham, who just recently stepped into a starting position with the team, suffered a head injury on a hard tackle. He stayed down on the field with the medical staff until the cart was brought out. According to ESPN reporter Holly Rowe, he was transported to Sparrow Hospital via ambulance for further evaluation.

When the game resumed, Ohio State took over. Stroud once again found a wide open receiver in Julian Fleming and threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to make it a two-score game and grow their lead 21-7. 

The Spartans were able to muster up an answer on a drive propelled by several OSU penalties thanks to every MSU fan’s favorite duo, Thorne and Reed. Thorne threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Reed in the end zone, but freshman kicker Jack Stone was unable to complete the extra point.

MSU’s defense however, once again had no answer.

The Buckeyes led by Stroud and Henderson eviscerated the Spartan defense with ease, with Stroud eventually handing the ball off to Henderson to complete the one-yard rushing touchdown and put OSU up 28-13. They still weren't finished. 

They were able to get one more scoring drive after the MSU offense was forced to punt. Without coming up on third down even once, they flew down the field leading Stroud to throw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Jr., putting the Buckeyes up 35-13 before heading to the locker room at half. 

Picking up right where he left off, Harrison Jr. got his third touchdown of the day to begin the third quarter. Stroud threw a 19-yard pass to his left to find him in the end zone and beat the Spartan coverage once again. A quick start once again from OSU, put them up 42-13 early in the third quarter.

With no response coming from the Spartan sideline, Stroud threw for his sixth touchdown of the game before the fourth quarter even began. He finished his day with a two-yard pass to third-year tight end Gee Scott Jr. before sitting out the fourth quarter.

In a bit of a déjà vu moment from MSU's last home game, redshirt sophomore quarterback Noah Kim was subbed in, in the fourth quarter and came up with a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. Kim's touchdown pass was MSU's first of the second half and cut the lead to 19.

The Spartans ultimately suffered a 49-20 loss, their fourth straight. They remain home next week to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.