Ohio State vs. Michigan State complete preview and prediction

Welcome back to another week of Ohio State football. The Buckeyes are sitting at a perfect 9-0 heading into Week 11 of the college football season. Things weren’t pretty in the win over Rutgers, but let’s be honest, not much has been pretty for the Bucks this season. That’s okay because at the end of the day, grinding out wins and blowouts are equal in the wins column. Just win baby!

Ohio State now prepares for Michigan State, a team that has been struggling all season long from players leaving for the transfer portal to head coach Mel Tucker getting his walking papers. By the way, is there any truth to this rumor of Urban Meyer taking over in East Lansing? I can’t imagine it, but stranger things have happened.

It’s time to break out the all-gray unis and get ready for some Buckeye football!

Records and Broadcast InformationRecords

Ohio State (9-0), Michigan State (3-6)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, Nov. 11Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ESTNetwork: NBC – Stream fuboTV (watch here)Venue: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio), Capacity: 102,780All-Time Series: Ohio State leads, 36-15Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Michigan State, 49-20, in 2022

Ohio State Potential Game Plan for Victory

To put it bluntly, Michigan State has been bad this season. After losing key players to the transfer portal such as starting quarterback Peyton Thorne and wide receiver Keon Coleman, we knew things were going to be rough for the Spartans. After Mel Tucker’s dismissal early in the season, things have really fallen apart in East Lansing.

This is a team trying to find an identity without much luck, however, the Spartans were able to pull off an upset of sorts against Nebraska who had won three games in a row. So maybe there is some hope … but very little.

Michigan State has had a hard time moving the ball on offense. After starting the season with Kim Noah under center, the move was made to go with red-shirt freshman Katin Houser who has been the starter for the past four weeks. During that span, Houser has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions and has surpassed 150 yards throwing just once. To add to the misery, the MSU offensive line has given up 25 sacks on the year. The Ohio State defensive front four is about to have a field day.

Nate Carter, a transfer from UConn, leads the Spartan rushing attack. He averages a little over four yards per carry. However, he hasn’t broken 100 yards since late September.

Defensively, Michigan State is giving up over 350 yards per game and more than 26 points per contest. Kyle McCord and the Ohio State offense must use this week to get in sync with the season winding down. Of course, it’s possible that this is just who the Buckeyes are on the offensive side of the ball and the team will be relying on the defense to carry it the rest of the way.

Key Offensive Player for Ohio StateKyle McCord – Quarterback

Kyle McCord has had the reigns for nine games now and it feels like we’ve yet to see him truly take control of this offense. This will be a perfect game for McCord to take the steps forward that will be needed to finish out the year strong.

Key Defensive Player for Ohio StateJosh Proctor – Safety

Josh Proctor has been quietly putting together quite a season. He has been all over the field and helped erase the few mistakes the Buckeye defense has allowed. Proctor is second on the team with seven pass deflections, none bigger than the one last week against Rutgers that led to a pick-six for OSU.

The Prediction

The Ohio State football team has faced a string of quality opponents in recent weeks but get a break of sorts against Sparty. Does that mean the Buckeyes can sleep on Michigan State? Absolutely not. However, this is a game where Ohio State should be able to work on a few things and get some younger players some time. The Spartans have a little momentum following the win over Nebraska, but it won’t be enough against the Buckeyes. Ohio State rolls.

Final Score

Ohio State 48, Michigan State 13

Line

Ohio State minus -31.5

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on “X” (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. 

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire