Football
Buckeyes Dominate Spartans for Seventh Win of the Season
By John Porentas

So much for the idea that history would repeat itself, at least past history

The talk all week was how the Spartans had derailed number one-ranked Buckeye teams in both 1998 and 1974, but the only history that repeated itself on Saturday in East Lansing was recent history as the Spartans (3-4, 0-3 Big Ten) turned a three-game losing streak into four and the Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) continued to win and improve. The net result was a one-sided 38-7 Buckeye win in game that was close for about eight plays. .

Three plays into the first possession of the game OSU's Chris Wells fumbled and Michigan State's David Herron Jr. recovered to put Michigan State in business at the Ohio State 31-yard line. It's was the kind of play that an underdog can build an upset upon. It turned out to be anything but that.

Four plays after the fumble, Michigan State was punting from it's own 41-yard line, having been thrown back 10 net yards after the turnover. Not only was it an opportunity lost, but for all intents and purposes it was a game lost, because the Spartans were never really back in the game from that point on. The failure to capitalize in that situation was a microcosm of the whole game. MSU did make a play on first down, completing a screen pass that carried down to the OSU one-yard line, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty. It was the first of five penalties on the day for MSU, most of which would hurt them in a significant way. MSU was taken out of field goal range when OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis sacked Michigan State's Drew Stanton for a 16-yard loss on third-and-four from the OSU 25-yard line.

"We had an opportunity or two early, we needed to capitalize on it, we didn't capitalize on it, we needed those good things to happen to us and it didn't. It made it a long day." said MSU Head Coach John L. Smith.

"I thought you could see at the beginning of the football game that they came out ready to go and forced a turnover." said OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel.

"Our defense did a great job of turning them away with nothing and from that point on I felt like we took over the tempo of the game."

The Buckeyes got the ball back on their own 20 after a 41-yard punt by Brandon Fields and proceeded to drive 80 yards in 12 plays to a touchdown. Antonio Pittman traveled the last two yards for the score, somehow squirming his way through what looked like an impenetrable pile to get into the endzone. The big play in the drive was a 37 yard pass completion from Troy Smith to Ted Ginn on which Ginn broke a tackle and streaked down the sideline to give the Buckeyes a first down on the MSU 25-yard line. Ohio State converted three third downs on the drive, including the big play to Ginn which came on a third and five.

The Buckeye defense completely bottled up the MSU offense throughout the first three quarters of the game, holding the Spartans scoreless. Defensive lineman Quinn Pitcock seemed to live in the Spartan backfield and created havoc all day, and defense end Jay Richardson was particularly effective, especially against the run.

"Our defensive staff did a good job of coming up with some concepts that maybe they hadn't faced from us, maybe confused them a little bit, got a couple of sacks," said Tressel.

"We did a little different scheme, we played a little dime out there which we haven't played much this year and our guys created some problems with some blitzes they put in. Holding people to 63 yards rushing is huge," Tressel said.

"I think Jay Richardson played by far the best game he's played in his whole career," added OSU offensive lineman Kirk Barton.

OSU simply dominated both on the field and on the scoreboard through three quarters. By the end of the third quarter MSU had managed just 110 total yards, 59 rushing and 51 passing, against a young OSU defense that is getting better as the season goes on.

While the MSU offense was being blanked through three quarters, the OSU offense was in high gear. The Buckeyes added a field goal and two more touchdowns in the first half to take a 24-0 lead at the intermission. OSU rolled up 241 total yards of offense in the first half to MSU's 59. More than half of those yards for OSU came through the air as quarterback Troy Smith was brilliant with 198 passing yards on 13-of-21 passing.

OSU's second first-half touchdowns came on a 60-yard punt return by Ted Ginn Jr., the sixth of his career and second against the Spartans, that set the Big Ten record for career punt return touchdowns. Until the play, Ginn had shared the record with Iowa's Tim Dwight. Ginn got one block from fellow receiver Anthony Gonzalez, then simply outran the Spartans for the score.

"Getting the punt return for a touchdown was gigantic," said Tressel. "I think the return was called a right return, and he returned it left for a touchdown. He's special."

"All I know is that I dove to kind of try and chip my guy, and by the time I turned my head, he was all the way gone, he was pretty much in the endzone," said Gonzalez.

"That was the play of the game in my eyes. We were on the sideline and Ted said 'I'm going to score, I'm going to score.' He was saying emphatically 'Everybody keep going, get up, everybody stay excited,' and sure enough he catches the ball and goes. Unbelievable. People from Glenville, they can see the future I guess. It's crazy," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez got on the scoreboard himself in the first half, hauling in a pass from Troy Smith in the back of the endzone to put the Buckeyes up 24-0. The play came on a third-and-10 situation from the Michigan State 12-yard line. Tressel credited Gonzalez with more than just making the catch on the play.

"On the one touchdown that he caught in the back of the endzone, a little play action and we kind of rubbed some receivers, actually we called that at a timeout and he called it," said Tressel. "We had a different one in mind and Gonzo said 'Why don't we do this one.' I never was up for a Rhodes Scholarship so I figured I'd go with Gonzo's choice and that was his call," Tressel said.

Though the pass ended up going to him, Gonzalez said after the game that he really thought a different receiver would be open.

"I didn't call my number, I called the play. I've never gotten the ball on that play. I was actually thinking the tight end was going to get it," Gonzalez said.

The half-ending touchdown by Gonzalez was set up by a diving interception by OSU linebacker Marcus Freeman. It was Freeman's second interception of the season and OSU's 13th.

The Buckeyes tallied one score in the third period on a pass from Smith to wide receiver Brian Robiske. Smith appeared to be in trouble on the play, but escaped what appeared to be a sure sack buying time to find Robiske in the back of the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown completion.

OSU's final score came on a grinding, 13 play, 88 yard drive early in the fourth quarter that took seven minutes and 34 seconds off the game clock. Chris Wells became the sixth Buckeye to put points on the board in the game when he crossed the goal line from five yards out to put the Buckeyes up 38-0.

Michigan State was able to avert the shutout when the Spartans drove 68 yards in 12 plays to score with just 1:02 remaining on the game clock against an OSU defense that was comprised entirely of second and third team players. The drive was engineered by MSU backup quarterback Brian Hoyer who replace starter Drew Stanton after an injury. Stanton was hit near the OSU sidelines and slid into a Gatorade cooler, straining some muscles in his neck. MSU's touchdown came on a six-yard run by A. J. Jimmerson.

For the game, Ohio State converted 10 of 16 third downs. OSU has coverted 41-of-86 third downs this year (48 per cent). The opposition has converted 28 per cent of the time.

Michigan State did not sack Smith or backup quarterback Justin Zwick in the game. OSU recorded four sacks, bringing their season total to 24, one less Michigan who leads the Big Ten with 25.

Note and Quotebook

Box Score

Photo Coverage

Buckeye Watch

Return to the-Ozone Columns and Features

Return to the-OZone Front Page