Welcome to the Michigan State edition of the Grumpy Old Buckeye, the voice of negativity, whether I have cause or not. This is the place where I write about the things from each game that make me want to walk out onto my lawn in my bathrobe and yell at people about it. This week we’re talking Ohio State vs. Sparty.
Whatever Happened to Forward Progress?
Michigan State tried to make an early statement, using power football on the Spartans’ first drive. Brian Lewerke’s quarterback sneak was short on third-and-1 and it was also short on fourth-and-1 if you go by any normal officiating, whereby the referee blows the whistle when forward progress is stopped. Lewerke was stood up at the line of scrimmage for several seconds, but for some reason the whistle didn’t blow the play dead. When it finally did, Lewerke still may not have gained the line to make but there was no review on the play, although the lack of a whistle would have made it difficult to overturn anyway. Instead of Ohio State getting the ball deep in MSU territory, the Spartans got a fresh set of downs and then flipped the field on a punt.
Another Sluggish Start
Ohio State started slowly again, beginning its first offensive drive with a bad snap that ruined the timing of a Mike Weber running play, followed by having to take a timeout because the coaching staff couldn’t get the play call in on time. An ineffective screen pass and throw to Parris Campbell short of the sticks later, and the first drive ended as a three-and-out. These sloppy mistakes are not the kinds of things that elite programs suffer from week after week but we continue to see it. The whole thing is just a bit discombobulated right now.
Not Crisp, Man
Ohio State’s first punt was the kind of thing we don’t see often, and thank goodness for that. Drue Chrisman did well to field a snap off to his right but then completely shanked the punt. It was officially a four-yard kick and it was ugly. Somewhere Jim Tressel may actually have uttered a curse word (I know I did). The Buckeyes forced the Spartans to punt, but lost more field position on the exchange, getting pinned deep in their own end. However, it’s safe to say that Chrisman ended up being the game’s MVP, dropping punt after punt just in front of the goal line and leading to points on what looked like an intentional safety and a fumble in the end zone.
What Are First-Down Markers For, Anyway?
In the second quarter, Michigan State faced a second-and-11 play deep in its own territory. A pass play picked up 10 of the 11 yards, yet the officials gave Sparty a first down. The play was clearly a yard short of the line to make and the official on the scene appeared to spot it shy as well, but the chains were moved without a measurement and without any argument whatsoever from Ohio State. Do the Buckeyes even have someone in the press box checking replays?
Here’s a look at the second down play the refs said was a first down…both with the tackle and where the official marked it. pic.twitter.com/Xj7sBOuTpT
— Michael Citro (@Mike36fan) November 10, 2018
Bailing Out Sparty
The Spartans made a meal out of Ohio State cornerbacks using a bail-out technique, throwing back behind the receiver for several first downs and big gains throughout the day. Ohio State seemed loathe to change things up for a while, but eventually Michigan State stopped going to it so either the Buckeyes did change things up a bit or else the Spartans completely forgot about a successful part of their offense.
Losing Hidden Yards
K.J. Hill cost Ohio State a truckload of hidden yards in the first half by letting punt after punt roll down the field. He was giving away free yards like they were candy on Halloween. The second one in particular appeared easy to handle on a big bounce, but Hill played safe. I can’t blame him too much because I’m not sure what his instructions are and we’ve all seen too many punt return plays that are more frightening than they should be, but it definitely affected Ohio State’s play calling and ability to drive down the field in the opening half.
Even More Untimely Penalties
Dwayne Haskins saw his best run of the year — for a key first down, no less — called back on a penalty by Malcolm Pridgeon, forcing a third-and-22. Pridgeon got his hands up in the facemask of an MSU defensive lineman and then…just left it there. You can often get away with a quick one if you immediately pull back your hand. Since it’s nearly impossible not to know you’ve got your hand up in someone’s face, it was a dumb mistake on Pridgeon’s part that may not even have affected Haskins’ ability to slide outside and make the run. After a short pass to K.J. Hill, Blake Haubeil missed badly on a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Another costly mistake was a false start on a short-yardage fourth down play in the third quarter. Tate Martell came onto the field and apparently clapped differently than Haskins. Ohio State’s line jumped and the Buckeyes punted instead. The Buckeyes also had a false start on second-and-6 following Michigan State’s second straight turnover. There is now one game remaining for this to be cleaned up or it’s going to cost the Buckeyes a game.
I Don’t Even Have a Headline for This Section
Ohio State was on the cusp of putting the game to bed in the fourth quarter after several Weber runs off Martell hand-offs. On third-and-goal Michael Jordan delivered a bad snap on a day when he had several of them. Martell couldn’t handle the ball way off to his right and compounded the problem by trying to reach down and pick it up rather than simply covering it up and preserving a field goal attempt. It’s the kind of mistake young quarterbacks make, and it’s understandable, but I don’t have to like it and you can’t make me.
Those are the things that made me want to yell loud things on Saturday. Which ones bothered you the most and what else did you see that made you crabby? Let me know in the comments section below and we’ll reconvene following the Maryland game.