Victory at Michigan State boosts OSU’s confidence
Ohio State picked up more than another win over a ranked team in a competitive series Saturday.
In downing No. 24 Michi- gan State 26-6, the 9-1 Buck- eyes also got something that has eluded them through most of a somewhat strange season: Something to feel good about.
“That was a big win,” coach Urban Meyer said. “We’re very satisfied. I agree — the other ones, people didn’t feel like they won. That was a great locker room. That’s the way it’s supposed to be and (now) get ready for the next one.”
Ohio State began the year with high expectations — and their coach suspended for mismanaging the employment of a former assistant coach.
After going through the preseason without Meyer, the Buckeyes dispatched overmatched Oregon State and Rutgers before getting a high-profile (at the time) win over TCU on a neutral field in Texas.
The Buckeyes beat Tulane in Meyer’s return then won a wild game at Penn State in which they had to rally from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter.
Since then, Ohio State is 4-1.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Ohio State at
aryland, noon, ABC, 1410 Of course a 49-20 loss at Purdue stung badly, but even the wins all came with caveats.
The Buckeyes allowed 322 yards passing and three aerial touchdowns to a nondescript Indiana offense Oct. 6.
The defense disappointed again and the running game took another step back a week later as OSU beat Minnesota.
Ohio State rediscovered its running game while beating Nebraska on Nov. 3, but the 36-31 win was still too close for comfort with the defense giving up another 481 yards. Enter Michigan State. The Spartans dinged the Buckeyes’ defense for a 47-yard run on Rocky Lombardi’s quarterback keeper, but OSU yielded only one other play of more than 20 yards all day.
Michigan State gave up on trying to run the ball almost immediately, and quarterbacks Lombardi and Brian Lewerke were both erratic, combining to throw 30 incom- plete passes on 48 attempts.
So even if MSU helped, it looks good on paper. Perhaps more importantly, it felt good.
“It was electric, the atmosphere we had after the game to get a win like that,” Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins said of the scene in the locker room. “We didn’t play our best ball but the good thing is we’ve got another game to play and we keep getting better. (Michigan State) is a tough team. They always play us hard.”
Next up is a trip to Maryland, a 5-5 team that has lost two in a row.
That will be followed by the annual mega-clash with Michigan. If the Buckeyes and Wolverines take care of business between now and then, everything will (as usual) be on the line — the Big Ten East championship, staying alive in the national championship hunt and of course a win in college football’s ultimate rivalry.
“We’re not where we need to be,” Meyer said. “Do we have conversations about what’s coming across? No, we’re not t here yet. We needed to play some really good defense, tackle well, create turnovers. We did that. We needed to continue to run the ball and to have a tailback run the ball for 100 yards against that defense is outstanding.”