OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first challenger to the highest ranking in the Big Ten was dispatched in its own stadium.

Now Ohio State will have a second test in as many weeks to maintain its voting perch over the rest of the league as the season hits the halfway point.

The Buckeyes moved up two spots to No. 12 in the latest AP poll released on Sunday afternoon after going on the road to knock off then-No. 20 Michigan State in a hard-fought 17-16 battle at Spartan Stadium. The loss for Michigan State knocked them out of the top 25, but Nebraska moved up to replace them as the second-highest rated team in the league -- and they're coming to Ohio Stadium this weekend for a showcase game under the lights.

Here's how the Huskers and the rest of the opponents on Ohio State's schedule receiving votes fared on Saturday:

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Welcome to Across The Field, a regular feature on BuckeyeNation where we point you to noteworthy Buckeyes coverage here and elsewhere. Think something should be included? Send it to espnkendrick@gmail.com.

 

Ohio State 17, Michigan State 16

• It's painfully evident that these Buckeyes go as far as Braxton Miller takes them. But as long as he's healthy, that's not a bad scenario at all.
• We'll find out soon enough how long Jordan Hall is out again. He'd be missed against Nebraska -- that's for certain.
• The Buckeyes deserve a lot of credit for the job they did on Le'Veon Bell.
• Running out the clock at the end, it looked more like Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel than Urban Meyer. (Toledo Blade)
• Carlos Hyde refused to be stopped on that third-down run that clinched the game. (Dispatch)
• Miller is a year tougher and wiser, and the maturation was evident in East Lansing, writes Bill Livingston (Plain Dealer)
• The Spartans came away impressed by Miller. (Lansing State Journal)
• And, within this piece, Drew Sharp writes that Urban Meyer has added some flair to a pretty staid conference. (Detroit Free Press)

BuckeyeNation Week in Review

• The 2014 Watch List is out, and it shows that Meyer is likely to make a few visits back to SEC country.
• Jake Stoneburner was MIA in the passing game again this week, but he's still contributing, writes Austin Ward.
• RB Rod Smith made the most of his opportunities against UAB, writes Brad Bournival.
• We caught up with former WR Bam Childress in our Time & Change series.
• Woodbridge (Va.) defensive end Da'Shawn Hand is everybody's All-American in the 2014 class, writes Mitch Sherman.
• There are no easy answers to what looks like a very down year in the Big Ten.
• 2014 safety Montae Nicholson grabbed an OSU offer, as did Georgia defensive end Dante Sawyer.
• We're tracking all the defensive linemen in the 2014 class.
• 2014 OT Alex Bars says he chatted with Meyer recently.
• And a couple of running backs from the 2014 class have OSU among their finalists.
• The Nebraska game and the Michigan game are looking to be must-see for the recruits.
• 2013 WR James Quick might take an official visit to Columbus soon.
• You can scratch WR Devon Allen, however. OSU is not in his final three.
• Also in the 2013 class, Georgia DB Vonn Bell is down to his final three: Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State.
• 2013 class members Tracy Sprinkle and J.T. Barrett had solid efforts on the field.
• RB Ezekiel Elliott is a wanted man on the recruiting circuit. He says he's still solidly for OSU.
• And Thad Matta is joining the trend of offering very young high school players. Forward VJ King of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary hasn't played any high school basketball yet, but the freshman has an Ohio State offer.

Football

• Tim Tebow and Meyer didn't invent that jump pass play, by the way. Meyer first sprung it at Utah. (Plain Dealer)
• Ohio State's schedule might be getting a little less predictable. (AP)
• Ohio State had two players from Michigan on the roster Saturday. Michigan State had 28 from Ohio. (AP)
• Yes, the recruiting war is just beginning to heat up with Mark Dantonio and Urban Meyer squaring off for top Ohio recruits. (Canton Repository). And having Meyer recruiting Ohio for the Buckeyes could put a crimp in Michigan State's strategy. (Lansing State Journal)
• Reid Fragel is really coming along as a run-blocker, writes John Kampf. (News-Herald)
• Marcus Hall, who took the 2010 season off to concentrate on academics, is playing well, too. (Plain Dealer)
• Rod Smith missed the plane for the Gator Bowl and stayed home, and easily could have transferred, but has decided to stick it out, and his role could be growing. (Eleven Warriors)
• It still painful to look back to what happened against Michigan State in 1998. That was one of the great teams in Ohio State history, except for that one day. (Land-Grant Holy Land)
• Former receiver Anthony Gonzalez was cut before the season and has retired as a player. He's started graduate school classes at Stanford. (Plain Dealer)
• Former Ohio State lineman Jason Winrow, a three-year starter from 1991-93, died this week at age 41. (Dispatch)

The Gang's All Here

• ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas talked to Ohio State students this week about basketball and life. (Lantern)
• An auction netted $450,000 for Ohio State's Digital First program, which seeks to give every student-athlete an iPad by next year. (Lantern)
• The Buckeyes began defense of their fencing national championship. (OSU)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The healthy stable of rushers didn't last long.

Ohio State never even had a chance to tinker with its backfield before another injury popped up.

Jordan Hall picked up a knee injury in the first half of the 17-16 win over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium, derailing any plans the Buckeyes had to play him at the same time as Carlos Hyde in the first game their top running backs were both healthy for this season.

"He got a little knee," coach Urban Meyer said. "I'll let you guys know."

The Buckeyes just had a running back recover from a knee injury, though Meyer didn't make any indication as to whether or not Hall's new ailment would be as serious as the one that kept Hyde on the shelf for the last two games.

Hyde's return was particularly valuable after Hall left the game following a productive start -- Hall scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge. Hyde helped put the game away with tough running late in the fourth quarter and finished with 49 yards on 11 carries.

"To just take the ball and end the game like that, it tells you a lot," Meyer said. "I didn't know if we could do that."

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has been accused of bringing SEC-style recruiting tactics to the Big Ten.

Now Meyer's approach to video-tape exchange with opponents is under the microscope.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan State's coaches had an issue about the game film Ohio State sent to them in advance of Saturday's game in East Lansing, Mich. The newspaper initially reported that Michigan State filed a complaint to the Big Ten, and later reported that athletic directors Mark Hollis (MSU) and Gene Smith (OSU) had settled the issue without Big Ten involvement.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Early in the game, Devin Smith started thinking there would be an edge.

At halftime the Ohio State wide receiver talked it over with his quarterback, and Braxton Miller agreed.

Now all they needed was an opportunity in the second half, and when it finally arrived, they took advantage of it together, just as they've already done a few notable times with the Buckeyes. They turned their big-play partnership into a game-winning touchdown in a 17-16 victory over Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

"I knew I could beat them deep," Smith said. "I was hoping I’d get something, but you know, [offensive coordinator Tom] Herman didn’t call it much. He called it at the right time and we made a play. I kept telling Braxton the sideline, 'Man, we’ve got to run a go route; they can’t guard us.'

"He put it right on the money."

Smith didn't even need to break stride after beating his man down the right sideline as Miller dropped an inch-perfect strike into his hands, with the sophomore receiver taking care of the rest on the 63-yard deep ball that erased a lead Michigan State had just claimed on its previous drive.

The highlight reel was already starting to get long for the collaboration between the multipurpose passer and his athletic target -- and now they've got yet another go-ahead, game-winning score to squeeze on there.

"That’s one of my favorite receivers," Miller said. "I’m always going to look for him."

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- There wasn't a moment John Simon could pinpoint, so the Ohio State defensive lineman didn't know for sure if it ever arrived.

But the senior and his teammates had made it an emphasis to frustrate Le'Veon Bell, and whether the top rusher in the Big Ten ever reached a boiling point, the Buckeyes gave him plenty of reasons to get there.

The defensive line didn't give an inch up front, the linebackers flooded to the football and even the defensive backs arrived to help put Michigan State's tailback on the ground in a 17-16 win on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. And it was no secret what tipped the odds in favor of the Buckeyes.

"I just think we were getting after him pretty good," Simon said. "That was our goal for the game. I think we did a nice job forcing him lateral, and we’ve got guys in the back end who are able to run, and they can really run. They were able to get out there and wrap him up.

"When we face a physical offense, I think we play our best. We have to show how physical we are, and I think we’re one of the most physical defenses in the nation -- and we went out and proved it today."

That comparison might have been hard to make across the country on Saturday, but with the top-rated defense in the Big Ten coming into the weekend on the same field, the Buckeyes certainly looked more like an elite unit than the one that had bumbled through a couple weeks of sloppy tackling.

Bell finished with just 45 yards on 17 carries and the Spartans collectively were held to just 34 yards for the game, forcing them to try their luck with a suspect passing attack against an Ohio State secondary that regularly made its impact felt with huge hits and timely pass breakups.

There was one hiccup in the third quarter when the Buckeyes missed at least four tackles as Keith Mumphery barreled in for a 29-yard touchdown catch, but for the rest of the afternoon, the Spartans rarely sniffed the end zone.

"On defense, are you kidding, if you had to say who was the MVP, it's that defensive line and the linebackers," Meyer said. "They did a very, very nice job stopping a very good rushing attack.

"Not to pump his tires, but that's a good back. I'd venture to say that won't happen again to that guy."

Ohio State WR Devin Smith talks about his team's win over Michigan State.

Ohio State overcame a minus-3 turnover margin, some key injuries, a premature whistle and a plucky Michigan State squad to hold off the Spartans 17-16 at Spartan Stadium. The 14th-ranked Buckeyes remain perfect at 5-0, while No. 20 Michigan State dropped its second game in three weeks.

Here are some quick thoughts on the game ...

It was over when: Carlos Hyde moved the chains with a 5-yard run on third-and-4 with just about two minutes remaining. Ohio State, which had stopped Michigan State moments earlier, then ran out the clock and celebrated a hard-fought win.

Game ball goes to: Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller. He committed three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 interception) but made more big plays than Michigan State and fought through some tough hits. The sophomore completed 16 of 23 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Miller also recorded game-highs in both carries (23) and rush yards (136), displaying tremendous footwork to keep Michigan State's defense off balance.

Stat of the game: Ohio State averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 44 attempts. Michigan State, despite boasting the Big Ten's top rusher in Le'Veon Bell, had just 1.5 yards per carry (just 22 attempts).

Worst call: The officials at Spartan Stadium weren't replacements, but they made a rookie mistake early in the fourth quarter after Miller fumbled near the sideline. The officials ruled Miller down and blew the whistle, ending the play. The replay crew correctly reversed the call and awarded the ball to Michigan State, but the blown whistle prevented the Spartans from potentially scoring a touchdown on a fumble return. Michigan State had other chances to win, but the blown whistle really hurts in a 1-point game.

Unsung hero of the game: Ohio State senior linebacker Etienne Sabino. The former blue-chip recruit, who admits he has underachieved a bit in his career, stepped up in a big way Saturday. He recorded a second-half sack of Andrew Maxwell and pressured Maxwell on a third-and-9 play in the closing minutes, forcing a punt. Michigan State never regained possession.

What it means: Ohio State showed it can win on the road and overcome a lot of adversity. It's not easy to win when you're minus-3 in turnovers, but the Buckeyes received a better defensive effort than they've had in recent weeks, shutting down Bell, and their offensive line stepped up big late to salt away the game. Miller once again showcased big-play ability, making a perfect throw to Devin Smith for a 63-yard touchdown after Michigan State had taken the lead. The Spartans showed improvement in their passing game and generated more takeaways on defense, but they simply haven't put it all together against good teams. It has to be frustrating to lose on your home field when you're plus-3 in turnovers. Bell was a surprising nonfactor in the game, and the defense couldn't get a stop in the closing minutes. Michigan State can still make a run in the Legends division, but it will need to do well on the road after dropping two marquee home games.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- What started as a shootout quickly has reverted to a Big Ten slugfest.

Neither Ohio State nor Michigan State has been able to land a knockout blow just yet.

Jordan Hall plunged in for a short touchdown and the Spartans answered with a productive drive that produced a field goal, but since that early success for both programs, it’s been all defense at Spartan Stadium with the Buckeyes leading 7-3 at intermission.

Stat of the half: The Buckeyes are built to stop traditional offensive attacks and big tailbacks, and they proved in the first half by holding Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell to 24 yards on eight carries. The Spartans had some success throwing the ball and twice put together productive drives, but they have only a field goal to show for them and can’t find room to operate on the interior.

Player of the half: Braxton Miller turned in an up-and-down half, but he was still the most productive player on the field.

The sophomore will have to protect the ball better if the Buckeyes are going to maintain their slim lead, but he’s got 65 yards on the ground against the top rushing defense in the Big Ten and he’s completed 8 of his 11 passing attempts for 62 yards.

What’s working for Ohio State: Whether it’s the extra emphasis on tackling in practice or simply facing a more straightforward offense, the Buckeyes are again making it tough to move the football. And when they do give up some yardage on screen passes or plays on the perimeter, Ohio State continues to put a wall up in front of the end zone and limit opponents to field goals.

Johnathan Hankins, in particular, is making life difficult at defensive tackle -- and Nathan Williams is providing a lift running down the quarterback when the Spartans go to play-action passes.

What’s working for Michigan State: The Spartans are coming after Braxton Miller and forcing him to make decisions both as a passer and a runner, and he’s not always making the correct choice. The Ohio State quarterback has looked hesitant at times in the option game, forced a bad throw into coverage for an interception and also fumbled after inheriting good field position -- all of which is keeping the Spartans in the game.

Brian Bennett and Austin Ward preview Ohio State at Michigan State.

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