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)