Welcome to Femme Football, the Ohio State football coverage for Her Campus. Here, you’ll find an overview of this week’s game with in-depth explanation to build your understanding week by week, as well as position highlights that will teach the responsibilities of different players.
No. 13 Ohio State bounced back from last weekend’s upset with a complete dismantling of No. 12 Michigan State, 48-3.
The Buckeyes’ offense was firing on all cylinders. J.T. Barrett threw two touchdown passes and ran two more in the end zone himself. Mike Weber rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, making a refreshing comeback after his hamstring injury allowed J.K. Dobbins to dominate the position. Despite a minor hiccup with a fumbled snap recovered by Barrett, the offense ran smoothly. They racked up 524 total yards in comparison to MSU’s 195.
The defense was alert and attentive, snagging two interceptions, dominating the pocket to pressure Brian Lewerke, and recovering a fumble. The Buckeyes’ defense was subject to yet another targeting call on the defense this game. Dre’mont Jones was ejected after obliterating Lewerke in the backfield, but as he ran to the tunnel, he flashed an “O-H” at the fans to pump them up.
The Buckeyes came hungry to restore their reputation as a team that blows other teams out, not a team that gets blown out. But what does this mean for the rest of the season? With this win, OSU nearly secures the Big Ten East (after winning to TTUN and Illinois, of course). This would lead to fighting for the Big Ten title against Wisconsin, the most likely opponent. Winning the Big Ten title would reintroduce playoff conversation, as it would be hard to argue why the Big Ten Champion has no spot in the playoff bracket. However, this happened last year when Ohio State received a playoff position and Big Ten Champions Penn State did not.
The position highlight this week goes to the contributors to the run game, the running backs and the quarterback. After last week’s interception frenzy against Iowa, the offensive coordinators relied on run-heavy playbook against the Spartans. This proved fruitful, as it resulted in four touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Barrett, Dobbins, and Weber all brought their legs to game, collectively rushing for 341 yards.