How has the winner of the three previous Ohio State-Michigan State games been determined in the mind of Urban Meyer?
The answer is simple: The game has been won, and lost, at the line of scrimmage.
“It’s been the difference,” Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches weekly teleconference.
This isn’t a groundbreaking phenomenon. Most football coaches would tell you the key to winning any game is winning the battle up front.
But there’s something different about that matchup when the Buckeyes and Spartans square off. Most of the season, each team has a significant talent advantage along the offensive and defensive lines, but not in this one. Each group has multiple future NFL players on it and it creates several high-profile matchups. Whichever side plays better up front wins the game.
Michigan State’s offensive line has a future first-round NFL Draft pick in left tackle Jack Conklin. He’s one of the best at his position not only in the Big Ten, but in the country, and a potential All-American candidate. The Spartans also have a fifth-year senior at center in Jack Allen, who is in his fourth year as a starter up front.
Going up against that group is Ohio State’s defensive line, which also features a bevy of future NFL Draft picks and when discussing that Buckeyes’ unit, things must start with the potential No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, defensive end Joey Bosa.
Bosa isn’t having the statistical season he had a year ago — he has just four sacks — as teams continue to scheme toward him, but anybody who has watched Ohio State play this season would say Bosa has been just as disruptive as he was a year ago, if not more so. Bosa already has 15 tackles for loss on the season.
The Buckeyes also have a potential first-round pick on the interior of their line with defensive tackle Adolphus Washington, who has had the best season of his career this year. Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard are also potential NFL players up front for Ohio State.
“We’ve got to stop the run game most importantly. They can’t run inside the tackles and that’s our No. 1 goal,” Bosa said. “Gotta make sure the ball bounces outside and then once we dominate the run game that’s when we really get after them in the pass and that’s what we’ve gotta do as a D-line.”
On the flip side, the Buckeyes feature a few potential pros themselves on the offensive line led, of course, by senior left tackle Taylor Decker, who is projected by many to be a first-round pick in next year’s draft. Right guard Pat Elflein is another Ohio State offensive lineman who figures to be an NFL prospect on the interior.
The Buckeyes struggled to protect quarterback J.T. Barrett in their recent 28-3 win over Illinois and that’s certainly a concern with the Spartans coming to town as they feature a group which Decker said was the best defensive line Ohio State will see this season.
Shilique Calhoun leads the way as the All-American candidate at defensive end ranks fourth in the Big Ten in sacks with 8.5 on the season. The 6-foot-5, 250 pound Calhoun figures to be an early-round selection in the NFL Draft. Joining him up front is defensive tackle Malik McDowell, who is as disruptive as any interior defensive lineman in the league.
“They’re obviously really athletic,” Decker said of the Spartans’ defensive front. “Top to bottom, I know I said when we were playing Penn State that was going to be the best D-line we were going to play so far this year, but I think Michigan State — not taking anything away from Penn State — but they’re a step above them.”
Meyer called the battle up front “the difference” in the three matchups he’s had with Michigan State during his short tenure thus far with the Buckeyes. Spartans coach Mark Dantonio somewhat echoed those sentiments.
“I think stopping the run and running the football has a lot to do with how you play up front,” Dantonio said. “That’s the bottom line: If you win up front, you usually have a great chance of winning a football game. Whether it’s offensively or defensively, I think it always starts up front and I’m pretty sure most football coaches out there agree with that.”
