Urban Meyer didn't want to waste much breath on it.
Ohio State beat Michigan State—it didn't matter how it looked or what the final score was. That game is history. There is something more important at stake now: The Game.
“It's officially rivalry week,” Meyer said minutes after his team escaped East Lansing and Michigan State 17-16. “I'm going to answer a couple questions about this game but our eyes are forward and let's go.”
Through a whipping wind, pelting snow, sleet and piercing cold, the Buckeyes topped the Spartans by the slimmest of margins in East Lansing. The weather affected Ohio State's offensive game plan, all but taking away the downfield pass attempts and forcing each side to trust its offensive line in an effort to move the ball.
The Spartans held the edge in total yards 334-310 but ultimately showed their true colors in the end as a team with just three wins in now 11 tries in the 2016 season. Quarterback Tyler O'Connor's final gasp was intercepted by Gareon Conley with 90 seconds left, and the Buckeyes survived.
“It was a game of execution because on both ends of the ball, offense and defense, they know it's coming,” Meyer said.
“Tough day at the office right there. We'll take the win against a team that we know very well on the road in November. Get ready for our rivalry week.”– Urban Meyer
Ohio State's offense grew stagnant after Mike Weber's 4-yard touchdown run gave it the lead 17-10 with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Conservative play calls like quarterback runs or short throws were the result, as Meyer slowly watched the clock tick away on his 60th win as Ohio State head coach.
That sort of effort won't work next week against No. 3 Michigan, a team that boasts one of the best defenses in the country.
“Fumbles and two big plays in the first half, that's not us,” Meyer said. “That can't be us. We'll lose next week if we play like that.”
Those two big plays were courtesy of star Spartan running back L.J. Scott, who took the second play from scrimmage 64 yards to the end zone on a throwback screen for an early Spartan lead. Scott then ripped off a 61-yard run a few drives later. Michigan State caught the Buckeyes out of position defensively, a rarity this season.
“Lot of little things, schemed-up things. Not setting an edge, missing tackles,” Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley said. “Not taking anything away from him, he is a good player. We knew going into this game it was going to be a dogfight.”
Worley intercepted O'Connor in the first half to thwart one Michigan State drive, then joined Malik Hooker in picking him off again late in the fourth on a 2-point conversion attempt that would have given the Spartans a 1-point lead with 4:41 remaining.
J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes failed to run out the clock, mostly due to a holding penalty forcing the offense behind the sticks. The typically reliable Cameron Johnston then sent a punt into the end zone for a touchback, but Tyquan Lewis sacked O'Connor on first down. The senior quarterback then tossed up a prayer that Conley had no problem denying.
Meyer exhaled as he looked at Barrett when the team sang Carmen Ohio after the narrow win. He knows how easily that game could have gone the other way—it did a year ago.
“I've been in the foxhole against those guys. I know their coaching staff very well,” Meyer said. “I think they're tough, I think they shot everything they had us today and they played very hard. But I don't expect anything different.”
It was by no means easy, by Ohio State is 10-1 and still in line for big things in the postseason. The Buckeyes claimed during postgame interviews they know playing that way won't result in a victory against their archrival in a week but are also fine with focusing on the positives like the fact Weber went over 1,000 yards on the season in the game while he joined Barrett with more than 100 on the ground Saturday.
“A win is a win. I don't care how it comes. We could win 2-0 and I'm really happy about it,” Barrett said. “It's really hard to win football games, especially in November and in the Big Ten as well. I'm happy any way they come.”
“We had a couple penalties, we ran for two guys over 100 yards in a situation where they knew we were running,” Meyer said. “Because we couldn't really throw much. I don't think we played great but I didn't think it was awful.”
It was good enough to beat a team whose only Big Ten victory this season came over Rutgers a week earlier. Now, it is rivalry week. What happened up to this point in the season doesn't matter.
Doing a better job to beat Michigan is the only thing that rests in Ohio State's brain.
“Come out next week playing kind of flat, giving up some runs like that, we obviously won't win the game,” Lewis said.
“We understand that it's a big responsibility for us, the alumni that played for us, anybody involved, and Buckeye Nation,” added Barrett. “We understand the responsibility for us. We know we have to be well-coached and prepared to win that game.”
For the head coach, a short flight home is the only breath he will take savoring the fact he won't have to solve the Michigan State and Mark Dantonio riddle for another year. Then all energy turns towards the Wolverines and high noon the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“We are a balanced football team. When we're not balanced, it's tough. They had the same problem,” Meyer said. “Tough day at the office right there. We'll take the win against a team that we know very well on the road in November. Get ready for our rivalry week.”
