Ohio State threw for 46 yards on Saturday against Michigan State. Forty-freaking-six yards. Weather conditions weren’t optimal for passing but attempting 16 throws (completing nine) seems unusually conservative for Urban Meyer.
The offense began the game by rolling J.T. Barrett right and left, and he seemed either a bit amped at the start or just uncomfortable throwing on the rollout. We'll never know if he was just too pumped up, because they stopped doing it, for the most part. Protection for Barrett was obviously a concern, but Barrett was sacked only once. Was that much caution really warranted?
This came against the 68th ranked passing defense in the country, and it was lower than that before the Buckeyes decided not to test the porous MSU secondary.
Michigan State is 95th in the country (again, after the Ohio State game) in passing plays allowed of at least 10 yards. The Spartans have allowed 107 passing plays over 10 yards, 44 of at least 20 yards, 17 over 30 and four of at least 40. Only Jalin Marshall’s 16-yard reception crossed the 10-yard threshold on Saturday.
Michigan State is 95th in the country in passing plays allowed of at least 10 yards. Michigan is eighth.
All in all, it was criminally negligent not to test Michigan State down the field. The one time they attempted a deep throw, Braxton Miller got wide open and was simply overthrown by Barrett. Another half second of protection and that’s likely a touchdown, yet where was that the rest of the game?
If Ohio State couldn’t (or wouldn’t) throw against Sparty at home, how does Meyer expect to threaten Michigan through the air?
The Wolverines boast the conference’s top pass defense (Michigan State’s is ninth), allowing just 162.9 yards per game through the air. Jourdan Lewis has been the Big Ten’s best pass defender this season, with 1.9 passes defensed per year, despite the fact that teams tend to not attack him. He’s broken up 19 passes and intercepted two others. He has been the B1G’s top lockdown corner.
Michigan has allowed the eighth fewest passing plays over 10 yards in the nation. While Michigan State’s defensive line may be better known, Michigan’s front has been as formidable, even without defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow. The Wolverines stuffed Saquon Barkley last week, holding him to 68 yards, and also limited Christian Hackenberg to 13/31 passing for 137 yards and a quarterback rating of 37.7. They sacked him four times and hit and/or hurried him repeatedly. That's what Barrett will be facing on Saturday.
Defensive Coordinator D.J. Durkin has made good use of the talent Brady Hoke recruited over the last few years in Ann Arbor. Once dysfunctional but talented, the Wolverines defensively have been a tough nut for opposing offenses to crack. Michigan ranks among the conference’s leaders in scoring defense (third), total defense (first) and rush defense (first), in addition to the aforementioned B1G-leading pass defense.
Jourdan Lewis poses bigger problems than anyone in Spartan green. - Photo courtesy of MGoBlog.
Ohio State struggled to run on the Big Ten’s fifth-ranked rush defense on Saturday. Their fear of Sparty’s front four took them out of their comfort zone and as a result, the offense could not move the ball on the ground or on short passes and wouldn’t take deep shots. Now they’ll face the best rush defense in the conference with a much better secondary, on the road instead of at home, in a must-win game.
The Buckeyes cannot play conservatively or they’ll run the risk of losing two consecutive games for the second time in the Meyer era.
How can they do it?
First and foremost, the Buckeyes have to remember who they are and what they do well. They must feed Ezekiel Elliott, even if it isn’t met with early success. Elliott and the line get better as the game wears on, so sticking with the plan is important. Two-yard runs turn into six-yard runs later in the game, plus, the run game opens up play-action passing.
Second, Ohio State must get Michael Thomas the ball. He caught just two passes for eight yards on Saturday and I’m not sure if the Buckeyes tried to hit him on a slant and it just wasn’t open or if they didn’t even try. Thomas took a slant to the house in East Lansing last year, so it’s a bit disappointing that it seemed a forgotten play on Saturday.
It would be helpful too, if the Buckeyes can throw down the field on unexpected downs. Whether backed up in their own end, on first down, or on third and short, Ohio State must take some shots to keep the Wolverines from being able to pack the box to stop Zeke.
If Ohio State is successful this weekend through the air against a much better secondary, the coaching staff will spend the entire off-season kicking themselves for failing against the No. 68 pass defense.
And the Buckeyes will need more points this week to beat Michigan’s balanced offense than it scored against the Connor Cook-less Spartans.
