Michigan State cut the Buckeye lead to just one point late in the third quarter, made a defensive stop and had the ball with a chance to drive the length of the field and take the lead.
Then all hell broke loose.
Ohio State stopped Michigan State on three downs and forced the Spartans to punt inside their own one-yard line. Michigan State wasn't too keen on the idea, and instead snapped the ball right over the punter's head, taking an apparent intentional safety to give the Buckeyes a 9-6 lead.
Spartans get ready to pun...... oh. #FOXFieldPass pic.twitter.com/ZWOAKuw5JR
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2018
The Spartans followed that with a kickoff out of bounds to give Ohio State good starting field position. The Buckeye drive sputtered, and they punted, pinning Michigan State in its own territory once again.
Then this happened:
First the @OhioStateFB D/ST units force a safety.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 10, 2018
Then they decided they wanted more, and put 6 on the board: pic.twitter.com/31sl4ddjhC
The defensive score put Ohio State up 16-6, and Michigan State immediately gave the ball back once again with a fumble on its very next offensive play. The Buckeyes then tacked on a field goal, effectively icing the game.
A safety and two fumbles on three offensive plays is not what you want when you're trying to knock off a top-10 team.
