Presented by Able Roofing
Michigan State
Spartans
The atmosphere offers more excitement than the matchup for Ohio State this week.
Ohio State is a heavy favorite to beat Michigan State in what should be its easiest contest since its September non-conference games against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky. On paper, there’s nothing that suggests the 3-6 Spartans should be able to contend with the 9-0 Buckeyes on Saturday night.
But Saturday night’s game has been a highly anticipated one for the Buckeyes nonetheless, as it will be the only time this season that the Buckeyes play a night game inside Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes will also debut new uniforms under the lights, as their wardrobe for this week’s game will feature the Buckeyes wearing both gray jerseys and gray pants with their traditional silver helmets.
A twist on Tradition pic.twitter.com/98eTBpHIF2
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 7, 2023
That’s reason enough for the Buckeyes to be motivated to put on a show as they play in the primetime spotlight on NBC for the third time this season.
“I can't wait to wear them jerseys, them jerseys look icy,” said Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr., who will be playing in his first home night game. “I'm super excited. It's just like any other game though, just take it play by play.”
The Headlines
A chance to show out in the Shoe
Ohio State is often at its best when it has the opportunity to play a night game in the Shoe in front of a juiced-up crowd of Buckeye fans. Since its loss to Oklahoma in 2017, Ohio State has won seven straight night games at Ohio Stadium by an average of more than 29 points.
Despite being the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Buckeyes haven’t had a ton of truly dominant showings this year – at least not on the offensive side of the ball, where the Buckeyes are averaging 11.4 fewer points per game than 2022. But this game should serve as a prime opportunity to change that, and the hyped-up environment in the Shoe should ensure the Buckeyes don’t sleepwalk against an inferior opponent.
“Primetime is always fun, and late game allows all the, everybody coming to the game to get excited all day and have some fun and tailgate, so it's usually really loud,” Day said.
Struggling Spartans
For much of the 2010s, Michigan State was one of Ohio State’s most feared annual opponents. The Spartans beat the Buckeyes in three out of five games between 2011-15, thwarting the Buckeyes’ national championship hopes with late-season upsets in both 2013 and 2015.
This year, however, Michigan State might be the least intimidating opponent on Ohio State’s entire Big Ten schedule. The Spartans are coming off a 20-17 win last week against Nebraska, but they had lost six straight games before that. Their offense has been one of the worst in the entire country, ranking 123rd of 133 FBS teams with only 18.2 points scored per game.
Michigan State’s defense has been adequate, ranking 47th nationally with 350.9 yards allowed per game, so it won’t necessarily be an easy night of work for Ohio State’s offense. Barring an unforeseen letdown for the defense, however, the Buckeyes shouldn’t have much trouble earning their eighth straight win over the Spartans. Ohio State has defeated Michigan State every year since 2016, and the Buckeyes have won the last six meetings with the Spartans by at least 20 points.
A potential opportunity for backups
Assuming the game plays out the way it’s expected to, Saturday night could be one of the best opportunities of the season – and maybe the last – for Ohio State to give its backups more playing time than usual.
A few Ohio State backups could be thrust into action for the entire game as the Buckeyes are likely to play it safe with players dealing with injuries with the Michigan game just two weeks away. While no Ohio State starters have been officially ruled out for Saturday’s game yet, it’s anticipated that safety Lathan Ransom will miss his second consecutive game. Cornerback Denzel Burke and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg could be game-time decisions as they’re dealing with injuries of their own, while it’s possible the Buckeyes could also be cautious with tight end Cade Stover after he watched from the sideline at Rutgers with a knee injury.
Assuming Ransom does not play, Sonny Styles will likely make his second consecutive start at strong safety with Jordan Hancock making his third straight start at nickel. Jermaine Mathews Jr. would be in line to make his second straight start at cornerback if Burke does not play, while Cody Simon would be in line for his first start of the year at linebacker if Eichenberg is sidelined.
Beyond potential starting lineup fill-ins, Ohio State would presumably love to be able to take its stars out of the game early and give its reserves some valuable game reps in a night-game environment. The Buckeyes haven’t frequently played deep into their depth chart this season because many of their games have remained tight into the second half, but they’re running out of opportunities to get their backups on the field this year, with next week’s home finale against Minnesota being the last game that could project as a comfortable win for the Buckeyes.
Specifically at the quarterback position, Ohio State would probably like to get Devin Brown – who was expected to be a full participant in practice this week – back on the field for some game reps for the first time since he injured his ankle against Penn State. Could Saturday also be an opportunity for Tristan Gebbia and/or Lincoln Kienholz to get on the field for the first time all year – and in Gebbia’s case, perhaps the only time as a Buckeye? That will depend on how comfortably the Buckeyes can take care of business.
Keep An Eye on These Guys
Michigan State FS Jaden Mangham
The biggest difference-maker on Michigan State’s defense this season has been Mangham, who’s led the way for an improved Spartans pass defense with four interceptions, including picks in three of their last four games.
A sophomore in his first year as a full-time starter, Mangham is also graded as the Spartans’ best run defender by Pro Football Focus and has 39 total tackles this season.
Michigan State soph. S Jaden Mangham kept drawing my attention vs Nebraska
— Tim Verghese (@TimVerghese) November 9, 2023
Closing speed in pursuit and instincts in coverage stand out snap to snap. Was an ATH with track speed out of HS, now settling in well at DB. Early one I like in the 2025 Draft.
pic.twitter.com/1LJFSXW3mf
If the Spartans are going to have a chance at pulling a stunning upset on Saturday night, they’re going to need Mangham to be at his best and make some big plays.
Michigan State WR Montorie Foster Jr.
The Spartans don’t have any stars on the offensive side of the ball this season, but their most dangerous playmaker has been Foster, a Cleveland native who leads Michigan State with 33 catches for 436 yards this season.
Foster is coming off his best game of the season, catching four passes for 94 yards including a 25-yard touchdown in the Spartans’ win over Nebraska, and he had his most productive game last season against Ohio State when he caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Buckeyes. So the skillful 6-foot, 185-pound senior is a player who should be circled on Ohio State’s defensive scouting report, especially with the possibility that the Buckeyes could be playing without Burke for a second straight week.
Leavitt Foster @MSU_Football extends its lead with the touchdown! pic.twitter.com/qE3P1IhyZt
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 4, 2023
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Given the lack of consistent standouts on Michigan State’s roster, the last part of this section is best used by highlighting an Ohio State player who could be in line for a big day. And no Buckeye draws a bigger spotlight in any game than Marvin Harrison Jr.
After catching only four passes for 25 yards last week – albeit with two touchdowns – Harrison needs a big outing against the Spartans to keep himself in the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation. Considering Harrison caught seven passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan State last year, that should be plenty doable on Saturday night.
The Spartans have only allowed three 100-yard receivers this season, but they haven’t faced many receivers of Harrison’s caliber. Against the best receiving corps they have faced this year, Michigan State allowed Washington’s top two receivers – Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk – to both hit triple digits as they combined for 13 catches, 298 yards and a touchdown.
Harrison enters the game 86 yards away from becoming the first Ohio State wide receiver to ever have two 1,000-yard seasons as a Buckeye.
Game Week Talk
“They really don't have nothing to lose right now. So they're gonna throw everything at us.”– Jermaine Mathews Jr.
While the Spartans haven’t played well for most of the season, that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes are taking them lightly, as they expect to get Michigan State’s best shot.
“They're beatable guys just like anybody else, we're going to go down with the mindset to go attack them and get a win. That's my mindset, it will never change.”– Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett
Despite his team’s struggles, Barnett has no intentions of backing down against the nation’s top-ranked team. He said there has been an infusion of positive energy in East Lansing this week after the Nebraska win, the first victory for the Spartans since Barnett took over the program’s leadership from Mel Tucker.
“Our guys know how every how important every game is. This is a very important game, We’ve got to play well in this game. And so that's where the focus is.”– Ryan Day
Now that The Game is just two weeks away, it’s getting harder not to look ahead to the highly anticipated clash with Michigan, especially with the ongoing sign-stealing investigation in Ann Arbor dominating college football headlines. But even in a week where the Buckeyes are heavy favorites, Day says his team has to “ignore the noise” – whether it be positive or negative – and keep their focus on the task at hand, which is beating Michigan State this week.
| Ohio State | Pos | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | KATIN HOUSER |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | NATHAN CARTER |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | MONTORIE FOSTER JR. |
| JULIAN FLEMING | WR | TYRELL HENRY |
| EMEKA EGBUKA | WR | JARON GLOVER |
| CADE STOVER | TE | MALIQ CARR |
| JOSH SIMMONS | LT | BRANDON BALDWIN |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | LG | J.D. DUPLAIN |
| CARSON HINZMAN | C | NICK SAMAC |
| MATT JONES | RG | GENO VANDEMARK |
| JOSH FRYAR | RT | SPENCER BROWN |
| DEFENSE | ||
| JT TUIMOLOAU | DE | JALEN THOMPSON |
| TYLEIK WILLIAMS | DT | SIMEON BARROW JR. |
| MIKE HALL | DT | DERRICK HARMON |
| JACK SAWYER | DE | ZION YOUNG |
| STEELE CHAMBERS | LB | AARON BRULE |
| CODY SIMON | LB | CAL HALADAY |
| JORDAN HANCOCK | NB | MALIK SPENCER |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | CB | DILLON TATUM |
| JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | CB | CHANCE RUCKER |
| JOSH PROCTOR | FS | JADEN MANGHAM |
| SONNY STYLES | SS | ANGELO GROSE |
Get Smart
- Ohio State has a 36-15 all-time record against Michigan State.
- Ohio State is 7-0 all-time in November night games. This will be the fifth time the Buckeyes have hosted a November night game at Ohio Stadium.
- Ohio State has a 26-7 record when wearing alternate uniforms, with all of those games occurring since 2019.
- Michigan State’s roster includes seven players from Ohio. Six of them have started games this season: Wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. (Cleveland), offensive linemen J.D. Duplain (Strongsville) and Nick Samac (Mentor), defensive ends Brandon Wright (Euclid) and Avery Dunn (Shaker Heights) and defensive back Angelo Grose (Mansfield). The other is former Ohio State punter Michael O’Shaughnessy (New Albany).
- This will be NBC’s first broadcast from Ohio Stadium as part of the Big Ten’s new media rights deal. The Buckeyes’ 17-14 win over Notre Dame and 24-10 win over Wisconsin earlier this season were also televised by NBC. NBC play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle will pull double duty this weekend, calling the Ohio State men’s basketball game vs. Texas A&M on Friday (which will air on Peacock) before calling the football game with Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen on Saturday.
How It Plays Out
Line: Ohio State -31.5, O/U 47
Ohio State has only won two games by more than 28 points this season, so the 31.5-point spread is a big one for the Buckeyes to cover. But Michigan State also ranks among the worst teams Ohio State has played all season.
More Ohio State vs. Michigan State Coverage
Michigan State has averaged only 12.6 points per game against Power 5 opponents while Ohio State has yet to allow any opponent to score more than 17 points all year, so there’s no reason to think the Spartans should score more than once or twice against the Buckeyes.
That puts the question of whether the Buckeyes will cover and whether the over will hit in the hands of whether Ohio State’s offense can have one of its best games of the season. That’s less of a given, but the Buckeyes should be capable of scoring in the forties against an opponent that has allowed more than 40 points (41 to Washington and 49 to Michigan) to the other two elite teams it’s played this year.
Ohio State will need to get off to a faster start offensively than it has in most games if it’s going to score more than 40 points for just the third time this season, but most of our staff believes the Buckeyes will en route to a decisive victory.
| Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction | ||||
 |
42 | 7 |
 |
|
Discover the best in exterior renovation when you schedule your roof replacement with Able Roof. With over 300,000 satisfied customers, you can be confident that your roof will last for years to come. Book your roof replacement now and save up to $1000 off your roof. Contact us today.
