After Carmen: Jeremiah Smith Amazes, Defense Overcomes Shaky Start in Ohio State's 38-7 Win Over Michigan State

It's hard not to lead off every After Carmen with Jeremiah Smith talk, but it was inescapable this Saturday.

Smith made two of the best catches college football fans will see all season in a span of four plays, finishing his first Big Ten game with five receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown plus a 19-yard rushing score as Ohio State beat Michigan State, 38-7.

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State's defense got off to another shaky start, giving up three Michigan State drives of 55 yards or more in the first half, but the Buckeyes overcame that by ending those drives with a turnover on downs and two fumbles. In the end, the defense played well enough to hold the Spartans to 246 yards and only seven points (which came on a short field after Will Howard threw an interception), but Ohio State has some concerns to address on defense going forward, particularly linebacker play.

The Buckeyes won the war of situational football against Michigan State, though, winning the turnover battle 3-1 and going 3-of-3 on fourth downs with the first-team offense while getting a key fourth-down stop against the Spartans.

Andy Anders and Dan Hope rave about Smith's performance, talk about the defense’s ups and downs and discuss more takeaways from Ohio State's victory in the latest episode of After Carmen, Eleven Warriors’ official postgame show. You can watch our Michigan State postgame breakdown in the video at the top of the page.