Ohio State vs. Michigan State Notebook: Defense Posts Sound Numbers After Shaky Start, Tyleik Williams Could Have Played in Emergency, Will Howard "All Good"

Ohio State’s defense hasn’t been perfect through four games, and the Buckeyes got off to back-to-back slow starts on that side of the ball against Marshall and Michigan State the last two weeks.

However, statistically, the Buckeyes are still among the best defenses in college football.

After holding the Spartans to seven in Saturday's 31-point victory, Ohio State now possesses the No. 1 scoring defense in the country, allowing 6.8 points per game. The Buckeyes are also No. 2 in total defense, No. 3 in rush yards allowed per game, No. 3 in yards per carry and No. 9 in pass defense.

Three of Michigan State’s first four drives went for 55 yards or more, but none resulted in points thanks to two fumbles and a turnover on downs. Oddly it was an interception thrown by Will Howard that set the Spartans up 12 yards from the end zone that got MSU its only points.

Despite those long drives early, Michigan State ultimately finished with just 246 yards and averaged a measly 1.9 yards per carry. Dual-threat quarterback Aidan Chiles was kept hemmed in for -9 rushing yards.

“When you look at the sum total of it all, 50 plays and 246 yards and seven points, you can come away and say, ‘Geez, what a great performance,’” Ryan Day said. “And certainly, I thought we did a really good job of shutting down, especially in the second half. But there's some things we've got to look at in film and figure out. Early on, some explosive plays in there that we've got to clean up.”

Much like Marshall, Michigan State did find some success attacking the middle of the field with quick passes. Such plays were the driving force behind their three long first-half drives, and Ohio State’s linebackers looked lost in coverage at times. One play that underscored some of the first-half weirdness on defense for the Buckeyes was their first fumble recovery.

Linebacker Sonny Styles got toasted on a route by Michigan State tight end Jack Velling for a 26-yard catch-and-run, but nickel Jordan Hancock chased down the play and punched out the football at Ohio State’s 10-yard line. Styles recovered the fumble.

“We work on that all week, stripping the ball and making plays,” Hancock said. “Whenever your number is called, you’ve gotta make that play. And we just work that all the time.”

Still, forcing turnovers is part of good defensive play, and Ohio State generated three takeaways to cover some of its early shortcomings in other areas. The Buckeyes also came out of halftime and looked more stout than ever, holding Michigan State to a dismal 60 yards of offense in the final 30 minutes, with 0.3 yards per carry and 2.6 yards per play.

“We work on that all week, stripping the ball and making plays. Whenever your number is called, you’ve gotta make that play.”– Jordan Hancock on his forced fumble

Linebacker Cody Simon and company also met Chiles on a quarterback sneak for a fourth-down stop in the first half.

Cody Simon pic.twitter.com/HbQefbAVbD
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 28, 2024

Williams could have played, Howard “all good”

Every single scholarship player was available for Ohio State against Michigan State, but star defensive tackle Tyleik Williams missed a second straight game despite his available status as Tywone Malone made his first career start. Per Day, the team held Williams out for precautionary reasons this week.

“He was available in an emergency role,” Day said. “If we felt like we needed him, we were gonna put him in the game. He was cleared, but (we) felt like one more week – almost like the Donovan (Jackson) situation – one more week of rest would get him to 100%, which we felt like was the right thing to do.”

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard left the game before halftime after taking a shot during the Buckeyes’ two-minute offense, leading Devin Brown to come in and toss a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith. Howard returned to start the third quarter on offense, though, and indicated he just got the wind knocked out of him.

“I might be a little sore tomorrow, but it's all good,” Howard said. “It's football, man. It's part of it.”

Emeka Egbuka, kick returner

After a two-year hiatus, star Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is back to returning kicks for the Buckeyes. Egbuka is the third kick returner in as many weeks for the team after punt returner Brandon Inniss took a stab last week, replacing Jayden Ballard from Weeks 1 and 2.

Ballard struggled to field punts cleanly when operating as OSU’s punt returner in 2023, and after an ill-played fair catch that left Ohio State pinned inside its own 10-yard line against Western Michigan, Day said the team would evaluate its options at the position. That led to Inniss taking the role, though all three of Marshall’s kickoffs went for touchbacks last week.

Egbuka didn’t get a chance to return any kicks on Saturday either, but he made his first marks as a freshman returning kicks for the Buckeyes. He had 20 returns for 580 yards in 2021, an average of 29 yards per run back. He returned one kick for 25 yards and 11 punts for 75 yards in 2022, then mixed in exclusively on punt last season with seven returns for 23 yards.

Inniss continued in his punt return role against Michigan State, picking up 19 yards on two returns. He’s up to 106 punt return yards this season, averaging 9.6 yards per runback.

Elsewhere in special teams, Jayden Fielding was back as Ohio State’s kickoff specialist after booting three kickoffs in a row out of bounds against the Thundering Herd. Day said earlier this week that a minor injury was partially to blame. Each of Fielding’s seven kickoffs went for touchbacks in East Lansing.

Other Notes

TreVeyon Henderson became the 12th player in Ohio State history to rush for 3,000 yards with the team.
The Buckeyes scored two rushing touchdowns and neither were by running backs, with a 6-yard zone-read keeper from Will Howard and a 19-yard end-around pitch to Jeremiah Smith. Overall Ohio State averaged 5.3 yards per carry and gained 185 yards on the ground.
Howard’s touchdown was his third this season. Ohio State's quarterbacks had one rushing touchdown combined in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, a goal-line plunge by Devin Brown against Purdue in 2023.
Tegra Tshabola and Austin Siereveld continued rotating at right guard with the Buckeyes’ first-team offensive line.
Arvell Reese made his first career start at linebacker as Ohio State opened the game in a 4-3 package, earning the nod over C.J. Hicks.
Julian Sayin entered the game for two series, going 3-of-5 for 23 yards.
This marks the third consecutive season that the Buckeyes have gone into September undefeated. Their last loss in college football’s first full month came to Oregon in 2021.