Gameday Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Michigan State

It is time.

Former U.S. Navy Seal Clint Bruce narrates Ohio States Michigan State Game Trailer.

The climb to greatness isn't easy. For this team, the journey is already in motion. Every moment, every game, is one step closer to the top of the mountain.

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— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 26, 2024

Have a good Saturday.

 LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS! Thank goodness, a Big Ten opponent.

No offense to Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall, but the Zips, Broncos and Thundering Herd never posed a threat to the Buckeyes. In fact, there was so little a threat that Ryan Day basically tossed out all the stuff Ohio State accomplished in those three wins on Tuesday.

“I don’t feel good about anything,” Day said. “That’s just my mindset. That has to be everybody’s mindset. You start to feel good about something and complacency can sneak up on you fast. So, no, nobody feels good about anything.”

While that specific comment came after a reporter asked about Ohio State’s improvements in the run game, for the purposes of this section, I’ll use it as evidence of the “leave no doubt” mentality Day adopted in the offseason. 

The Buckeyes are 3-0 – yippee! – but Day knows his program receives no recognition or trophies for demolishing Group of Five teams that finished with more losses than wins last season. No, Day understands that Ohio State needs to improve week after week to be a Big Ten and national championship contender. The next chance for the Buckeyes to make those improvements comes on Saturday against a Michigan State team looking to establish its identity under first-year head coach Jonathan Smith.

“It’s a conference game. It’s on the road. It’s against a team that went on the road and beat Maryland. They certainly have our attention. I think the new coaching staff’s doing a nice job there.” Day said on The Ryan Day Radio Show this week. “They’re playing hard. They’re playing physical. Their quarterback (Aidan Chiles) is very dangerous.”

Ohio State will travel to East Lansing as a 23.5-point favorite over Michigan State. 

Unaware of the spreads sportsbooks set for his team, Day said Ohio State will take care of business on Saturday if it expects the unexpected, navigates a hostile environment and takes care of the football.

“There’s a little bit of an unknown (with Smith at Michigan State) because you haven’t had multiple years going against them before,” he said Wednesday. “We know a little bit more about their personnel, but not exactly about their schemes and some of the stuff that they do. So we’ve got to do a good job of being ready for the unexpected and have a good plan. But to me, it’s gonna come down to handling the road, handling the noise, being really good with the football, running the football and stopping the run.”

I think Ohio State does all of that and wins big on Saturday – but not without a little resistance from the green and white.

Buckeyes 42, Spartans 10

 THE MENU. To me, last week’s college football schedule felt lackluster. But this week? Oooooh, this week will be special. 

In addition to Ohio State at Michigan State, No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State (1 p.m. on ESPN), No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m. on Peacock) and No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama (7:30 p.m. on ABC) are among the standouts this week. 

Here’s a look at the complete television schedule:

 MY PICKS. Another week, another 1-2 record.

With a 3-6 record through three weeks, I’m down but not out entering the fourth Gameday Skull Session of the 2024 season. That’s fine. A 3-0 week would put me back at .500 overall in a game where the picks are made up and the points don’t matter. So, that‘s what I’ll aim for in Week 5 – a perfect mark.

• No. 22 BYU (+3.5) at Baylor: BYU defeated Kansas State 38-9 last weekend. How in the world are the Cougars not favored to beat Baylor? I understand the Bears’ losses came to No. 10 Utah and Colorado (on a last-second touchdown from the Buffaloes), which makes their 2-2 record a little more respectable, but I think I’ll ride with BYU in this one.
• No. 15 Louisville (+6.5) at No. 16 Notre Dame: Louisville has covered the spread in four consecutive matchups with Notre Dame. That includes its 2023 showdown in which the Cardinals covered the 6.5 points and defeated the Irish 33-20 at home. A season later, I expect Louisville and Notre Dame’s defenses to shine in a game that goes down to the wire, allowing the Cardinals to cover the touchdown spread in South Bend.
• Wisconsin at No. 13 USC (-15.5): Poor Luke Fickell. With Tyler Van Dyke lost for the season, Wisconsin’s unimpressive start to the season went from bad to worse. Following a 42-10 loss to Alabama at home in Week 3, the Badgers had an off week and worked Braedyn Locke into the fold at quarterback. While Locke has experience, he doesn’t have superhuman traits, so expect USC to come off its loss to Michigan with some hatred in their hearts and blow out the Badgers in the Coliseum.

 THE GREATEST HALF EVER PLAYED. When I think of Michigan State, I remember how much the Spartans have taken from the Buckeyes in the past 50 years: 1974, 1998, 2013 and 2015. However, I also remember the greatest half ever played. 

On Nov. 20, 2021, No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 7 Michigan State 56-7 in Columbus. How dominant was the Buckeyes’ performance? They scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions and led the Spartans 49-0 at halftime. The starters exited the game before the second drive of the third quarter. 

Let’s talk about it.

In a battle between two teams with 9-1 records ranked in the top 10, Ohio State left no doubt in its 49-point win over the Spartans. C.J. Stroud made a massive statement to Heisman voters in the contest, completing 32 of 35 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns in (essentially) one half. Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson all topped 100 yards and combined for five touchdown catches. Olave’s two scores bumped him to 35 for his career, breaking David Boston’s all-time school record for receiving touchdowns.

On its first possession, Ohio State marched 86 yards for a touchdown, a 23-yard strike between Stroud and Olave. The Buckeyes reached the end zone quickly on their next drive when Stroud connected with Wilson for a 77-yard score.

Then there was another score, and another score, and another score, and another score and another score – an Olave 43-yard touchdown, a Julian Fleming 4-yard touchdown, a Miyan Williams 1-yard touchdown, a Wilson 12-yard touchdown and a JSN 5-yard touchdown, to be exact.

Michigan State got on the board with a 12-yard touchdown from Keon Coleman, the wide receiver who would later leave the Spartans to become a star at Florida State. Master Teague then put a bow on Ohio State’s win, punching in a 1-yard touchdown with 3:30 left in the game — no, wait, Quinn Ewers put a bow on Ohio State’s win, handing the ball off twice to Robert Cope before time expired.

Almost three years later, Ohio State’s dominance over Michigan State still strikes me as one of the best performances I have ever seen from the Buckeyes. That first half – woooooo –that first half was the greatest half ever played. And the second 30 minutes weren’t bad, either.

While I don’t expect Ohio State to replicate that performance on Saturday, I’d love to see it. I’m sure you would, too.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "FLY" - Quavo, Lenny Kravitz.

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