Here are five things to know about the game:
1. Ohio State went to the air early and often.
Day has talked all year about wanting to establish the run, but sometimes a team has to take what the defense is giving.
MSU looked determined not to let the Buckeyes beat them on the ground, so Will Howard utilized many short passes early on, including pulling the ball and throwing on run-pass options.
Howard went seven for seven on a game-opening field goal drive and completed 12 of his 13 passes in the first quarter (the only incompletion was a drop).
He finished the game 21 for 31 for 244 yards passing and ran for 14 yards while running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined to carry 18 times for 123 yards in the first three quarters before giving way to freshman James Peoples, who ran for 29 yards on 10 carries.
2. Michigan State moved the ball, but turnovers crippled the Spartans.
The Spartans drove into the red zone on their first four possessions.
They came away with only seven points, though, after turning the ball over on downs once and losing two fumbles.
The hosts had 186 yards in the first half but only 60 in the second, when they never crossed the 50-yard line until getting a turnover on downs in the final minute when Ohio State was trying to run out the clock with its reserves on the field.
3. The Buckeyes took control of the game behind a true freshman receiver.
After Michigan State got to within 10-7, Ohio State answered with a quick four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that started and ended with explosive plays by true freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.
He caught a 20-yard pass to get the ball rolling then took a handoff and ran it in from 17 yards out on a reverse to restore a two-possession lead for the Buckeyes.
Late in the second quarter, he keyed another scoring drive by making a pair of one-handed catches along the sideline, first a 27-yarder to get the Buckeyes into scoring range then a 17-yarder for a touchdown with 29 seconds on the clock.
The second came from Devin Brown, who had to step in for Howard when the starter took a bit shot from a Michigan State pass rusher, and it gave Ohio State a 24-7 lead in a game both offenses seemed to have the upper hand.
“The throw and catch right there really sealed the game and put them out of it,” Howard told reporters after the game. “I’m just so proud of Devin. You never know what’s going to happen. I just got the wind knocked out of me and you have to go out for a play, so it is what it is.”
4. A trio of seniors put the game away.
Whatever hope Michigan State had of a comeback — though down 17, the Spartans had moved the ball efficiently throughout the first 30 minutes — was erased around the five-minute mark of the third quarter.
When Day eschewed a long field goal and let the offense go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Michigan State 33, Howard and senior receiver Emeka Egbuka rewarded him with a 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave stretched the lead to 24 points.
“Will put an amazing ball out there that was easy for me to catch,” Egbuka said. “It was a great ball. I really didn’t have to do too much.”
Senior Denzel Burke picked off Aidan Chiles on the next possession, giving the Buckeyes the ball MSU 12, and Howard ran it in from six yards out to put the game out of reach.
5. The defense still has some questions.
A week ago, Marshall was able to stretch the field horizontally and find seams in the Ohio State defense before the Buckeyes pulled away.
Michigan State did its damage in a different way Saturday night, using bigger personnel and what was not long ago known as more of a pro-style attack with play action passes.
The Buckeyes shut the Spartans out in the second half, but they could have had a lot more than seven points in the first.
Safety Caleb Downs led the Buckeyes with nine tackles, including an early one for loss in the third quarter that helped set the tone for a better showing from the Scarlet and Gray.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Iowa at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., CBS, 1410
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