Ohio State overcame another sluggish start to come away with a blowout 38-7 victory over Michigan State for its first Big Ten victory and fourth overall win of the season.
There were many players worthy of receiving Buckeye Leaves, but BSB narrowed it down to three key impact players from the win.
Patrick Engels:
Ohio State was somewhat treading water in the early going against Michigan State, but freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith made sure that wouldn’t last too long.
With the team holding just a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter and facing second-and-1 at the MSU 19, the talented wideout took a reverse handoff from Will Howard all the way to the end zone to give the Buckeyes some breathing room and a 17-7 lead.
That would not be the most impactful play he made in the game, though. That came two drives later towards the end of the half. With the Buckeyes facing a tough third-and-10 at the Michigan State 17 and quarterback Will Howard being temporarily knocked out of the game, Smith played hero ball once again with a sensational one-handed touchdown catch from backup quarterback Devin Brown, which extended the Buckeyes’ lead even further and put them up 24-7.
This came a few plays before Smith had his first eye-popping one-hander, which came over two Spartan defenders and put the Buckeyes into the red zone at the 17-yard line on a 27-yard catch.
Smith, who finished with five catches for 83 yards and a receiving touchdown, along with 19-yard rushing score, continues to show his superstar potential at just 18 years old, and I’m sure there are many other Buckeye Leaves in store for him this season.
Bobby Gorbett:
Will Howard showed he was more than capable against Big Ten competition in the team’s Big Ten opener against Michigan State.
Howard completed 21 of 31 passes for 244 yards and added another rushing touchdown, his third of the season, on a 6-yard run to give the Buckeyes a 38-7 lead in the third quarter.
Howard faced some adversity in the first half, throwing an interception that allowed the Spartans to get on the board one play later and nearly throwing an interception on a third and goal incompletion early in the second quarter. Howard even faced an injury that had him sidelined for the very end of the first half before making his return.
Through all of the obstacles in his way, Howard made the important throws when the Buckeyes needed them the most. Howard’s biggest throws came on a 3-yard touchdown pass in a tight window to tight end Gee Scott that allowed the team to convert a fourth and goal and a 33-yard touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka on fourth and five in the third quarter, that virtually slammed the door on the Spartans’ chances.
Greg Wilson:
My Buckeye Leaf goes to Caleb Downs, who was all over the field during the Buckeyes’ first conference win of the season. During the nonconference schedule, the transfer safety didn’t show up much on the stat sheet due to a change in his role from his freshman season at Alabama.
But it was hard to miss Downs in East Lansing, Mich. He was all over the field, making plays in the secondary and in the backfield from sideline to sideline. He was reading the Spartans’ offense well and was able to get to the ball carrier quickly, helping Ohio State’s defense limit the Michigan State offense to just seven points, which they scored after Howard’s interception that allowed the Spartans to start a drive on the 11-yard line.
Downs finished the game with six tackles, three solo and one for a loss. He topped the OSU defense in tackles – tied with linebacker Sonny Styles – for the first time this season, showing off his ability that allowed him to lead the Crimson Tide in his freshman season with 107 tackles.
