Ohio State freshman phenom wideout Jeremiah Smith celebrates after a 17-yard one-handed grab from junior quarterback Devin Brown. The Buckeyes would go onto defeat the Spartans 38-7 Saturday night at Spartan Field. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
EAST LANSING, Michigan – Three turnovers, four sacks and seven tackles for a loss — the Buckeye defense was all over the place Saturday night at Spartan Stadium.
Last season, Ohio State forced seven turnovers all year. In four games thus far in 2024, the Buckeyes have forced six.
Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) trounced Michigan State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) 38-7 in a game where the Buckeyes suffocated the Spartan offense and nearly doubled their offensive total.
“The turnover battle was huge in this game,” head coach Ryan Day said. “If we don’t get those turnovers maybe it’s a different game for sure. But that’s the game and we gotta make sure we win the situations.”
Graduate quarterback Will Howard completed 21-of-31 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka recorded a team-high 96 receiving yards on seven catches and a touchdown.
Sophomore safety Caleb Downs led the Buckeyes with six total and three solo tackles, as well as a tackle for a loss.
“I thought [Downs] played great tonight, showed up in a big way on a bunch of different spots,” Day said. “You can just see the acceleration, how fast he plays and part of that is his athleticism, but another part is just the way he prepares.”
On Ohio State’s first possession, Howard completed all seven of his pass attempts to five different receivers. But a personal foul on the Buckeyes pushed them backward and forced Ohio State to settle for a 30-yard field goal off the leg of junior Jayden Fielding.
On the first drive for Michigan State, the Spartans drove down the field but the Buckeyes defense stood tall.
Graduate linebacker Cody Simon met Michigan State sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles at the line of scrimmage on a Spartans fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak attempt from the Ohio State 20-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs.
The Buckeyes then marched down the field for a second straight drive.
A 14-play drive was capped off on a fourth-and-goal 3-yard touchdown catch by Ohio State graduate tight end Gee Scott Jr. just over the goal line, increasing their lead to 10-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.
Despite four positive plays to begin the ensuing Michigan State drive into Ohio State territory, senior cornerback Jordan Hancock ripped the ball out of Spartans junior tight end Jack Velling’s hands as he fell to the ground. The loose ball was grabbed by Buckeyes junior linebacker Sonny Styles, marking their fourth turnover of 2024.
“We work on that all week, stripping the ball and making plays,” Hancock said. “Whenever your number is called, you gotta make that play.”
Michigan State’s defense responded.
On third-and-4, Howard forced a ball into double coverage to Egbuka that was intercepted by Spartans senior linebacker Jordan Turner, who returned the pick down to the Buckeyes 12-yard line.
On the next play, Michigan State junior wide receiver Jaron Glover took a screen pass to the left pylon for a Spartans touchdown, cutting their deficit to 10-7 with just under 10 minutes before the half.
A 37-yard rush by senior running back TreVeyon Henderson brought the Buckeyes offense into Michigan State territory. Two plays later, a reverse led freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to an untouched 19-yard touchdown with 7:22 before the break, making the score 17-7.
Ohio State’s defense stole the ball from Michigan State again.
After entering Buckeye territory, Chiles took a designed run up the middle but was slowed down at the line of scrimmage before Ohio State graduate safety Lathan Ransom stripped the ball away and senior defensive end Jack Sawyer dove on top of it to put the Buckeye offense back on the field.
Both teams exchanged a three-and-out in less than a minute
The final drive before the half seemingly turned into a Smith highlight tape.
On a pass from Howard, Smith rose above two Spartan defenders and reeled in the ball with his right hand for a 27-yard gain. Two plays later, Howard took a shot in the backfield and had the wind knocked out of him. Howard returned to the game in the second half.
Backup junior quarterback Devin Brown went into the game for the Buckeyes and on the first play, found Smith for a 17-yard one-handed snag down the right sideline to up Ohio State’s lead to 24-7 heading into the half.
“What an unbelievable catch, I couldn’t believe he caught it,” Day said. “Just a tremendous play.”
The second half was all Ohio State.
Despite a Michigan State first down out of the break, the Buckeyes defense forced a Spartans punt less than three minutes into the second half.
Ohio State opened its half with a 13-play scoring drive that concluded with a 33-yard touchdown catch by Egbuka down the left sideline just under five minutes before the end of the third quarter, extending the Buckeye lead to 24.
“[Howard] put an amazing ball out there, really easy for me to catch,” Egbuka said.
Just over a minute after the score, Buckeyes senior cornerback Denzel Burke picked off Chiles and took the ball back inside the Michigan State 10-yard line, marking Ohio State’s third turnover of the game.
Three plays later, Howard kept the ball on an option play, rushing into the end zone before throwing up an “O-H” to Ohio State fans in attendance. The Buckeyes led by 31 with 2:05 to go in the third frame.
Numerous Buckeye backups entered the game to start the fourth quarter and would hold onto Ohio State’s 38-7 lead for the final 15 minutes, finalizing the score.
“It was good to get this win on the road, first road win, good environment,” Day said. “But we know that the challenges are bigger ahead so we gotta get on this film and stay hungry and keep the journey going.”
