Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Michigan State
By Alec Hartman
5. The Buckeyes will revive their offense.
The struggle was real last weekend OSU passed for just 208 yards and committed four turnovers. This is far below their 313 passing yards per game average on the season.
As a result, fingers were being pointed in all directions as to find the root cause for this devastating outcome. The easy way out would have been to blame Barrett but there was more to it than just his play alone. The play-calling was also an issue that needed to be addressed.
Ohio State never established the run game which ended up being one of their biggest mistakes. This is evidenced by Barrett throwing the ball on the first play of the game instead of handing it off which led to points for the other team.
That play call can also brings up the question of whether there was a push to give Barrett more production in order to raise his individual production totals.
Barrett looked very indecisive in the pocket and also stared down his receivers several times which led to interceptions. This may have been because receivers weren’t getting open or it could have also been due to a lack of confidence after throwing the first interception.
That interception, which gave way to many others, was only the second Barrett had thrown since Week Two in their loss to Oklahoma.
The Buckeyes will need to be effective throwing the ball in order to hit the weak parts of the Spartans’ defense. The biggest challenge that this Spartans team presents is their superior ability to stop the run.
The Spartans have the top rushing defense in the Big Ten and the third best rushing defense in the country by allowing just 2.8 yards per carry. They haven’t allowed a 100 yard rusher all season!
Ohio State’s first loss led to an incredible evolution of their offense. Their second loss may only bring more positives. As easy as it is to look at the offense from last week as signs of things to come, the Bucks have so many weapons on offense.
Therefore it wouldn’t be more feasible to take a step back than a step forward. Expect their passing offense to come alive against a mediocre Spartans passing defense.