College Football - Michigan State (6-1) Vs Ohio State (6-1), The Spartans Biggest Game in 8 Years
Michigan State hosts Ohio State Saturday (10-18-08) in a showdown to see who will get a distinct edge in their race for the Big Ten championship.
Both teams have 6-1 records and are undefeated at 3-0 in Big Ten play going into the contest at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (MI).
Ohio State is ranked No.
12 and Michigan State No.
20 in the current AP Top 25 Poll.
For Ohio State, it is a critical game but a match-up the Buckeyes have won the last 6 times they have faced the Spartans.
The Buckeyes won 27-13 in 2000, 33-23 in 2003, 32-19 in 2004, 35-24 in 2005, 38-7 in 2006 and 24-17 in 2007.
They did not meet in 2001 and 2002.
Ohio State is confident and knows how to win against Michigan State, whether at home or on the road.
For Michigan State, it is also a critical game but so much more.
It is simply the biggest game in the last 8 years.
It is another opportunity for the Spartans to show they CAN beat Ohio State and break their 6-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
It is a home game for the Spartans, adding even more pressure to perform.
Michigan State's last great day in the sun and last victory Ohio State came in 1999, when the Spartans beat the Buckeyes 23-7 at home, went 10-2 on the season, and won the Citrus Bowl 37-34 over Florida.
One early line on this game had Ohio State favored by 3.
5 points on the road.
Michigan State will probably be an underdog at home and why not? The Spartans have not been able to get it done (win) the last 6 times out against Ohio State.
Ohio State's only loss came on the road at Southern California, a 35-3 drubbing.
Michigan State lost its opener on the road to California, 38-31, and has since reeled off 6 consecutive wins, the latest coming last Saturday on the road at Northwestern 37-20.
Against Northwestern, the Spartan defense used a couple of Wildcat turnovers to go up 17-0 in the 1st quarter and never looked back.
Javon Ringer, MSU's rushing machine, picked up 124 yards on 35 carries and scored 2 touchdowns.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer went 14-for-20 for 169 yards and 2 TD passes.
Brett Swenson kicked field goals from 26, 42 and 34-yards out.
Ohio State is known for its defensive play, partly because of Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, who was the defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes national championship team in 2002.
Dantonio helped create and sustain the defensive tradition at Ohio State and now he is doing the same thing in his second year as the head coach at MSU.
Dantonio is the real deal.
In his first year at Michigan State last year, the Spartans won 7 games and lost 6, but all 6 losses were by 7 points or less.
Last year Northwestern quarterback C.
J.
Bacher threw for a school-record 520 yards and the Wildcats won 48-41 in overtime.
This year Bacher was limited to 283 yards and Northwestern lost.
That is huge progress for Michigan State.
Ohio State's defensive statistics are better than Michigan State's through their first 7 games.
The Buckeyes are 23rd nationally in rushing defense; the Spartans are 60th.
Ohio State wins in passing defense, 16th to 87th; total defense, 12th to 68th, and scoring defense, 13th to 25th.
The Spartans do top the Buckeyes in turnover margin, %2B10 to %2B7.
While the defensive statistics do favor Ohio State, one thing is for sure-this is the best Michigan State team that the Buckeyes have faced in 8 years.
Normally, Michigan State would have folded its tent and gone home at this point in the season.
That did not happen last year (the Spartans won their last 4 games) and it has not happened this year.
The Spartans have decided that the hunting season has just started, and they have the Buckeyes clearly in their sights.
Anything short of a victory for the Spartans would be failure once again.
Anything short of a victory for the Buckeyes just might signal a possible changing of the guard in the Big Ten.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Both teams have 6-1 records and are undefeated at 3-0 in Big Ten play going into the contest at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (MI).
Ohio State is ranked No.
12 and Michigan State No.
20 in the current AP Top 25 Poll.
For Ohio State, it is a critical game but a match-up the Buckeyes have won the last 6 times they have faced the Spartans.
The Buckeyes won 27-13 in 2000, 33-23 in 2003, 32-19 in 2004, 35-24 in 2005, 38-7 in 2006 and 24-17 in 2007.
They did not meet in 2001 and 2002.
Ohio State is confident and knows how to win against Michigan State, whether at home or on the road.
For Michigan State, it is also a critical game but so much more.
It is simply the biggest game in the last 8 years.
It is another opportunity for the Spartans to show they CAN beat Ohio State and break their 6-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.
It is a home game for the Spartans, adding even more pressure to perform.
Michigan State's last great day in the sun and last victory Ohio State came in 1999, when the Spartans beat the Buckeyes 23-7 at home, went 10-2 on the season, and won the Citrus Bowl 37-34 over Florida.
One early line on this game had Ohio State favored by 3.
5 points on the road.
Michigan State will probably be an underdog at home and why not? The Spartans have not been able to get it done (win) the last 6 times out against Ohio State.
Ohio State's only loss came on the road at Southern California, a 35-3 drubbing.
Michigan State lost its opener on the road to California, 38-31, and has since reeled off 6 consecutive wins, the latest coming last Saturday on the road at Northwestern 37-20.
Against Northwestern, the Spartan defense used a couple of Wildcat turnovers to go up 17-0 in the 1st quarter and never looked back.
Javon Ringer, MSU's rushing machine, picked up 124 yards on 35 carries and scored 2 touchdowns.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer went 14-for-20 for 169 yards and 2 TD passes.
Brett Swenson kicked field goals from 26, 42 and 34-yards out.
Ohio State is known for its defensive play, partly because of Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, who was the defensive coordinator for the Buckeyes national championship team in 2002.
Dantonio helped create and sustain the defensive tradition at Ohio State and now he is doing the same thing in his second year as the head coach at MSU.
Dantonio is the real deal.
In his first year at Michigan State last year, the Spartans won 7 games and lost 6, but all 6 losses were by 7 points or less.
Last year Northwestern quarterback C.
J.
Bacher threw for a school-record 520 yards and the Wildcats won 48-41 in overtime.
This year Bacher was limited to 283 yards and Northwestern lost.
That is huge progress for Michigan State.
Ohio State's defensive statistics are better than Michigan State's through their first 7 games.
The Buckeyes are 23rd nationally in rushing defense; the Spartans are 60th.
Ohio State wins in passing defense, 16th to 87th; total defense, 12th to 68th, and scoring defense, 13th to 25th.
The Spartans do top the Buckeyes in turnover margin, %2B10 to %2B7.
While the defensive statistics do favor Ohio State, one thing is for sure-this is the best Michigan State team that the Buckeyes have faced in 8 years.
Normally, Michigan State would have folded its tent and gone home at this point in the season.
That did not happen last year (the Spartans won their last 4 games) and it has not happened this year.
The Spartans have decided that the hunting season has just started, and they have the Buckeyes clearly in their sights.
Anything short of a victory for the Spartans would be failure once again.
Anything short of a victory for the Buckeyes just might signal a possible changing of the guard in the Big Ten.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
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