Live Blog: Ohio State vs. Michigan State

The first Big Ten clash for Ohio State this season is against the Michigan State Spartans, a tough match, but the Buckeyes are at home. Join us today to cheer on the Buckeyes.

Join the chat at 3:15 PM EST ! We hope to you see you there!

Preview: Ohio State vs. Michigan State

Can Braxton find his receivers? 

Ohio State (3-1) and Michigan State (3-1) are both unranked for losing at the wrong times, to the wrong teams. OSU losing just two weeks ago to Miami (Fl.) and Michigan State losing a crazy game to Notre Dame. Now, both are on the verge of being ranked again but need to open up the Big Ten season with a win. That won't come easily for either team as the Buckeyes are scrappy with young freshman Braxton Miller in at quarterback after making his first start just one week ago. Michigan State has a lot of veterans that look to make an impact in the opening day of B1G conference play and to make a national statement in the 'Shoe. Ohio State owns a 27-12 series lead over Michigan State, which includes seven straight wins over the Spartans. The teams haven't played since 2008, when Beanie Wells was stiff-arming people all over the place.


There is no shortage of talent at the offensive skill positions on either squad, although the Buckeyes do have less experince. MSU QB Kirk Cousins, who has completed 69.2% of his passes for 947 yards and 5 TD's compared to 2 INT's. The ground attack is nothing to skim over, thought, with Le'Veon Bell having 217 yards and six TD's while the "main" man coming into the season, Edwin Baker, has 216 yards on the ground. Both are capable backs, and are something the Silver Bullets need to watch out for in this very balanced offense. 

The Big Ten Season Begins

Here comes the B1G..skirts?

Well folks, the fake season is officially over and it is time to finally enter conference play. I guess it really isn't a fake season although it felt like one this year. Going into the season I think we all knew, even if you didn't want to admit it to yourself, this was going to be a rebuilding year. After the fallout from over the summer it was hard to picture the Buckeye’s demolishing opponents and vying for a spot in the National title game. If Tatgate and the mess it caused never happened I think that would have been a possibility.

Unfortunately, our worst nightmares were realized which in turn thrust numerous young and unproven players into the limelight.

The dust has settled somewhat and OSU now stands at 3-1 heading into the Big Ten gauntlet. At many other schools, 3-1 would be cause for parades but here in Ohio it is a tough pill to swallow. We have been spoiled over the past decade and expect to beat teams like Miami. That didn’t happen this season (thanks Joey Ballgame) and the focus must lie on getting into that inaugural Big Ten title game. It won’t be easy though, especially right out of the gate this weekend with MSU coming to town.

Colorado Thoughts/Feelings

Braxton played well, but he's still learning

Well, we are four games into the season, and let me tell you something I have absolutely no idea what to think about this team. I can tell you we are not as good as we thought we were after the Akron game, and we are definitely not as bad as we thought we were after the Miami debacle. This year we have played 2 decent teams (Toledo who got robbed last week and Miami), one incredibly average team (Colorado), and one really really bad team in Akron.

We are 3-1 and we don’t know much. Let’s take a look at the Colorado game. First of all we finally got a true look at our future. We are Braxton’s team now. He played well. He showed the escapability that we all expected. He also showed that as a runner he is more like the QB from That School Up North, then Terrelle Pryor. He doesn't glide as he runs, he doesn’t have the famous stiff arm. What Miller does is fake a defender right out of his socks and then outrun the rest down the field. It appears at this time he is a run first QB with happy feet.

What Went Right/Wrong: Colorado

You could say Brutus was happy

The Buckeyes bounced back in their fourth game of the season, as they took on the Buffaloes of Colorado. After suffering their first loss to the hands of the Hurricanes (Who got beat the next weekend by undefeated Kansas State), Luke Fickell and the coaching staff finally decided to start true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller. For Buckeye fans across the nation, it was finally Miller's time to shine, and we would get to see how a whole playbook would look like under his reins. A solid 37-17 win showed a couple of things from the offense, as well as the defense. While the win may not have looked so grand on the television, the fact of the matter is that Ohio State scored 20 more points than the Buffaloes, with a freshman quarterback with no real playing experience other than a couple designed runs against Miami, one of which ended in a turnover.

This week might prove to be will be a real Big Ten test for the Buckeyes, who are headed into conference play with a 3-1 (0-0) record. Starting off for Ohio State they meet the Michigan State Spartans in the 'Shoe. After that, they travel to Lincoln to take on the new-comers to the B1G, Nebraska. For now, though, they have to set their sights on MSU, and to do that, they'll have to improve on some things from the Colorado game. With that, let's take a look at what went right and wrong for the Buckeyes on Saturday. 

Hopes and Fears Come With the Start of Big Ten Play.

It's on

The game against Colorado opened some eyes and quelled some fears. It also raised some questions for me.

Here is what I am hoping for and fearing for on Saturday as the Buckeyes open the Big Ten season:

Hopes

- That film room time for the offense and Braxton Miller is plentiful this week. With the first full week of classes upon them, our student athletes better start working on their time management, inside and outside of the WHAC.

- That the turnovers stop! I know we didn't lose any against Colorado, but that will not always be the case, especially against a team like Michigan State and as we get further into league play.

- The offense finds a balance in both play calling and effectiveness. The stats seemed pretty even at the end of the game but at the beginning they were quite lop sided. I know Miller has the ability to make a broken play into something but he needs to learn the system first and then create, not create then learn.