What They’re Saying Following Ohio State’s Win Over Michigan State

Local and national pundits react to the Buckeyes’ 49-20 victory over the Spartans on Saturday.

Ohio State improved to 6-0 on the season with a 49-20 road win at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 21-of-26 passes for 361 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the first player in school and Big Ten history to throw six touchdown passes in three separate games.

Sophomore running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 118 yards and one score in his return from injury, while sophomore wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. combined for 12 catches for 274 yards and four scores.

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Defensively, the Buckeyes were once again led by redshirt junior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who recorded a team-high eight tackles, and redshirt freshman defensive tackle Michael Hall, who had 2.5 sacks on the day.

With that said, local and national college football analysts shared some of their thoughts on the game, and BuckeyesNow has compiled some of the best reactions below:

Bill Bender, The Sporting News

“A road test at Michigan State didn’t take long to turn in the Buckeyes’ favor in a 49-20 blowout. Stroud shook off an early pick six and threw four first-half touchdowns to build a 38-13 lead. Injuries to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Miyan Williams did not matter. Harrison had his second hat trick of the season, with a sensational third touchdown catch in the red zone. Egbuka added a pair of touchdowns, and Henderson provided the ground support. Ohio State has the deepest offense in the FBS, and the defense limited the Spartans to seven rushing attempts for 20 yards. A bye week should help get those other playmakers healthy.”

Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated

“In a remarkable statistic,Stroud threw more touchdowns (six) than incompletions (five). The Buckeyes also ran for 237 yards, clobbering Michigan State’s defense every which way. Mel Tucker, the Spartans’ $95-million coach, is on quite the spiral. Since signing his new deal last year, he is 4-4 and his team is on a four-game slide.”

David M. Hale, ESPN

“Ohio State demolished Michigan State and has a strong case for the title of the nation's best team. At the very least, the Buckeyes probably made Spartans boosters a bit concerned about that $95 million investment they made in Tucker. Ohio State has beaten him twice since that deal was announced, by a combined score of 105-27.”

Chip Patterson, CBS Sports

“Stroud and the rest of the Buckeyes offense scored touchdowns on seven of the team's first eight offensive possessions, including touchdown drives of 98, 91 and 96 yards. Though Stroud had to overcome an early interception that led directly to a Michigan State touchdown, the rest of his performance was on par with his current stats as the Heisman Trophy favorite. Stroud finished with 361 yards and six touchdowns on 21-of-26 passing, and it was so clear early that Michigan State was not going to be able to defend the many elite options that the Buckeyes offense present in the passing game.

“The dominance of the passing attack made Henderson's 118 yards and a touchdown – nearly all of which was amassed in the first half – a footnote, along with a defensive performance that for most of the game was stifling. Through three quarters of the game, Michigan State had just 105 yards of offense at 3.1 yards per play and -8 rushing yards. The Spartans picked up some more yards and another touchdown in the final 15 minutes with the outcome more than decided, but even then the final totals (202 yards, 4.2 yards per play) represent one of the best performances of the season for Ohio State's defense.”

Tom VanHaaren, ESPN

“The Buckeyes were without running back Williams and saw Henderson get hurt against Michigan State, but it didn't slow the offense down. Ohio State won big against the Spartans, 49-20, and quarterback Stroud finished with 361 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. Stroud became the first player in Big Ten history with three career games featuring six passing touchdowns. Harrison hauled in seven catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

“It’s a safe bet that Tucker hopes he doesn’t have to face Stroud anymore. The Ohio State quarterback has been unstoppable against the Spartans, passing for 361 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 49-20 win as the Buckeyes improved to 6-0. In the past two games against MSU, Stroud has completed 53-of-61 (87 percent) passes for 793 yards and 12 touchdowns in the past two meetings.”

Matt Wenzel, MLive

“Was anyone actually surprised? What looked like a major mismatch played out that way. Ohio State brought the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense and a high-powered passing attack led by Stroud and a talented group of receivers to East Lansing. On the other side was a Michigan State defense that is plagued by injuries and has been continually exposed in the passing game.

The result was much like last year. Stroud completed 21-of-26 throws for 361 yards, six touchdowns and an interception before exiting the game in the third quarter. Even with Smith-Njigba still out due to injury, the Buckeyes have plenty of talent at the position. Harrison had seven catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns while Egbuka posted five receptions for 143 yards and a score.”

Mike Wachsman, NBC4

“After putting up 655 yards a year ago in a 56-7 victory, the Buckeyes rolled to 614 in this year’s contest. OSU hit for 11 plays of 20-plus yards against a Spartans defense that came into the contest limping, ranking 100th nationally in total defense.

“The Buckeyes won the battle up front, and Henderson finished with 118 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. That ability to pick up chunk yardage on the ground led to big plays in the passing game, and those big plays were enough to stress the Spartans overmatched defense.

“Stroud threw six touchdown passes against Michigan State for the second year in a row and had just five incompletions. Day was impressed with how well Stroud played given the less-than-ideal conditions, and given the fact that he was responsible for a rare pick-six that gave the Spartans their first points.

“Ohio State appears to be the rare team that can beat you multiple ways offensively.”

Marcus Hartman, Dayton Daily News

“The Ohio State defense had a good day, too.

“The Buckeyes sacked Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne four times and did not allow a run longer than nine yards. The Spartans finished with seven yards rushing, fewest for an Ohio State opponent since Indiana had negative-one in the middle of the 2020 season.

“Thorne completed 11 of 118 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception. His backup, Noah Kim, tacked on 82 yards and a touchdown against the second-team Ohio State defense to make things look a little more respectable for the Spartans.”

Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire

“It feels a little like stormtroopers, doesn’t it? Guys go down with injury or graduate and the next guy steps in and looks almost identical in ability and production. They even have helmets like in Star Wars.

“That continues in 2022. Even without the benefit of some guys on defense, and without Smith-Njigba and Williams, Ohio State is still putting up some ridiculous offensive numbers. It’s a testament to the recruiting and ability to keep kids in today’s world of the transfer portal an NIL deals.

“We didn’t see the same on the opposite sideline. Michigan State has also been hit hard with injuries but simply doesn’t have the guys ready and able to keep things humming along.”

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