Bottom line: How did the Buckeyes grade vs. Michigan State? How did OSU's offense grade?
Ohio State took care of business on Saturday with an easy, never-close win over Michigan State.
The Buckeyes have one more easy game, against 5-5 Minnesota, before traveling to Ann Arbor for the rivalry matchup everyone's been waiting for. For now, all we have are comparisons, and Michigan beat Michigan State 49-0. So make of that what you can.
How did the Buckeyes grade in their win over Michigan State? Leaves are awarded on a zero-to-five basis.
Ohio State offense (5 leaves)
Yes, the Spartans are bad. Very bad. But the Buckeyes were the sharpest they've been all year in racing out to a 35-3 halftime lead. Quarterback Kyle McCord opened the game by completing 13 of his first 15 passes, and his back-shoulder touchdown toss to tight end Cade Stover is one of McCord's top throws of the season. McCord finished 24 for 31 for 335 yards and three touchdowns.
Marvin Harrison Jr. was a big mismatch for Michigan State. He caught seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns and ran the ball once for a 19-yard score before taking a seat in the third quarter. And welcome back, Stover, who had seven receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown on seven targets.
Ohio State defense (5 leaves)
Michigan State was 0 for 7 on third downs before finally getting one, and that one came on a bad mark by the officials. In the final three quarters, the Spartans averaged only 2.6 yards per play. Michigan State didn't get past the OSU 34 in the first three quarters. Ohio State still has not allowed an opponent to score more than 17 points.
The Buckeyes were missing leading tackler Tommy Eichenberg and starting safeties Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom, but the depth shined and backups got good repetitions.
Ohio State special teams (4 leaves)
Nothing great, but nothing to be concerned about except for Jayden Fielding's missed 42-yard field goal try. But all of Fielding's kickoffs went into the end zone. Jayden Ballard had a nifty 11-yard punt return.
Ohio State coaching (5 leaves)
No boredom was shown by the Ohio State players. All units were sharp, and coaches smartly rested injured players and then took out the healthy ones in the third quarter.
Michigan State Spartans (1 leaf)
The Spartans weren't competitive and looked years away from being a factor in the Big Ten. Oh, and they left single coverage on Harrison.
Fun factor (3 leaves)
It was a nice night and the Buckeyes had cool alternate uniforms. The old Ryan Day high-flying offense returned, and that's fun to watch. But this one was over early.
Officiating (4 leaves)
The refs mostly stayed out of the way, but the no-call on Ballard being held in the end zone as he tried to catch a pass was a sign officials just wanted the game to end.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football grades after OSU's win over Michigan State
