Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 38-3 loss at Ohio State

1. Three years later, MSU still entirely outclassed by the Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Even in this wreck of a season for Michigan State’s football program, Ohio State remains a measuring stick of sorts. Because of how poorly recent meetings have gone for the Spartans and who Ohio State is on the national stage.

The question entering this season was not whether MSU was ready to contend with the Buckeyes — as MSU did in the mid-2010s — but whether the Spartans were ready to look like they belonged on the field with them again.

Saturday night’s 38-3 MSU loss in Columbus wasn’t played under the best of circumstances for the Spartans — given several key injuries and the trajectory of this season — but it answered the question resoundingly.

The Buckeyes are still in a different class. Entirely. We knew that already. Games against Washington and Michigan — both elite in their own right this season — had shown the gap between title contention and the Spartans. In its three games against national championship contenders this season, MSU has now been outscored a combined 128-10, including 89-0 by halftime, and out-gained 1,720 yards to 625.

To be fair to MSU, the Spartans are as capable as 10 other Big Ten teams. But that’s also an indictment on the rest of the league and not where MSU should be.

Mel Tucker, before his unceremonious exit, used to say that to be a contending team you needed at least three or four difference-makers on each side of the ball.

Ohio State has them — some of the best in the country — including Marvin Harrison Jr. and Treveyon Henderson on offense. MSU’s offense doesn’t have anyone in that realm. It wouldn’t have mattered if Tucker were still coaching this team, or Mark Dantonio or Nick Saban. MSU’s offensive talent is an issue.

Defensively, there’s more promise — some young talent that, if it sticks around, could be the nucleus of a strong unit. But no one yet that scares an offense. No defensive back that quarterbacks don’t want to throw against. No one on the defensive line or at linebacker that offensive coordinators build their protections around.

Instead, MSU's young starters faced another baptism Saturday — they've now played college football's toughest schedule, per Real Time RPI. There's value in that, especially for guys like true freshman cornerback Chance Rucker, who spent parts of the night matched up with Harrison.

“He's going to be really good,” MSU interim head coach Harlon Barnet said of Rucker. “It's a learning lesson for him. I reflect back on Darqueze Dennard — he started two games as a true freshman (in 2010). And then he started for three straight years. And we saw him get better and better and better until he was a Thorpe Award winner and a first-round pick. Chance has that type of ability.”

Still, right now, three years after Barnett's predecessor infamously said “compete to play, compete to stay” — warning of the dawn of a new era, following a lopsided defeat to Ohio State in 2020 — MSU doesn’t look much closer to Ohio State than it did then.

RELATED: Couch's grades for Michigan State's performance in its 38-3 loss at Ohio State

2. MSU’s offense shows some early life, but that’s only relative to meager expectations

If it weren’t for the brick wall at their opponents’ 35-yard line again, the Spartans might have had themselves a day offensively Saturday. Just like against Michigan’s starters, MSU never crossed that threshold. Unlike against Michigan, MSU’s offense six times reached Ohio State territory. There were some good moments. I also think my expectations for this offense are so low that what qualify as “good moments” are what most programs would consider “ordinary offense.”

Katin Houser had a first-down pass right out of the gate and a 20-yard pass two plays later. Nathan Carter took a well-blocked play for 27 yards on the next drive. Jaren Mangham showed he could have been useful in the backfield if he’d been healthy all season.

But there were also several throws well off the mark, a couple that could have been picked off. Houser finished 12-for-24 for 92 yards in a performance that felt exactly like 12-for-24 for 92 yards. In fairness, he doesn’t have Marvin Harrison Jr. or Treveyon Henderson to make his life easier. I’m not sure Ohio State QB Kyle McCord is anymore naturally gifted than MSU’s redshirt freshman quarterback.

MSU was 2-for-14 on third downs, tallied a mere 11 first downs and just 182 total yards. Ohio State’s defense might be as good as there is in the country. But we’ve seen MSU’s offense look like this too many times.

3. MSU mishandled the Sam Leavitt situation. At least partially.

Sam Leavitt’s tantalizing freshman season is over. It could have been more.

Leavitt did the sensible thing, calling it a year after four games played, preserving a full season of eligibility. He’s still got four left. Perhaps for MSU. Perhaps for someone else. He’ll have options. MSU’s next coach and donors and NIL collectives and diehard fans that had planned to leave a little something for their children should band together to make sure Leavitt sees value in sticking around.

He would have helped Saturday night at Ohio State. But he wouldn’t have changed the outcome. And if he was going to see a similar number of snaps to what he saw a week ago against Nebraska, then it would have been foolish for him to play against the Buckeyes.

That Leavitt made the trip to Columbus, as an emergency QB of sorts, is a good sign for MSU. He hasn’t given any indication publicly that he has one foot out the door. That decision will come when Leavitt knows who the new coach is and whether he wants to be part of the next era of MSU football.

We didn’t get to see as much of Leavitt as we should have this season. Not given the flashes of talent and moxie he showed in the limited time he got. He should have been given a start. Or held out entirely until last week — so he could have played in the last four games of the season.

If all MSU ever gets of Leavitt is 23 passes over four games, MSU fans might spend the next four years wondering what could have been — especially if he winds up being the sort of quarterback who can take a team places. He’s shown signs of that sort of promise.

If Leavitt stays, then missing these November games in this forgettable season — which gave him his freshman year back — won't come with any regrets.

MORE: Harlon and Tammy Barnett and the road from Case Hall in 1985 to Spartan Stadium in 2023

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State football outclassed by Ohio State: 3 quick takes