Roar Reaction: Michigan State Embarrassed at Ohio State
What Happened
The fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes ended the College Football Playoff hopes of seventh-ranked Michigan State on Saturday with a 56-7 trouncing on their home field. C.J. Stroud threw six touchdown passes, tying a school record, and doing all of that in the first half to build a 49-0 halftime lead. Stroud was pulled in the third quarter, handing the Spartans their second loss, while cruising to their 10th win. Stroud finished with 432 yards through the air, doing so against a defense that allowed more passing yards than any other team in the country. At one point, he completed 17 straight passes, making him a Heisman favorite with his third 400-yard game this season and fourth game with at least five touchdowns.
What We Saw
This one was every adjective that references ugly on a Saturday afternoon. Not many college football experts were giving Michigan State a chance coming in, and they never gave themselves a chance from the opening kickoff at noon. Despite the surprising start, which had all the green and white fans excited, this defense has struggled in a big way. More specifically the defensive secondary has been an issue, which was the recipe for disaster against a Heisman favorite quarterback in C.J. Stroud. If you combine that with a program that has been known to recruit stellar receivers over the past 20 years, that resulted in the Buckeyes having themselves a field day. The unbelievable start for OSU prevented the Spartans from running the ball, meaning that Kenneth Walker III was never a factor, and neither was the road team in general.
What’s Next
The Spartans can at least end the season on a high note back home next Saturday against Penn State, with hopes of landing a solid bowl game.