Ohio State vs. Michigan State First Half Notebook
Halftime Score: Ohio State 28, Michigan State 0
What a roller coaster of emotions. I can't even imagine what that must have been like for Ryan Day to watch from his couch. But I have to think he's beaming with pride.
I'm so impressed by the way the Buckeyes came out and dominated this first half. Just an incredible showing considering the adversity they've been put through the last week and a half. It's hard to decide which unit played best. This has been a flat out dominating performance in every sense of the word so far.
Ohio State's defense couldn't have had a better start to the day. They have a huge weight on their shoulders this afternoon and a 3-and-out to open the game thanks to a great tackle from Tommy Togiai was a great way to start the game. It hasn't gotten any better for the Spartans, who managed just two first downs (one by penalty) and 53 yards of total offense on 22 plays through it's first seven drives. Six of those drives ended in a punt and one in an interception.
Speaking of the pick, the best defensive play of the day came when Haskell Garrett tipped to himself Rocky Lombardi's third down pass in the end zone for a pick-6. The Buckeye defense was absolutely suffocating in the first half and no player in college football has been through as much adversity as Garrett in the last few months. He's having a terrific season, but his first career interception and first career touchdown are quite the exclamation point.
Pete Werner played a terrific first half at linebacker, including a dynamite tackle to force a fourth down and Spartan punt. Michigan State hasn't converted a single third down yet, going 0-for-8 in the half.
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Offensively, Justin Fields played like Justin Fields typically does. He is the heart and soul of this team and played fantastic football.
Harry Miller very clearly hasn't played much center. The snaps the entire first drive were wildly inconsistent. Justin Fields played like Superman making sure they didn't fumble. Then Fields capped off the scoring drive with a remarkably composed touchdown scramble.
Even though the Buckeyes punted on the second drive, Miller's snaps were noticeably better. That mostly continued for the remainder of the first half.
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For casual fans that don't know the Buckeyes offensive line depth by heart, left tackle Dawand Jones must be a scary thought. Imagine a situation like the one the Buckeyes are in today with three offensive line starters out, and watching a 6-foot-8, 360-pound man-child roll out to start at left tackle.
Master Teague is earning some tough yardage. He's playing a big role helping keep the offense on schedule. Give him 43 yards on 12 carries in the first half.
Let's not ignore the absolutely perfect punt from Drue Chrisman either. He downed one at the 1-yard line, which directly led to Garrett's interception in the end zone.
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