Michigan State Football: 5 key plays that led to Ohio State loss

Michigan State football ran out of gas against Ohio State on Saturday night. Here were the five key plays that led to the loss.

On a night when Michigan State football honored one of its best coaches in school history, the team showed that we are far removed from the Mark Dantonio glory days. That is not to say that this team cannot get back to that under Jonathan Smith. It is just going to take some time. The Spartans fell 38-7 to the Buckeyes at home in a tough loss against a very good team.

While it was always going to be a long shot for the Spartans to win, fans still held hope for at least a little while.

That was before the wheels fell off the wagon.

1. Aidan Chiles stopped on fourth-and-1 at 5:12 in the first quarter

Early in the game, the Spartans looked to have a great rhythm going. Aidan Chiles made some fantastic throws that put the Spartans close to the red zone on their initial drive. The drive was halted though when on fourth-and-1 Chiles tried to sneak the ball for a first down. He was met at the line and prevented from gaining any yardage. This allowed the Buckeyes to gain momentum when the Spartans had the opportunity to tie the game with a field goal. Instead, the Buckeyes were allowed to take the ball on downs and extend the lead. While a long kick, it is undeniable that Jonathan Kim has been very strong this season. In a big game against a stronger opponent, points need to be the priority.

2. Malik Spencer dropped interception at 14:04 in the second quarter

With an offense as strong as Ohio State’s, it is important to limit them as much as you can. The Spartan defense stepped up their play during this game and did their best to keep it close. Sometimes you just need to make your own luck though when things aren’t going your way. This almost happened for the Spartans by a bad throw by Will Howard in the endzone. Unfortunately, Malik Spencer bobbled the easy interception. That would have given the Spartans the ball only down by three. Ohio State ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive to extend the lead to 10-0 early in the game.

3. Jordan Turner interception at 9:48 in the second quarter

As stated before, when luck doesn’t go your way, you need to make some. Jordan Turner, who was all over this game provided a big spark for the Spartans when he intercepted a pass by Howard inside the Ohio State 20-yard line. This set up a one-play touchdown drive for the Spartans that allowed them to pull closer in the second quarter. The pass was a 12-yard touchdown to Jaron Glover, who during the first half had a strong connection with Chiles until he fell apart. There are not enough good things that could be said about the performance that Turner put up against the Buckeyes. He was all over the field and was a one-man wrecking crew on almost every snap he had.

4. Howard to Emeka Ebuka for a 33-yard touchdown with 4:57 left in the third

It seemed that the Michigan State football defense was going to make a stand and force the Buckeyes to punt on fourth-and-5 until they sent out the offense. Unfortunately for the Spartans, coverage was missed and Emeka Ebuka had an easy waltz into the endzone. The play was where the crowd seemed to lose hope for a comeback. While the team hung in there for a while, the defense had few answers for the passing game and the OSU receivers. It is demoralizing, especially because the defense looked great at points. They were just unable to close the undeniable skill gap.

5. Chiles intercepted by Denzel Burke with 3:24 left in the third quarter

If the Spartans wanted to win this game, Chiles needed to be nearly perfect. That was not the case. While that could be forgiven early in the game with a blatant missed facemask, the interception should not be. When put into a spot where the team was down 31-7, he tried to once again play hero and threw an ill-advised pass in between two receivers and right to Denzel Burke. This throw led to an Ohio State touchdown that was the final nail in the coffin for this game. While Chiles is still young, if he is going to be a starter for a Big Ten team, he needs to correct his decision-making errors.

Overall thoughts

The game started with a lot of promise. Michigan State football looked strong. As the game went on, the team was worn down by a series of unfortunate turnovers and missed plays that sealed their fate. This game did not feel like the usual blowout against Ohio State, though. If a few things go differently early in the game, this is a very different feeling. The defense was strong for a long time, especially Jordan Turner. The mistakes by the offense helped seal the deal though and it leaves the Spartans at 3-2. Hopefully, the team can regroup on a short week before they take on Oregon on Friday night. The game against the Ducks will kick off at 9 p.m. ET.

Keep checking back in to see where the game will be airing when the Spartans take on the Ducks in Eugene.