Ohio State Football: 4th and Short, top player, Maryland game and more

EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 10: Matt Dotson #89 of the Michigan State Spartans battles for yards after a second half catch while being tackled by Pete Werner #20 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at Spartan Stadium on November 10, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

For the first time in weeks, the games featuring the rest of the Top 10 were chalk while the Ohio State football team took care of business in East Lansing.

Here come the Buckeyes? The Ohio State football team dominated Michigan State with the defense and special teams leading the way. Could this win be the turning point in Ohio State’s season?

As for the rest of the country, Alabama shut out a second straight ranked SEC opponent, Clemson and Notre Dame earned dominating wins, and Oklahoma survived Bedlam. I’ll get to playoff situation, evaluate Ohio State’s win, provide a look into the headlining Group of 5 matchup, and more in this week’s edition of 4th & Short.

Q: Did [the Ohio State-Michigan State] game raise [your] confidence?

A: There were a lot positive takeaways from the Michigan State game, especially on defense and special teams. The performance by each of those units were exactly what the country and Buckeye Nation have been longing to see. My confidence in the Buckeyes was boosted after this weekend for a few reasons.

Each week it seems like a different part of the team shows up. It has been mostly the offense so far, but on Saturday, for sixty minutes, the defense came to play.

They played with fire and an edge as they suffocated the Spartans holding them to just 274 yards while not allowing a touchdown. Ohio State’s third down defense has stepped up since the bye week.

The Buckeyes held the Spartans to 2/16 on third down which raises their hold percentage to 80% (6/30) over the past two weeks on third down.

We know the offense is capable and now that the defense showed themselves they can do it, they are in a good spot. Ohio State’s best football is still in front of them and they have Maryland to get it going this week while getting ready for “The Game”.

The question still remains, will the Buckeyes be able to put it together down the stretch and earn a shot at winning a second consecutive Big Ten Championship?