Ohio State football vs. Michigan State: Offense grades

Despite being without three starters on the offensive line, the Ohio State football team was able to beat Michigan State 52-12 in a really good offensive effort.

It was a game that could have gone sideways for a number of reasons. The Ohio State football team was missing their head coach, three starters on the offensive line, and only scored seven offensive points in the second half of the last game that they played against Indiana.

Despite all of that, the Buckeyes came to play and throttled Indiana 52-12. It was a game that helped solidify to all that Ohio State football is a top-four team in college football. The committee should reflect that in their next rankings. Here is how each unit on the offense graded out in yesterday’s victory.

Justin Fields was absolutely outstanding yesterday. He may not have thrown for 300+ yards again, but he was the reason the offense was as good as it was. He was 17/24 for 199 yards and two touchdowns through the air, but it was his legs that made the biggest difference.

Fields ran the ball 13 times for 104 yards and two more touchdowns. There were several times he just had to take off with the ball because of bad snaps by Harry Miller. His ability to corral those snaps and not let it affect the rhythm of the offense was astounding.

C.J. Stroud also got in this game. While Stroud did not attempt a single throw, he showed off wheels of his own, running for a 48-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He will be one of several quarterbacks fighting for the starting job next season.

The running backs were pretty good under tough circumstances. It was actually Trey Sermon who led the way this week. He had 10 carries for 112 yards and a score, buoyed off a 64-yard touchdown run. It was by far his best game as a Buckeye.

Master Teague was less effective, having 14 carries for just 46 yards. He struggled to find open holes in the offensive line. It really wasn’t his fault. Bad snaps through off the flow of the running game early on. He just really could never find a rhythm. Miyan Willians had 5 carries for 28 yards in some surprising playing time, and Steele Chambers had one carry for 8 yards.

This was the worst unit for the Buckeyes, and that was expected. They actually did a really good job in pass protection for most of the game. Having three new starters in there is really tough, but they were able to keep Fields upright for most of the game.

The biggest problem was once again Harry Miller. Miller, despite being recruited as a center, could not snap the ball effectively. Fields constantly had to reach for snaps all over the place. There were a couple that were just straight over his head. It was an issue that never really got corrected.

Even when the backups came in at the end of the game snapping was an issue. A snap went over Stroud’s head into the end zone and he had to take a safety. It’s an issue that needs to be corrected before the Buckeyes take on TTUN next week.

The tight ends didn’t catch a ball in this game but were excellent blockers on the outside in the running game. I very much hope they become more involved in the passing game next week because these guys deserve it after the hard work they do with blocking.

Chris Olave was the most targeted receiver by far in this game. He had 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he did have a drop and a fumble in this game. It’s the second game in which he’s fumbled the ball, something he needs to fix.

Garrett Wilson had 3 catches for 59 yards and a score as well. He wasn’t quite as involved in the passing game as games past, but that’s a luxury you can afford when your receivers are so good. Julian Fleming was the only other receiver to catch a pass, catching two balls for 8 yards.

This was a good game for the offense in difficult circumstances. They need to keep this up for the next two games, and then they will have achieved their goal of making the CFP. The entire Ohio State football team should be proud of their efforts.