Ohio State Football: 3 Takes from MSU Game
The Ohio State Football team crushed the Michigan State Spartans 52-12 on Saturday afternoon. Here are three takes from the contest.
The Ohio State football team had a lot working against it on Saturday afternoon. Down upwards of 20 players and staff due to COVID-19 and contact tracing, the Buckeyes were down to the bare bones depth-wise.
But defensive line coach Larry Johnson stepped in as acting head coach for Ryan Day and steered the ship in the right direction. The result was a resounding 52-12 victory in favor of the Scarlet and Gray.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson filled in for Day’s playcalling responsibilities and did an admirable job at keeping quarterback Justin Fields upright despite the fact they were down three starting offensive lineman. That included starting a third-string right tackle in Max Wray who did a very nice job on the afternoon.
But this team goes as Justin Fields goes and he did exactly what was needed of him. Making timely and accurate passes, using his legs to extend plays to get first downs and of course, being able to snag some arrant shotgun snaps from center Harry Miller who filled in for Josh Myers.
Overall it was a very impressive performance for being such short-handed. Here are three takes from the game.
No. 1: Ronnie Hickman can play meaningful snaps for this defense
We thought going into this game that Hickman might receive more playing time due to the fact that starting safety Marcus Hooker has had a rough start to the season. Assuming that Josh Proctor would get moved to Hooker’s spot and that Hickman would step in for Proctor’s hybrid safety/linebacker role.
We did not however know that Proctor would miss the game. Thus Hickman stepped right into that role regardless. And he played pretty darn well in that role. Flying around, making hits, and playing solid coverage, Hickman proved to the coaching staff that he needs more run on the field.
Yes, Hickman picked up a personal foul in the game for shoving a Spartan player but I like the edge and attitude that he played with. He appears to be able to give the Buckeyes a little bit of toughness in the secondary, and that is something that is sorely missed this season.