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Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Michigan State

By Eric Boggs

MADISON, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 28: Ryan Day head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts to a penalty called on Ohio State Buckeyes during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 28: Ryan Day head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts to a penalty called on Ohio State Buckeyes during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State Football team has an elite defense. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The Ohio State Football team has an elite defense. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Defensive Confidence Level

Michigan State’s offense this season has been really bad. They have only managed to move the football for an average of 319 yards per game, which is ranked 111th in college football. Plus, their third down conversion percentage of 34 is ranked 107th. These numbers are a good sign that Jim Knowles and his fifth-ranked defense will feast come Saturday evening.

Michigan State has used several different quarterbacks throughout the season, and with freshman Sam Leavitt having already played in four games this season, the rumor is that he won’t be an option for Michigan State offensive coordinator Jay Johnson. That means the Spartans will rely on Noah Kim and Katin Houser on Saturday against the Buckeyes. Between the two, Michigan State has had only nine touchdown tosses compared to eight interceptions.

These pedestrian passing numbers have led the Spartans to rely more on their running game. Nathan Carter has 156 rushing attempts on the season for 659 rushing yards, which is good enough for 4.2 yards per pop. The Buckeye defense had stopped the run well all season, until the past couple of weeks. Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen had 50 yards on 10 carries against the Buckeyes in the first half before exiting with an injury. Then last week in Piscataway, Rutgers was able to gain 232 yards on the ground against the Buckeyes. This is a trend that needs to be squashed and made right this weekend as the Buckeye defense prepares itself for what many believe is the best rushing attack in all of college football in TTUN.

My confidence in this defense this week is a perfect 10. Although there have been some cracks in the foundation exposed the past couple of weeks, along with some key injuries in the defensive backfield, this Michigan State offense is no threat.

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