Three keys to an Ohio State football victory over Michigan State

The Ohio State football team is taking on Michigan State this weekend in the first Big Ten matchup of the season for the Buckeyes. The Spartans are the toughest opponent that the Buckeyes have played so far. Their competition hasn't been the best so far.

This game also marks the first time that the Buckeyes have had to travel on the road for a game this year. It will be Will Howard's first start on the road in an Ohio State uniform. What makes this even harder is that it is a night game, so the crowd will definitely be a factor.

Ohio State has had to deal with upsets from Michigan State before. They've done it a couple of times when the Buckeyes have been in the national championship hunt. Ohio State is in that position once again this year, so they hope that the Spartans won't spoil the party again.

There are three keys to a Buckeye victory on Saturday night. If they are able to accomplish all of these things, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to walk out of East Lansing with a victory. They are the more talented roster of the two teams.

The first key has to do with how well Ohio. State protects the ball.

1. The Ohio State football team must protect the ball

Ohio State is the more talented team. That means that Michigan State is going to need help in order to win this game. The best way for them to get help is to force turnovers. Ohio State needs to be able to hold onto the ball and keep it away from the Spartans when they are on offense.

So far this season, the Buckeyes have done a very good job of keeping a hold of the ball. They only have one turnover so far. It was the interception that Will Howard threw when he was trying to hit Jeremiah Smith one-on-one against Marshall and Smith stopped his route.

Other than that one mistake, the Buckeyes have been able keep the turnovers at bay. Howard knows that he doesn't need to force too many throws into tight windows for this team to be successful. He just needs to get the ball out of his hand and to his playmakers as quickly as possible.

The running backs don't have a history of fumbling the ball either. The offense in general does a very good job of not turning the ball over. If the Buckeyes turn it over a couple of times in this game, the Spartans will have a good chance to make this game extremely uncomfortable.

The second key to a win has to do with the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State.