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October 12, 2006
Spartans look to shock world against Buckeyes
Michigan State visits Columbus to clash with No.1 Ohio State
It looks like Michigan State is currently mired in yet another midseason tailspin. After blowing a three-score lead in the fourth quarter to Notre Dame three weeks ago, every thing that could go wrong has gone wrong.
The Spartans followed that loss up with a humiliating home defeat to lowly Illinois, despite being favored by over four touchdowns. The week after that, they went south to Ann Arbor to face state rival Michigan. After emerging on the losing end of a 31-13 final, the Spartans now need to win just to get back over .500 and earn their first conference win on the year.
The road doesn’t get any easier this weekend. In fact, this could easily be the toughest test of the year for John L. Smith’s team. The Buckeyes are the consensus No. 1 team in the country and have been atop the polls since the first week of the season.
Ever since that choke job in the fourth quarter against the Irish, Michigan State has seen its starting quarterback struggle along with the rest of the team. Prior to that infamous 15 minutes, Drew Stanton had thrown for eight touchdown passes in his first 3 ¾ games. Since then, he hasn’t found the end zone with his arm and has thrown four interceptions to make matters worse. Thought to be a Heisman darkhorse at the beginning of the year if his team could win enough games, both of those thoughts have now disappeared.
The main weakness for the Spartans this year has been their inability to stop opposing offenses throughout the course of the game. And with Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr. and Antonio Pittman locking eyes with them across the line of scrimmage on Saturday, it might be another long day for Sparty.
Michigan State has been giving up over 25 points per game this year. Since 2001, when Ohio State scores over 20 points they are 49-6. The Buckeyes’ offense doesn’t blow you away statistically, as they only rank 37th in total yards with 395 and 19th in points at a shade under 33. However, it is the athletes that Ohio State throws out onto the field who are frightening. Quarterback Troy Smith could be the most athletically gifted player at his position in the nation. His top target Ted Ginn is a speed merchant in the open field, a true track star from end zone to end zone.
Currently, the Buckeyes are favored by 14 ½ points and will look to continue the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games with a victory on Saturday. But as badly as Michigan State has been playing, do not expect them to roll over and allow Ohio State to put it into cruise control. This is a must-win for the Spartans.
Of note, the last time the Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 in the nation prior to this year was November 1, 1998. The next team they faced after being named the country’s top team was an unranked Michigan State team. The Spartans went on to win that game 28-24.
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