COLUMBUS, Ohio — Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall, Ohio State’s best wide receivers, both had inexplicable drops on what should have been simple throw-and-catches against Michigan State on Saturday. Thomas’s came near the end of the first half on first-and-10; Marshall’s came near the beginning of the second on a third-and-4. Both drives were three-and-outs, two of a staggering six for the No. 2 Buckeyes.But it is difficult to say whether catching the ball would have mattered. Wherever an Ohio State player was, a Michigan State defender was there to stop him. The result was grinding, sleet-soaked trench warfare in which the No. 9 Spartans, even without their starting quarterback, Connor Cook, played their best game of the year and upset the Buckeyes, 17-14, ending with a winning 41-yard field goal by Michael Geiger as time expired.Michigan State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten), led by Coach Mark Dantonio, now controls its destiny, so that a win next Saturday at home against Penn State would send it to face Iowa on Dec. 5 in Indianapolis for the conference championship game. A win there would make the Spartans a likely, if not guaranteed, contender in the College Football Playoff.“We sat around all day and listened to how we were underdogs,” Dantonio said. “I knew the score coming into the game.”By contrast, not only would Ohio State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) need to win at Michigan next Saturday — something the Spartans barely managed — but Michigan State would need to lose for the Buckeyes to have a shot at the Hawkeyes and the Playoff.While neither the Buckeyes nor the Spartans have looked as dominant as expected in the preseason, the Buckeyes, undefeated and playing at home, were the clear favorites. As it became increasingly clear that Cook, who injured his shoulder in last week’s 24-7 win over Maryland, might not play, oddsmakers set the line at two touchdowns.Before the game, Cook gingerly threw passes and made his way through a handoff drill. But most of the reps went to Damion Terry, a redshirt sophomore, and Tyler O’Connor, a redshirt junior…
Continue Reading: Michigan State Defeats Ohio State With Field Goal in Final Seconds
