What Time and Channel Is the Ohio State Game on
1. Holy smokes, for MSU, that was humbling and revealing
COLUMBUS, Ohio – I can't imagine how Saturday could have gone worse for Michigan State. Other than if Ohio State had played the second half with the same appetite it did the first.
This was a blistering, demoralizing and revealing blowout, 56-7 (49-0 at the half), which made a mockery of the Spartans' Big Ten championship dreams. Their top receiver, Jayden Reed, finished the game with his foot in a boot. Their senior captain, Xavier Henderson, watched the second half in a sweatshirt. Their star running back, Kenneth Walker, saw his Heisman Trophy candidacy probably squashed.
And their coach now returns to campus to perhaps sign a 10-year, $95-million contract amid a very different vibe. I'd argue keeping Mel Tucker is every bit as necessary as it was before MSU was outclassed by the Buckeyes, even if the confidence that Tucker can eventually change that might be less than it was before Saturday. The gap between these two programs was incredible.
At halftime, Ohio State had 500 yards of offense. The Buckeyes' young quarterback had thrown for 393 yards and six touchdowns, at one point completing 17 straight passes. MSU, conversely, had 116 total yards. Its QB was 8-for-26, with nowhere near the time or room to throw. The Spartans' only promising drive ended in a missed 46-yard field goal. Hey, freshman Keon Coleman caught a second-half touchdown. That's something, I guess.
You don't need the recap. You saw it. If you didn't, and you're an MSU fan, consider yourself among the lucky.
The key now for MSU's program is to react. That goes for Tucker and the coaching staff and the players with eligibility remaining. This should again be a launching point — just like last season's 52-12 loss to Ohio State was. This can be a game that drives the Spartans, one they point to if the matchup looks different in a couple seasons. This should send the Spartans on the recruiting trail and into the weight room with a fervor. They just saw how far they need to go and what they need to be able to conquer. Judgment day comes early next season — Sept. 24, when the Buckeyes visit Spartan Stadium.
This should also be a reminder to fans and to those of us that cover the program — and to anyone who got caught up in the fever for the first two months — that this is still a football program that needs some rebuilding.
Tucker and Co. did a heckuva job of building a roster that could compete with and beat everyone in Tier 2 of the Big Ten and below. But Tier 1 is a one-team tier. Tier 1 is the goal. Dreams of Tier 1 are why you and your donors pay Tucker $9.5 million annually. You hope he can take you there.
This was a dreadful matchup for MSU, it turned out — given Ohio State's skill in the passing game and MSU's vulnerability defending the pass. It made the difference between these two programs look even greater than it is. Still, that final score was earned.
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2. Kenneth Walker is going to need a lot of help with the Heisman now
Kenneth Walker went from perhaps the Heisman Trophy frontrunner to probably dang near out of the picture, even if he'll still be a finalist. That's what a forgettable six-carry, 25-yard performance in an unforgettable 56-7 loss to Ohio State will do.
It's not Walker's fault. It takes a perfect storm for any running back to win the Heisman these days, let alone one from MSU. It's mostly a quarterback award, given to the best quarterback among the best teams. It's the most prestigious individual award in sport for its history and famous bronze pose, not for its fairness or accuracy.
It's a whole lot easier for the quarterback at Ohio State or Alabama to win it. Buckeyes redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud might have become the favorite Saturday. He certainly put up eye-popping numbers — 432 yards passing and six TDs. Are we sure he's the best QB in college football, given that he rarely sees a pass rush of any sort? No. There might be a half-dozen other QBs who could do what he's done with the cast he has around him. And, if Walker had a different cast around him — a better pass defense to keep his team in the game Saturday, especially — he might have had a different day. It didn't help that he was banged up, Mel Tucker said afterwards.
Walker reached this point against all odds — by bursting onto the scene against Northwestern, bolstering his case against Miami and Rutgers, and then having his Heisman moment against Michigan. The odds caught up with him Saturday. The roster around him caught up with him.
Here's the scenario in which Walker still has a chance: He has a big game next week against Penn State, Stroud sees some pressure in his face next Saturday at Michigan and struggles mightily, and Georgia makes Alabama QB Bryce Young look pedestrian in the SEC championship. Then, and only then, maybe Walker is seriously in the conversation again. There might be an appetite to choose him, or at least to choose something different than a QB in a year without an obvious QB as the choice. But what happened in Columbus will be hard to overcome.
MORE GRAHAM COUCH: Blowout loss to Buckeyes is exactly why MSU is fighting to keep Mel Tucker
3. We'll find out a lot about this MSU team next week — and there's plenty still at stake
If the Spartans can pry their souls off the mat, there's a lot to play for next week against Penn State. Getting to 10-2 feels significantly better than 9-3. Getting to 10-2 also might still come with a New Year's Six bowl bid — the Fiesta Bowl or Peach Bowl. That would be a heckuva cap to this improbable season.
I don't think the Spartans will be in the Top 12 in the College Football Rankings — in line for a New Year's Six bowl — when the latest order is released on Tuesday night. But if they beat the Nittany Lions, their body of work will likely warrant it then.
I don't know if MSU is healthy enough to win next week. But if they let this depressing afternoon impact their final showing of the regular season, they'll regret it.
Two years ago, we saw a measuring-stick loss to Ohio State send MSU into a spiral. This week is going to be a character check for the Spartans.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
What Time and Channel Is the Ohio State Game on
Source: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2021/11/20/ohio-state-football-msu-michigan-state-three-quick-takes-couch/8698989002/