After a shockingly poor performance at Iowa, Ohio State did the shocking this week. Running backs Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins combined for 286 yards rushing against Michigan State's top ranked run defense and the Buckeyes dominated the Spartans 48-3 in a battle for first place in the Big Ten's Eastern Division.
Weber scored on two long runs, a 47-yard burst in the first quarter and an 82-yarder in the second. He ended up with a career high 162 yards rushing on just nine carries. Teammate J.K. Dobbins had 124 yards on 18 carries and also had a touchdown reception on an 8-yard screen pass. As a team Ohio State piled up 335 yards on the ground against a Michigan State defense that came into the game leading the Big Ten, allowing only 83 rushing yards per game.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett accounted for four touchdowns as well, rushing for two and throwing for two. He finished with 55 yards rushing on 9 carries and was 14-21 passing for 183 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Ohio State's blowout came a week after they struggled on both sides of the ball in 55-24 loss at Iowa. On this Saturday though, the offense and defense dominated. Michigan State was held to 195 total yards and turned the ball over three times.
The Buckeyes (8-2, 6-1 Big 10) enter the final two weeks of the regular season in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Eastern Division. They host Illinois next Saturday in the home finale and then close out the regular season at Michigan November 25.
Check out the post-game comments of Urban Meyer as well as a handful of highlights.