Ohio State wide receivers shine, run game takes a step back from Spartans

The Ohio State Buckeyes continued their winning streak and are 4-0 on the year after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 38-7 in East Lansing. Returning to Columbus with a convincing Big Ten win in the Buckeyes’ first road game of the season is a nice step in this season’s journey.

Here are the players whose stocks have risen for Ohio State and the players whose stocks have fallen.

The freshman wide receiver has already set the bar high in three games, but he managed to raise it again. Not only did Smith have five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, but his exceptional catches thrilled every spectator.

On the same touchdown scoring drive, Smith made two one-handed catches. The first came from Will Howard and the second from Devin Brown after Howard was briefly eliminated from the game due to a hard hit.

Smith still appears to be pro-ready, which is good news for the Buckeyes since he won’t be draft ready for another few years.

Will Howard has played pretty well so far this season. However, Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall weren’t exactly the toughest tests.

Howard may not have the highest production of any quarterback in college football, but his experience and the weapons around him should make for a strong season. While he had some good moments against the Spartans, this was his worst game yet in the scarlet and gray.

The quarterback completed 21 of 31 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. During this interception, Howard stared at Emeka Egbuka and threw the ball directly to two defenders in front of the receiver. Thanks to this interception and the excellent starting field position, the Spartans were able to score their only touchdown of the evening.

This wasn’t the only time Howard stared down a receiver and had to pay for his mistake. Before Gee Scott Jr.’s touchdown reception to make it 10-0, Howard threw one over the middle and the safety slid right under the route in the end zone. That should have resulted in an interception. However, the Spartans’ missed opportunity resulted in Ohio State still scoring.

Howard has a few things to work on this week as the team prepares to host the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Devin Brown deserves some credit for his performance against Michigan State. Despite losing the starting quarterback battle for the second straight year, Brown is patiently waiting for his chance. That opportunity came earlier than expected against the Spartans.

After suffering a serious blow, Howard was forced out of the game. Brown came in and still helped the Buckeyes score a touchdown. The Spartans applied some pressure, Brown stayed calm in the pocket and delivered a strike to Smith (who scored with the one-handed catch).

Brown’s five for seven nights for 54 yards and a touchdown could be a sign that his game is evolving, and the Buckeyes could be OK if something happens and he has to play for extended periods at some point this season.

Ohio State’s running game has been explosive and dominant in the last two games. After totaling over 500 yards on the ground against Western Michigan and Marshall, the Buckeyes took a step back against Michigan State.

The offensive line didn’t generate nearly the same type of push, which must be a credit to Michigan State’s front seven. Henderson led the way with 69 yards on seven carries. Quinshon Judkins had just 54 yards on 11 carries.

Although Ohio State had two rushing touchdowns on the night, neither of them came from a running back. Jeremiah Smith scored on a 19-yard return and Will Howard also scored.

If the Buckeyes can mount a strong rushing attack against Iowa next game, it would be huge for the confidence of the offensive line. Iowa won’t be a passer, but a more efficient game would be nice.

Downs was all over the field against the Spartans and showed why he may be the best safety in all of college football. Not only did he lead the way with six total tackles (three solo), but he also managed one tackle for loss and made some excellent plays in the open field.

The way he flies around but doesn’t make mistakes on tackles is pretty impressive. It can be assumed that Downs will continue to have an impact as the year progresses.