LEAN GREEN: Spartans manhandled as they suffer a fourth straight loss
By SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr., runs after a catch against Spartans' defender Kendell Davis-Clark. (RASHAUN RUCKER/Detroit Free Press)
EAST LANSING - Drew Stanton warned of this possibility last week.
If Michigan State played as poorly against Ohio State as it did against Michigan, Stanton said it "could get ugly."
The Spartan quarterback was prophetic.
Ugly was falling behind 24-0 at halftime on the way to a 38-7 loss to the Buckeyes, with only A.J. Jimmerson's late touchdown run saving the Spartans from an uglier result.
Ugly was Stanton getting his head slammed against a Gatorade bucket on the sidelines in the third quarter, forcing him to leave the game.
Ugly was cornerback Greg Cooper being carted off on a stretcher after taking a hit in the third quarter that left him unable to move under his own power.
And ugly was seeing entire sections of Spartan Stadium left empty after disgusted fans began their exodus at halftime.
It was evident early that there would be no repeat of 1974 or 1998, when the Spartans upset No. 1 Buckeye teams caught off guard. This OSU team was ready, applying plenty of defensive pressure and beating the Spartan offense with its speed. The Buckeyes' offense, conducted by Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith, was as precise as ever, moving the ball almost at will.
MSU (3-4, 0-3 Big Ten) gave up 423 yards of offense in its fourth consecutive loss of the season. The day also marked the third consecutive game in which Stanton failed to complete a touchdown pass. His last came against Notre Dame on Sept. 23.
And MSU squandered the little bit of momentum it had early when the Spartans again did themselves in with mistakes.
In the first quarter, Cooper recovered a fumble by Ohio State freshman Chris Wells, giving MSU good field position at the Buckeyes' 31-yard line. On their first snap, Stanton completed a 17-yard pass to Jehuu Caulcrick, but a holding penalty denied the Spartans a first down. With a seven-yard net gain, MSU was at 1st-and-3.
The Spartans failed to get the final three yards over the next three plays, and Stanton was sacked for a 16-yard loss on third-and-four.
Two holding penalties stalled MSU's next drive. On third-and-five, Jerramy Scott ran for seven yards, but another holding penalty pushed the Spartans back. MSU managed to pick up the first down when Stanton ran for eight yards on the next play, but on the ensuing first-and-10, Stanton's seven-yard pass to Carl Grimes was negated by another holding call.
The Spartans faced a third-and-21 situation, and Caulcrick got just five yards on the ground. At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans had lost 30 yards on three penalties and had two dropped passes.
Midway through the second quarter, with Ohio State up, 10-0, A.J. Trapasso's 37-yard punt for Ohio State rolled out of bounds at MSU's 4, and the Spartans got only five yards on their next series. Brandon Fields punted 51 yards from MSU's 9, and Ted Ginn Jr. returned it 60 yards for an Ohio State touchdown.
The Buckeyes set up their next touchdown when Marcus Freeman intercepted a Stanton pass at MSU's 39 on the Spartans' next possession. In less than two minutes, Ohio State scored again, as Smith completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 39 seconds left in the half.
Ohio State scored two more touchdowns in the second half. Smith finished with 234 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-22 passing.