The Michigan State Spartans travel to Ohio Stadium to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in a crucial Big Ten matchup. The Spartans sit one game behind the Buckeyes in the East division, and a win Saturday will get them one step closer to playing in a Big Ten Championship game. Ohio State sits at the third spot in the College Football Playoff poll, and three more wins will have them back in the playoffs with a chance to repeat as National Champions.
J.T. Barrett took back over the starting role after being suspended for a game and led the Buckeyes to a decisive victory over Illinois this past Saturday. The sophomore quarterback threw for 150 yards and a touchdown, but he threw an interception as well. Barrett has struggled throwing the ball this season and has thrown eight touchdowns to three interceptions. The Buckeyes quarterback does keep defenses on their heels, though, as he is a dual threat quarterback capable of taking off at any time. Barrett has rushed for 403 yards this season and is averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
Head coach Urban Meyer will look for Barrett to get the offense going, and defensive lineman Joey Bosa will try to set the tone for the Buckeyes defense. Bosa has NFL executives reportedly drawing comparisons with him and NFL defensive end Jared Allen. The junior defensive lineman has 15 tackles for a loss and four sacks this season. Bosa can create havoc for opposing quarterbacks and will look to get after Spartans quarterback Connor Cook all Saturday afternoon.
Cook is coming off a shoulder injury, which sidelined him for the second half of their win over Maryland last week. Head coach Mark Dantonio will need his quarterback at full strength if the Spartans want to hand Ohio State their first loss of the season. Cook has thrown for 2,482 yards and has 21 touchdowns to four interceptions on the year.
Cook will target Spartans star wide receiver Aaron Burbridge. The Michigan State senior wide out has 1,021 yards and six touchdowns. With Cook back on the field Saturday, Burbridge will look to make an impact on this game.
It's a huge matchup in the Big Ten East division, and both head coaches know what's at stake Saturday. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Buckeyes' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Spartans' radio broadcast, go here.
