Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud plays against Michigan State during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.AP
No. 3 Ohio State and Michigan State play on Saturday, Oct. 8. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial).
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker is well aware of the pain that Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud can inflict on his struggling Spartans.
“They have arguably the best quarterback in the country,” Tucker said of the No. 3 Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who will play their first road game of the season Saturday at Michigan State (2-3, 0-2).
In 2020, Stroud came off the bench against Michigan State and sprinted 48 yards for his first career touchdown as a Buckeye. Last year, he threw a school-record six touchdown passes against the Spartans in the first half, finishing with 32 completions on 35 attempts for 432 yards.
Stroud is again among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. He’s leading an offense that’s averaging 529.6 yards per game and ranked No. 3 nationally. Since scoring 21 points in a season-opening win against Notre Dame, Ohio State is averaging 55.7 points in its last four games.
When is Ohio State-Michigan State?
Ohio State plays Michigan State at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) Saturday, Oct. 8.
Live stream
FuboTV
The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.
Will it be televised?
Ohio State and Michigan State will be televised on ABC.
Preview
POTENTIAL RETURNS: Ohio State star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has seen little playing time this season after suffering a hamstring injury in the opener against Notre Dame. He has been week to week since.
“We’re hoping to get him back this week,” Day said.
Day said he is also optimistic about the possible return of running back TreVeyon Henderson and cornerback Cameron Brown. Henderson was a late scratch after warmups before the Rutgers game and Brown has missed the last two games.
UPSETS DO HAPPEN: Michigan State has toppled Ohio State 10 times when the Buckeyes entered the game ranked in the AP Top 25, including seven times when the Buckeyes were in the top 10 (No. 7 in 1951, No. 9 in 1971, No. 5 in 1972, No. 1 in 1974, No. 1 in 1998, No. 2 in 2013, No. 2 in 2015). The Spartans have defeated the Buckeyes three times since 2011, the most of any team in the Big Ten.
DEFENSE STEPS UP: Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg broke a two-year drought for Ohio State’s defense when he was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week following a 14-tackle performance in the Sept. 24 win over Wisconsin.
That was emblematic of the overall improvement this season of the Buckeyes defense. After last year, Jim Knowles was brought in from Oklahoma State to be the Ohio State defensive coordinator.
Despite some injuries disrupting the secondary, the Buckeyes are 11th in the country in total defense, allowing an average of 263.8 yards per game, and 15th in yards-per-play (4.52).
Eichenberg leads the Buckeyes with 42 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two sacks.
“They’re playing with great confidence,” Day said. “That’s the most important thing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) take to the field for a road game for the first time since 2021 as they travel to East Lansing to take on Mel Tucker’s Michigan State Spartans (2-3) on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. ET in a game that will be broadcast on ABC.
After their trip to that state up north, the Buckeyes will have their open week before getting into the thick of their Big Ten schedule in late October with back-to-back games against the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2) and the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0). Ohio State is looking to balance the need to keep their momentum going into the bye week while also getting a handful of key players healthy for the stretch run.
The country’s best wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has played very little this season after suffering a hamstring injury against Notre Dame in the opener. And although he has been practicing, he is unexpected to take to the field this afternoon, essentially giving him two more weeks to rest up before (hopefully) returning to the field as close to 100% as possible.
The Buckeyes’ top running back coming into the season, TreVeyon Henderson, is more likely to return to action against Sparty, although nothing is guaranteed when it comes to Ohio State and injuries this season.
Whichever offensive weapons take to the field for the Buckeyes in Spartan Stadium are likely to have big days as MSU has been uncharacteristically porous on defense this season. They come into the game with the 99th-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed (allowing 411.8 yards per game), including the 115th-ranked passing defense (275 ypg).
Sparty’s offense hasn’t been much better this season either, coming in at 92nd in total offense (370.4 ypg) and 88th in scoring offense (27 points per game).
Conversely, the Buckeyes are the top-ranked scoring offense (48.8 ppg) and third-ranked total offense (529.6 ypg). On defense, OSU is the No. 10 defense — allowing just 263.8 yards per game — seventh-rated passing defense (153.4 ypg) and 14th-ranked scoring defense (14.8 ppg).
Ohio State has won six straight games in the series against Michigan State dating back to the unbelievably regrettable 17-14 defeat in 2015 when the Buckeyes were by far the best team in the country, but were so painfully mismanaged that they lost the chance for back-to-back national titles. Ryan Day and his squad are looking for a better outcome this time around.
When is the game and how can I watch?
Game
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
TV: ABC
Online:
Sling
TV
Radio: 97.1 FM | 1460 AM
DraftKings Sportsbook line: Ohio State -27 | o/u 65
Official LGHL Prediction: Ohio State 52, Michigan State 14
Matt’s Prediction: Ohio State 59, Michigan State 10
Join the conversation
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