Michigan State's Playoff Dreams Crumble Vs. Ohio State

EAST LANSING (AP) — Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio lamented a missed opportunity in the second quarter, when his team recovered a fumble in Ohio State territory but came away with no points after a penalty and a missed field goal.

The way the Buckeyes were moving the ball, it might not have mattered.

"The bottom line is we didn't stop 'em," Dantonio said.

J.T. Barrett threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in a sensational performance, and No. 13 Ohio State scored almost at will against Michigan State's vaunted defense, beating the seventh-ranked Spartans 49-37 on Saturday night.

With one overwhelming offensive display, the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-0) re-established themselves as the Big Ten's dominant team under coach Urban Meyer, avenged their loss to Michigan State in last year's conference title game, and boosted their case for a berth in college football's new four-team playoff.

Ohio State came into the game ranked No. 14 by the playoff committee. The Spartans (7-2, 4-1) were No. 8 and will almost surely drop out of contention.

"Disappointing. We had big hopes," Dantonio said. "At the end of the day, we didn't get what we wanted. That's the way life is. We'll regroup and move on."

Barrett, who became the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes before the season because Braxton Miller needed shoulder surgery, went 16 of 26 for 300 yards.

Ohio State's first drive ended in a missed field goal, and another early possession fell apart because of penalties. Aside from that, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown every time they had the ball until they punted in the final minute.

Ohio State rolled up 568 yards of offense against a Michigan State defense that was one of the nation's best a year ago and had been good enough to keep the Spartans in the playoff conversation heading into this showdown in East Lansing.

Michigan State led 21-14 when Ohio State's Dontre Wilson fumbled a kickoff, giving the Spartans a chance to extend their lead in the second quarter. But a holding penalty wiped out a Michigan State touchdown, and the Spartans eventually missed a field goal.

On Ohio State's next offensive play, Barrett found Michael Thomas for a 79-yard catch-and-run touchdown that tied it at 21. Barrett then threw a 44-yard TD pass to Devin Smith to put the Buckeyes ahead with 56 seconds left in the half.

"They fumbled the kickoff. We had a holding call that took points off the board," Dantonio said. "They score and it goes from 28-14 to 21-all. The momentum flipped."

It was by any measure one of the biggest home games in Michigan State history, but Barrett and the Buckeyes turned it into a scarlet-and-gray party, overcoming a pair of first-half turnovers on special teams and taking a 28-21 lead into halftime.

When the Spartans had to settle for a field goal to start the third quarter, that was the opening Ohio State needed. Michigan State simply couldn't stop the Buckeyes from scoring touchdowns, and now Ohio State is in control atop the Big Ten's East Division.

Ohio State is 21-0 in Big Ten regular-season games under Meyer. Last year's loss to Michigan State in the league title game was a blemish, but the Buckeyes certainly did what they could to make up for that, handing the Spartans their first loss to a conference opponent since 2012.

"This is one for the ages," said Meyer, in his third year as Ohio State's coach. "That's how much respect we had for our opponent going into it. We saw what they did. They had one loss and they were actually winning that one game until it kind of got away from them somehow at Oregon. We played a top-10 team and really played our best on the road."

After a Michigan State field goal to start the third quarter, Ohio State marched 67 yards in 13 plays, and Ezekiel Elliott's 1-yard touchdown run made it 35-24. Barrett found Wilson for a 7-yard TD early in the fourth to give the Buckeyes an 18-point lead.

Jeremy Langford ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns for Michigan State, and Connor Cook threw for 358 yards and two TDs. The Spartans gained 536 yards and did not have a turnover but still couldn't keep up.

"J.T. Barrett was on fire. Did he have an incomplete pass today?" Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said. "They were better than our scout team offense, put it that way. They came in for revenge, and they got it."

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