The stage was set for Ohio State. Watching Alabama lose the week prior and getting bumped out of the number one seed all while riding a nation best 24-game winning streak and a perfect record under head coach Urban Meyer. Just one last game stood in their way of a long awaited trip to the BCS championship.
Michigan State, who was considered the Buckeye's most daunting opponent during their winning streak set the tone early, letting everyone know this wouldn't be "just another game" for Ohio State. The Spartans held the Buckeyes scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since October 27th, 2012 when Ohio State played Penn State. Ohio State had gone into the game with a FBS-high 220 points scored in the first quarter this season.
If that punch in the gut didn't knock the wind on out of the Buckeyes, the fact that the Spartans went out and scored the first 17 points of the game surely did. Sophomore Connor Cook was determined to shake his "game manager" label as nay sayers continually gave all the credit to Michigan State's defense for their success in 2013. Cook didn't just shake it off, he ripped it off with authority.
After the rushing attack of Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde found their groove against the nations number one defense and bolted Ohio State back on top with 24 unanswered points Cook rallied his troops. He marched down the field to set up a 44-yard field goal for the Spartans while ending the third quarter with some momentum trailing 24-20.
After a quick stop by their defense, Cook got the ball back at the start of the fourth quarter and drove his team methodically down the field chewing up clock, and more importantly keeping Meyer's high octane offense off the field, before he found Josiah Price in the flat for a nine-yard touchdown stealing the lead back 27-24.
The country's stingiest defense did the rest; shutting down Ohio State drive after drive including a fourth-and-two at midfield. With just under six minutes to play Meyer called for an option-sweep to the right, one of their most successful plays all year. The Spartans sniffed it out as a swarm of Spartan green attacked Miller and stuffed him at the line of scrimmage for a turn over on downs, and a huge momentum killer for the Buckeyes.
The following possession Michigan State was just hoping to grind out some clock with running back Jeremy Langford who had his eighth 100-yard rushing game in a row. But, with two minutes to play the Spartan's Langford became possessed by King Leonidas from the film "300" and in one 26-yard dash killed the hopes and dreams of the Persian army known as Ohio State. As Langford stormed into the end zone waving the ball in the air like his sword over a screaming crowd you could hear him shout "THIS-IS-SPARTA!"
The Buckeyes sat on the sidelines deflated with their heads hung low, not knowing how to cope with something so foriegn to them as a loss, let alone one with this magnitude. The Buckeyes will now face Clemson in the Orange Bowl on Janurary 3rd. Meanwhile, the Spartans are Rose Bowl bound as they head to Pasadena for the first time in 25-years to face Stanford on New Years Day.
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