Saturday’s top-10 matchup with Michigan State was expected to be a game in which Ohio State would need its starters to play four good quarters to secure a win. Instead, the Buckeyes began pulling their starters out of the game at halftime.
Ohio State thoroughly dominated Michigan State for the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s game, building a 49-0 lead that allowed the Buckeyes to give their starters some extra rest in the second half and keep them fresh for next weekend’s rivalry game against Michigan.
“Full disclosure, at one point, we wanted to get guys some rest in the second half,” Ryan Day said after the game.