What We Learned From Ohio State's 17-16 Win Over Michigan State

The Ohio State Buckeyes survived another scare at Michigan State despite some sloppy weather, holding on for the 17-16 win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. While it was the defense that preserved the victory late, the offense managed to do just enough to win the game. Here are three things we learned from the game:

3) The win does nothing to diminish Ohio State's playoff chances
Let's just go ahead and get this out of the way now. This win, even though it was a narrow victory over a 3-7 Michigan State team, does not put Ohio State out of the playoff. They'll probably stay at No. 2, but even if they slip to No. 3 or No. 4 in the rankings on Tuesday, a win over Michigan next weekend would essentially cement their place in the playoff.

Don't panic, Buckeyes fans. You're just fine.

2) Need to get better at stop the run
That being said, they need to get much, much better at stopping the run if they are going to beat Michigan. The Buckeyes were shredded by Michigan State's L.J. Scott, who picked up a career-high 160 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries - and he's their only real offensive weapon. The Wolverines don't have a singular running back threat like that, but they rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing and have four players with over 400 rushing yards on the season. Ohio State needs a strong bounce back in the trenches next Saturday.

1) They need to find a spark in the passing game
The inclement weather obviously hampered both teams' ability to throw the ball, but considering that the passing game has been a problem all season long, it's clear that this team needs to find something they can rely on. J.T. Barrett completed just 10/22 passes for 86 yards, and no receiver averaged more than 10 yards per catch. There's a good chance they'll be playing in inclement weather against Michigan next weekend as well, making this a definite area to focus on in practice this week.

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