Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from big win over Michigan State

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EAST LANSING, MI – OCTOBER 27: Jalen Nailor #8 of the Michigan State Spartans runs the ball for a 48 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers Spartan Stadium on October 27, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

3. Michigan State can’t run the ball

This may not be the fairest of statements, but when a team has the 111th-best rushing offense in the nation it’s hard to argue against it. The question is, however, do they even want to run the ball with anyone other than the quarterback?

Connor Heyward had 157 yards on the ground last week against Maryland with 15 carries. This was only the third time he saw 10-plus carries all season long and the first time since the Central Michigan game in late September. How can Mark Dantonio expect to solve the issues in the running game if he doesn’t attempt to run the ball?.

Heyward finished second in carries today with four attempts while the Brian Lewerke had the most touches with six.

In games where teams play from far behind this approach would make sense due to them trying not to kill the clock. But if you’re only down 7-6 for the majority of the game, why would you throw the ball 48 times when your quarterbacks average 56 percent through the air this season?

Dantonio needs to find a way to run the ball or find a quarterback that can throw more efficiently.

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