THE PERTINENT INFO

When: Saturday, November 20, 2021
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: Noon // ABC
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe

This will be the 50th time Ohio State and Michigan State have faced each other in football. The Buckeyes hold a 34–15 advantage in the all-time series and are 16–9 when playing the Spartans in Columbus. The Scarlet and Gray have won six of the last eight in this series when playing in Ohio Stadium. 

Last week, Michigan State defeated Maryland, 40-21, and enters this contest with a 9–1 record. Mel Tucker and company are undefeated (2–0) against ranked teams this season.

Below, you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information, and team stats.

THE LAST TIME...

• Ohio State played MSU was 2020. The Scarlet and Gray won 52-12.
• Ohio State played on November 20th was 2010. The team traveled to Kinnick Stadium and defeated Iowa 20-17. 
• The Buckeyes lost to Michigan State in Columbus was 2015, 14-17.
• The Scarlet and Gray lost the eleventh game of the season was Nov. 21, 2015. No. 9 Michigan State beat the second ranked Ohio State, 14-17.

ON THE HORIZON​

• TreVeyon Henderson (17) is a touchdown away from tying Maurice Clarett's Ohio State freshman record of 18.
• Jeremy Ruckert is one touchdown catch away from tying Jake Stoneburner for first on the Ohio State all-time TE career touchdown list with 13.
• Chris Olave is a 100-yard receiving game away from surpassing Michael Jenkins for second place on Ohio State's all-time career list with ten 100-yard games.
• Olave (33) is one touchdown catch away from tying David Boston (34) for the all-time Ohio State record.

*NCAA sanctions be damned.

LET'S GO STREAKING

• The Buckeyes have won 28 straight conference games (including three title game victories).
• Garrett Wilson has at least one catch in 30 straight games.
• Ohio State has won 13 straight true road games.
• Ryan Day is 22–0 against Big Ten opponents.
• Ohio State has defeated Michigan State in five consecutive contests.
• C.J. Stroud has passed for 300+ yards in three straight games and five of the last six contests.

*NCAA sanctions be damned.

GET TO KNOW MICHIGAN STATE

• Michigan State is located in East Lansing, MI.
• The university was established in 1855. 
• The Spartans are in their 123rd season of playing football. 
• Sparty, the team's mascot, made its debut as a six-foot tall papier-mâché Spartan head in 1955.  
• Michigan State football started as a club sport in 1885, but played its first varsity football game in 1896.
• Notable alumni are James Caan* (The Godfather), Dick Martin (half of Rowan and Martin) Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Tom Bodett* (Motel 6), Chris Hansen (Tells pervs to have a seat), Jackie Martling (The Joke Man), Steve Garvey (Dodgers great), Kirk Gibson (Tigers great), Draymond Green (Warriors whiner), Magic Johnson (Lakers great, has HIV?), Zach Randolph (Grizzlies), Le'Veon Bell (Jets, Groveport Madison), Plaxico Burrress (heart breaker and poor shot), Bubba Smith (Colts, Police Academy and Married With Children)  Drayton McLane Jr. (owner of the Astros), Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cavs), Tom Gores (owner of the Pistons), John H. McConnell (former owner of the Blue Jackets)

*Attended, did not graduate.

STRANGE MICHIGAN LAWS

A woman isn’t allowed to cut her own hair without her husband’s permission.
And that's the way it should be, damnit. Yes, for that poor joke, I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight this year.

In Detroit, people are not allowed to make love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple’s own property.
Many neighbors have had awkward discussions with their kids because of this law.

In Kalamazoo, it is against the law to serenade your girlfriend.
However, if you want to get it on in your car, in your driveway anytime of the day or night...have it at.

​TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1. This year's Oregon game was a noon kick. When was the last time Ohio State lost two noon games in the same season?
2. Ronnie Hickman is on pace to record 100 tackles. Who was the last Buckeye to tally 100+ tackles in a season?
3. What year did the Buckeyes and Spartans face off for the first time as Big Ten opponents?

Answers at the bottom of today's article.

2021 Player Comparison

OFFENSIVE LEADERS
C.J. STROUD	3,036 YDS // 30 TD // 5 INT	PASSING	PAYTON THORNE	2,460 YDS // 21 TD // 8 INT
TREVEYON HENDERSON	1,028 YDS // 7.5 YPC // 14 TD	RUSHING	KENNETH WALKER III	1,473 YDS // 6.5 YPC // 17 TD
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA	1,027 YDS // 17.4 YPR // 5 TD	RECEIVING	JAYDEN REED	829 YDS // 18.4 YPR // 7 TD
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
RONNIE HICKMAN	80	TACKLES	XAVIER HENDERSON	82
HASKELL GARRETT	4.5	SACKS	JACUB PANASIUK /// JEFF PIETROWSKI	5.5
RONNIE HICKMAN /// RYAN WATTS	2	INTERCEPTIONS	CHARLES BRANTLEY /// 7 OTHERS	1
SPECIAL TEAMS
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA	9.3	PUNT RETURNER	JAYDEN REED	21.3
EMEKA EGBUKA	32.1	KICKOFF RETURN	JAYDEN REED	25.3
JESSE MIRCO	41.6	PUNTING	BRYCE BARINGER	49.4
4		EDGE	5

THE COACHES

Ryan Day

• 32–3 (.914) at Ohio State
• 32–3 (.914) overall

Day's hometown is Manchester, NH. He attended Manchester High School and attended college at New Hampshire. Day has been in coaching for 19 years and is Ohio State's 25th head coach. 

Last season, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes outscored their opponents 656-192. That is an average victory of 47-14. 

Over his three seasons as the Buckeyes' head coach, Ryan Day's teams have outscored their B1G opponents 1,112-406. That is an average victory of 46-17.  

After 35 games with Day as head coach, Ohio State has put up a program record 1,616 points. Urban Meyer's teams had 1,497 points after 35 contests.

Mel Tucker

• 11–6 (.647) at Michigan State (2nd year)
• 16–13 (.552) overall as a college head coach (3rd year)
• 8–6 (.571) against Big Ten opponents

Mel Tucker was born in Cleveland, attended Cleveland Heights and played as a defensive back for Wisconsin. He started his coaching career as a GA for Nick Saban and Michigan State in 1997. Tucker was hired by Miami University as the Redhawks' DB coach in 1999. He spent a year in Oxford, then held the same position in LSU for a season. 

When Jim Tressel was hired by Ohio State in 2001, he in turn hired Tucker to be part of his inaugural staff. Tucker was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2004 and left for an opportunity as the DB coach for the Cleveland Browns. He was promoted to DC in 2008 and parlayed that job into stints in the same position with Jacksonville (2009-12), Chicago (2013-14) and Georgia (2016-18). During that time, Tucker was also the interim head coach (2011) and assistant head coach for the Jaguars in 2012.

Before being hired as head coach by Colorado in 2019, Alabama and Nick Saban hired him as the DB and assistant head coach for the 2015 season. Tucker then spent three years at Georgia as the Bulldogs' DC and DB coach. When offered the Michigan State head coaching job, Tucker resigned from Colorado and headed for East Lansing in February of 2020.

CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER

• 1.....C.J. Stroud is the first freshman QB at Ohio State to pass for 3,000 yards.
• 2.....painful losses in the last 23 years to Michigan State (1998, 2015).
• 3......times Ohio State has not gained at least 500 yards of total offense this season. 
• 4......touchdowns for Garrett Wilson against Purdue. 
• 5.......times Michigan State has defeated a Top 5 ranked Ohio State team.
• 6.......touchdowns by the Silver Bullets this year.
• 7......Buckeyes who have scored 20 touchdowns during a single season.
• 8......B1G Freshman of the Week Awards for Ohio State this season.
• 9.......rushing touchdowns allowed by the Buckeyes' defense this year.
• 11.....receiving touchdowns for Chris Olave this season.
• 11.....interceptions by the Silver Bullets this season.
• 13.....times Ohio State has scored 50+ points since 2019.
• 14.....Ohio State has won 14 of the last 17 against Michigan State.
• 15.....receptions for Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Nebraska, a school record.
• 16.....the average margin of victory for the Buckeyes against ranked Big Ten teams with Ryan Day as head coach.
• 17.....rushing touchdowns for Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III.
• 18.....straight made field goals for Noah Ruggle.
• 18.....times Ohio State has finished a season with at least 11 wins.
• 19.....straight drives the OSU scored against Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana.
• 20.....straight victories over ranked Big Ten teams.
• 21.....times Ohio State has hosted GameDay.
• 25.....consecutive conference wins under Ryan Day.
• 25.....games of 500+ yards of total offense with Day as head coach.
• 25.....straight field goals made by Noah Ruggles inside of 50 yards. 
• 28.....consecutive Big Ten wins for the Buckeyes.
• 29.....the Buckeyes average margin of victory against B1G opponents with Day as head coach.
• 30.....consecutive games Garrett Wilson has had at least one reception.
• 30.....TreVeyon Henderson has seven rushes of 30+ yards.
• 34.....straight seasons ranked in the AP preseason Top 25. 
• 34.....sacks registered by the Silver Bullets.
• 35.....completions for C.J. Stroud against Oregon, third most in school history. 
• 36.....completions for C.J. Stroud against Nebraska, second most in program history.
• 43.....starts by true freshmen this season.
• 49.....years Archie Griffin's freshman single-game rushing record stood.
• 50.....The Buckeyes have scored 50+ points five times this season.
• 51.....times Ohio State has played when GameDay has been on site.
• 55.....total touchdowns for Olave and Wilson, the most ever for a Buckeye WR duo.
• 59.....combined points for the Buckeyes against Penn State and Nebraska.
• 59.....points scored against Purdue.
• 70.....yards TreVeyon Henerson blazed for his first touchdown.
• 71.....yards Miyan Williams rumbles to score the Buckeyes' first TD in 2021.
• 75.....yards on Jaxon Smith-Njigba's touchdown catch against Nebraska.
• 80.....tackles for Ronnie Hickman this season.
• 85.....yards Kyle McCord and Emeka Egbuka connected for against Akron, tied for the third longest pass play in Ohio State history.
• 89.....Consensus All-Americans.
• 99.....homecoming games for Ohio State.
• 100...this is the 100th season the Scarlet and Gray have played in Ohio Stadium.
• 105...consecutive PATs for Noah Ruggles.
• 132....number of years for Buckeye football.
• 152...the number of years The Ohio State University has been in the education business.
• 192...number of passing touchdowns since 2017 (Ryan Day's arrival).
• 240...receiving yards for Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Nebraska.
• 270...rushing yards for TreVeyon Henderson against Tulsa, a freshman record.
• 286...interception return yards for Ohio State's defense, best in the country.
• 458...victories for the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium.
• 466...Ohio Stadium victories for the Buckeyes when including the 2010 season.
• 940...number of official wins for the program (we know it's actually 952).
• 945...times Ohio State has been ranked in the AP poll. 

2021 Statistical Comparison

OFFENSE
46.3	1st	POINTS FOR	34.6	26th
196.8	31st	RUSHING OFFENSE	197.8	28th
353.6	6th	PASSING OFFENSE	251.8	48th
550.4	1st	TOTAL OFFENSE	449.6	23rd
.534	3rd	3rd DOWNS	.384	77th
.932	9th	RED ZONE	.846	66th
DEFENSE
20.2	23rd	POINTS ALLOWED	22.5	40th
105.9	13th	RUSH DEFENSE	115.2	20th
261.5	108th	PASS DEFENSE	329.0	130th
128.9	54th	PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE	129.7	56th
367.4	55th	TOTAL DEFENSE	444.2	111th
.413	94th	3rd DOWNS	.408	86th
.828	67th	RED ZONE	.833	70th
SPECIAL TEAMS
5.6	99th	PUNT RETURN	19.3	4th
28.6	6th	KICKOFF RETURN	21.7	51st
40.6	41st	NET PUNTING	42.6	15th
MISCELLANEOUS
+0.9	11th	TURNOVER MARGIN	+0.3	44th
6.7	81st	PENALTIES	7.4	108th
14		EDGE	4

TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS

This year's Oregon game was a noon kick. When was the last time Ohio State lost two noon games in the same season?

Answer: 2011. The Buckeyes lost to Purdue and No. 15 Michigan in games that started at noon.

Ronnie Hickman is on pace to record 100 tackles. Who was the last Buckeye to tally 100+ tackles in a season?

Answer: Raekwon McMillan had 102 tackles in 2016. The Chef also racked up 119 stops in 2015.

What year did the Buckeyes and Spartans face off for the first time as Big Ten opponents?

Answer: Nov. 7, 1953. Clarence Munn and Michigan State defeated Woody Hayes' Buckeyes 28-13 in Ohio Stadium. Munn and the Spartans also beat Woody in 1951, but MSU was not a member of the Big Ten.