Michigan State football: 3 keys to victory over No. 4 Ohio State

1. Michigan State football should learn from Nebraska

Ohio State is the No. 4 team in the country, but that’s without winning a game against a currently-ranked CFP Top 25 opponent. That could benefit Michigan State, but it could work against them. Ohio State has more to prove.

The only team outside of Oregon that has given Ohio State a challenge is Nebraska. They lost, but they were able to stifle Ohio State’s offense at times and run the ball to challenge their defense. Ultimately it was Nebraska’s defense that kept them in the game until the end.

After what Michigan State’s defense has shown, the Spartans may be better off in a track race – just try to outscore Ohio State. That may not happen.

In ways beyond simple statistics, Michigan State and Ohio State’s defenses show similarities. That’s not to say they are the same. It’s not great that the Spartans are giving up 329 passing yards per game, good enough for last place in FBS. At the same time, Ohio State surrenders 261 passing yards per game, which is 108th in FBS.

If Michigan State can take a similar approach that Nebraska did against the Buckeyes, it could give the Spartans their best chance to win — or at least keep it close.

It will be intriguing to see if Kenneth Walker III will have any problems running against Ohio State initially. Michigan State may be wise to open up the run game by getting Michigan State’s pass game going early.