3 keys to victory for Michigan State football vs. Ohio State in Week 5

3. Get off the field on third downs

Another thing Michigan State’s defense has struggled with this season is getting off the field on third down. They are the No. 87 team in the country with a 40 percent effective rate on third downs this season. They’ve been solid at putting themselves in position to get off the field, but as you can see 40 percent isn’t quite good enough, especially against this good of a team.

As I mentioned in my last key, Ohio State likes to score quickly, so Michigan State’s defense may not find themselves in too many third downs, but when they do it’s critical they get off the field.

If the Spartans struggle getting off the field then they probably don’t stand a chance at winning this game. But a solid percentage, somewhere slightly above 50 percent, would at least help keep Michigan State in this game. But if they do even better than that then that’s another step in the right direction to pulling off this upset.