Lansing Sun

Michigan State fell to No. 3 Ohio State in a home game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday night, with the Buckeyes securing a 38-7 victory. The loss drops the Spartans to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play, while Ohio State remains undefeated at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles completed 13 of his 19 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Jaron Glover caught four passes for 53 yards and scored once. On defense, redshirt senior linebacker Jordan Turner recorded nine tackles, including a half-tackle for loss and an interception. Junior safety Malik Spencer added seven tackles, with junior safety Nikai Martinez and redshirt senior linebacker Cal Haladay each contributing five tackles.

Ohio State opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding after being stopped by the Spartan defense on third down during their first drive. Michigan State's initial response saw running back Nathan Carter make a notable 19-yard run, but the drive ended when they failed to convert on fourth-and-one at Ohio State’s 20-yard line.

The Buckeyes extended their lead to 10-0 with a three-yard pass from Will Howard to Gee Scott Jr., concluding a methodical 14-play, 80-yard drive. Michigan State's next possession showed promise as Chiles connected with Glover twice, including a significant pass that moved them into Ohio State territory. However, the drive ended with a fumble at the Buckeyes' 11-yard line.

Turner intercepted a pass from Howard at the OSU 48-yard line shortly after and returned it for 36 yards. Chiles quickly capitalized by throwing a touchdown pass to Glover, narrowing the score to 10-7.

Ohio State responded immediately as Jeremiah Smith finished off a swift four-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown run, extending their lead to 17-7. Michigan State had another opportunity but turned over possession following another fumble at Ohio State’s end zone. Before halftime, Devin Brown connected with Smith for another touchdown, bringing the score to 24-7.

In the third quarter, Ohio State continued their dominance with two more touchdowns: Howard threw a long pass to Emeka Egbuka and later ran six yards into the end zone following an MSU turnover.

Michigan State will look ahead as they prepare for their second Big Ten road game against No.8 Oregon on Friday, Oct.4th at 9 p.m (ET), which will be broadcast live on FOX.