A tough day for the Ohio State Buckeyes offense was overlooked thanks to some phenomenal punting on Saturday against Michigan State.
Early in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Michigan State, Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman punted a ball for a whopping four yards to give the Spartans excellent field position.
Little did Chrisman know that he would end up being the game’s most valuable player from there on out.
After a very competitive first half, the Buckeyes ended up pulling away late on Saturday to coast to a 26-6 victory. Their offense wasn’t dominant. In fact, the Buckeyes only averaged 2.9 yards per rushing attempt, and Heisman contender Dwayne Haskins only threw for one touchdown with just 5.8 yards per pass attempt.
The key to victory actually wound up being the field position game, which Chrisman ended up playing a huge factor in despite the terrible punt earlier. In his next eight punts after that shank, Chrisman averaged 42 yards per punt, pinning the Spartans inside their own 10-yard line six times.
What’s even more impressive is just how close to their own end zone Michigan State had to start on consecutive drives. In the second half, the Spartans started their first five drives from their own end zone five, six, three, one and two yards away. Two of those drives ended in an intentional safety (yes, really) and a defensive touchdown for the Buckeyes.
It’s not every day that a punter winds up being the player of the game, especially for a program as talented as Ohio State. It’s even rarer when that same punter starts the game with one of the worst shanked punts you’ll ever see.
Nevertheless, Chrisman stayed focused and did exactly what the coaching staff asked of him, and that ended up being enough to help the Buckeyes pull out a much-needed win to stay in control of their own destiny in the Big Ten and College Football Playoff races.