COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the four seasons that Urban Meyer has been the head football coach at Ohio State, his teams had never lost a Big Ten regular-season game -- until last Saturday.
Michigan State came to Columbus and knocked off the then-No. 3-ranked Buckeyes 17-14, ending winning streaks of 30 conference games and 23 games overall.
Ohio State was reduced to a mere 132 yards and five first downs by the Michigan State defense and the inclement weather in a baffling display of ineffectiveness by an offense that has struggled all year to recapture the potency of last year's national championship run.
Now the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) are forced to pick up the pieces and travel to Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., to face No. 10 Michigan (9-2, 5-2) on Saturday in the 112th meeting of the storied programs. It won't be an easy assignment.
Complicating the task at hand for the Buckeyes is not only playing a much-improved Michigan team but dealing with the fallout from last week's postgame when running back Ezekiel Elliott spouted off about the coaching staff's play calling and his lack of carries. Elliott, the leading rusher in the Big Ten, curiously ran just 12 times for 33 yards after piling up 15 straight games with 100 or more yards rushing.
Meyer tried to put the Elliott's reaction in the rear-view mirror this week, saying they "squashed" the situation.
"I imagine we'll get hit with that a little bit," Meyer said. "So got to move forward and get ready to play a very good team."
While Meyer disagreed with Elliott's delivery, he couldn't argue with what the hard-running junior, who is headed for the NFL after the season, said about an offense that totaled 568 yards against Michigan State a year ago.
"We're just not -- we're not operating at maximum capacity, is the key word, and we're still 10-1," Meyer said. "So what I'm doing right now is, every ounce of ability, every ounce of energy and focus, is going on trying to win this game."
Ohio State, which fell from No. 3 to No. 8 in Tuesday night's latest College Football Playoff rankings, has won the last three meetings in the series, but those games were played when Brady Hoke was the coach at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh replaced him after last season and the entire vibe of the program has changed as well as the results on the field.
"When someone says are you surprised they have very good players up there, not at all," Meyer said. "For those of you who have been covering this game, just check out the last few games we've played them. I mean, it is just swinging as hard as you possibly can against very good players."
The Buckeyes still have an outside shot to land a berth in the Big Ten championship game, but they must beat the Wolverines and hope that Penn State upsets Michigan State in East Lansing. Meanwhile, Michigan could force a three-way tie for the Big Ten East Division title and secure a trip to Indianapolis for the title game with a win and a Michigan State loss.
"There's more to accomplish this season," Ohio State junior defensive end Joey Bosa said.
Adding some intrigue to the first Harbaugh-Meyer matchup is Harbaugh's now-famous guarantee back in 1986 when he was Michigan's quarterback that the Wolverines would beat Ohio State in Columbus.
"I do remember that," Meyer said. "And I remember us missing a wide left (field goal attempt) right at the end as the clock ticked zero."
Ohio State's concern this year is fixing its problems, particularly on offense while going against a stout Michigan defense, and slowing down a Wolverines offense that's on a roll the past few weeks.
"We want to be playing our best football at the end of year, but we weren't a complete team this past week," said Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan, the team's leading tackler this season as a sophomore. "We have a long way to go before we reach maximum capacity. As a team that works hard and gets to work when something like this happens, we are capable of doing it."
NOTES, QUOTES PLAYERS TO WATCH
--RB Ezekiel Elliott has to move past the disappointing loss to Michigan State and his critical comments of the coaching staff and play-calling after the game. Coach Urban Meyer said he met with Elliott and they "squashed" it. But the fact remains that Elliott ran only 12 times for 33 yards against the Spartans and now the Buckeyes face a Michigan defense that's statistically better against the run than Michigan State. Expect Elliott to make a big effort against the Wolverines to atone for his behavior a week ago. Last year, he rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State's 42-48 win over Michigan.
--QB J.T. Barrett was rendered ineffective last week by the Michigan State defense and the miserable weather in Columbus. Barrett completed just 9-of-16 passes for 46 yards and ran 15 times for 44 yards. Those numbers will need to be significantly better on Saturday against Michigan, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 nationally in total defense. Last season, Barrett suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle in the second half after rushing for 86 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 176 yards and a touchdown against the Wolverines.
--WR Braxton Miller has shown brief flashes of being a playmaker in his first year at his new position, but mostly he has played a secondary role in the offense with fewer touches than expected this year. Last week in the loss to Michigan State, he caught one pass for three yards and ran twice for nine yards. Will this be the week that the coaching staff integrates the fifth-year senior into the game plan -- and possibly allows him to play some quarterback again and throw a pass or two?
--LB Joshua Perry will be playing his final regular-season game for Ohio State in the annual border battle with Michigan. The senior collected a game-high 15 tackles, including an assist on a tackle for loss, last week against Michigan State. He is the Buckeyes' second leading tackler with 88 stops and, as an Ohio native, understands the fierceness of the rivalry with the Wolverines.
