Mark Dantonio is in his fifth season as Michigan State's head coach, and the only Big Ten team the Spartans have not yet defeated during his tenure is Ohio State. He and the Spartans will look to change that on Saturday when Michigan State takes on Ohio State for the first time since 2008.
Dantonio's first and only two meetings against the Buckeyes as MSU's head coach did not go well. Terrelle Pryor dominated the Spartans in East Lansing in 2008 en route to a 45-7 victory. A year earlier, MSU lost by a score of 24-17 in Columbus after a rally from a 24-0 deficit came up short.
The Ohio State football team has experienced quite a bit of change since the last time it faced Michigan State. Jim Tressel, a good friend of Dantonio, is no longer OSU's head coach, and Pryor is gone as well thanks to tattoogate. Luke Fickell is the new man in charge, and Braxton Miller, who will make his second career start on Saturday, is leading the offense at quarterback.
Although we are now a month into the season, a lot of question marks remain for both of these teams, especially on offense. Michigan State enters the game still trying to get its offensive line on track, and Ohio State is still figuring out if Miller is the answer at quarterback. What happens on Saturday will be a good indication of where each team stands going forward.
Michigan State (3-1) at Ohio State (3-1)
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC
- Radio: Spartan Sports Network
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Stadium: Ohio Stadium