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Ohio State upsets Spartans in Big Ten showdown

Nov 9, 2014 - 6:41 AM East Lansing, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - J.T. Barrett threw three touchdown passes and added two scores on the ground, leading the 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to a 49-37 victory over No. 7 Michigan State in the first-ever November night game at Spartan Stadium.

Ohio State avenged its loss to Michigan State in last year's Big Ten Championship Game and now has the inside track at reaching this year's title game. The Buckeyes also remained in the mix for college football's four-team playoff.

"I'm glad we got to play in prime time," OSU head coach Urban Meyer said. "I'm glad everybody got to see the Ohio State Buckeyes. Because this is a different Buckeye team than it was early in the season."

Barrett completed 16-of-26 passes for 300 yards for the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten), who set a Big Ten record with their 21st straight regular-season conference win. Barrett also carried the ball 14 times for 86 yards.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for Ohio State, which has won seven in a row. Devin Smith caught six passes for 129 yards and a score.

Connor Cook connected on 25-of-45 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans (7-2, 4-1), who had won 13 straight Big Ten games.

"We just didn't make the plays," Cook said. "We didn't get things going the way we wanted to, especially in the pass game."

Jeremy Langford carried the ball 18 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns for Michigan State, which had a six-game winning streak snapped. Langford has surpassed 100 yards rushing in six straight games.

The turning point in the game came after Langford's 1-yard TD run gave the Spartans a 21-14 lead with 4:37 left in the first half.

Dontre Wilson fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Michigan State recovered at the 18-yard line. But Michael Geiger missed a 39-yard field goal.

Ohio State used two big plays to take the lead for good. Michael Thomas' 79- yard TD catch and Smith's 44-yard score made it 28-21 at the break.

Geiger made a 40-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half.

The Buckeyes converted three third downs on a 13-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Elliott capped the march with a 1-yard TD run on 3rd-and-goal.

Michigan State turned the ball over on downs as time expired in the third quarter.

Elliott's 14-yard run combined with a personal foul penalty moved the ball to the 35-yard line of the Spartans. Jalin Marshall's 20-yard catch set up Wilson's 7-yard TD catch that made it 42-24.

The margin was the same following Cook's 16-yard TD pass to Josiah Price and Elliott's 17-yard score.

Langford added a 1-yard TD run to account for the final margin.

Ohio State kicker Sean Nuernberger missed a 47-yard field goal on the game's opening possession.

The Spartans took over at their own 30-yard line and scored five plays later. Keith Mumphery's 44-yard catch moved the ball inside the red zone. On 3rd- and-6 from the Ohio State 15, Mumphery caught a pass and broke a tackle before scoring a touchdown.

The Buckeyes tied things up just over a minute later. Elliott ran twice for 66 yards before Barrett's 5-yard TD run.

Michigan State was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, but the ball bounced off Ohio State's Jeff Greene. Chris Frey recovered the ball for the Spartans. Langford then made the Buckeyes pay with a 33-yard TD run.

Following a punt from each team, Ohio State took over near midfield with 48 seconds left in the first stanza. Facing a 3rd-and-23, Barrett hooked up with Smith for a 43-yard bomb. The Buckeyes followed with five straight runs, culminating in a 1-yard TD run by Barrett.

Game Notes

Ohio State leads the all-time series, 29-14 ... Thomas caught three passes for 91 yards.