COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Through four games and four victories, Ohio State’s defense has faced a continual drumbeat of short passes, quick routes, screens and sweeps.
Every opponent, it seems, has relied on a sleight of hand.
Now the Buckeyes are looking forward to getting into familiar territory when they open Big Ten play.
When No. 14 Ohio State travels to 20th-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, the Buckeyes anticipate they’ll run into a more conventional Midwestern attack. Granted, that means having to counteract the 244-pound blasts of the Spartans’ massive Le’Veon Bell.
But after a month of chasing people, the Buckeyes think they might benefit from a change of pace from the subterfuge and rush-avoiding quick-hitters in a trade for raw man-on-man power struggles at the line of scrimmage.
