The Ohio State offense has taken a noticeable nosedive in the past month. The Buckeyes’ defense has struggled mightily all autumn to overcome a season-ending injury to defensive end Nick Bosa, perhaps the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
On Saturday, coach Urban Meyer turned to an unlikely hero, his punter, for salvation. Stunningly, sophomore Drue Chrisman delivered in incredibly effective fashion to key a 26-6 victory at 18th-ranked Michigan State.
12, 5, 2, 6, 1 and 2. That’s where six of Chrisman’s nine punts were downed, pinning the Spartans (6-4 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten) all day long. Those boots, many of them downed by senior receiver Terry McLaurin, led directly to a safety and a defensive TD in the end zone, both in the second half.
Chrisman’s impact was so strong he was the subject of a Fox TV interview on the field as the game ended. How many punters have enjoyed that experience?
“I wouldn’t have let him (do it) if I knew it was happening,” Meyer joked.
Chrisman seemed as surprised as anyone else.
“It was my first time being on TV after the game,” he said. “I didn’t even know this (interview room) existed, so we’ll see how it goes.”
The day certainly didn’t begin well for Chrisman or the OSU offense, which managed a 7-3 halftime lead. That came no thanks to Chrisman, who shanked a 4-yard punt on his first attempt.
“I almost benched him, but we didn’t have anyone else,” Meyer deadpanned. “We just kept playing a field-position game … and all the sudden you flip the field.”
The strategy worked because the Ohio State defense, finally, was lights out. Michigan State managed just 54 yards rushing and 274 yards total offense. Coach Mark Dantonio’s team went 2-of-16 on third downs.
Starting in the shadow of their own goal posts most of the second half made a rally impossible.
“That’s our goal, pin them deep and we’ll get the ball back and get some points out of it,” Chrisman said. “If we’re doing our job tilting the field, it makes it harder on them.”
Chrisman’s exploits overshadowed by far the Buckeyes’ best defensive game of the year. It also covered for an offense that has sputtered over that past month. Short-yardage, red-zone and third-down (6-of-18) issues were all prevalent again.
However, backup QB Tate Martell came on in the second half for a handful of snaps in exactly those situations to provide a spark. Maybe more importantly, 10th-ranked Ohio State created a bit of film on how the Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1) plan to overcome the immobile characteristics of starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins when Michigan invades in two weeks.
Meyer will need more than Chrisman to be on point for that game.
