Seems like a pretty good "doppelganger" for the game Saturday night:
2014 OSU: an elite offense. Top notch, despite having a relatively inexperienced QB at the helm (JT Barrett). Zeke Elliott was awesome. OSU's offense finished the season ranked 1st in S&P+.
2014 MSU: An overall top 10 team. But the MSU defense was not one of their vintage Spartan units. They were decent enough, but not great. MSU's defense ranked 26th in S&P+. They did score a lot, however. The best MSU offense in the Dantonio regime. That MSU team never scored less than 27 points in a game.
2018 OSU: the offense is currently very very good. Offense right now is ranked 2nd in S&P+. That 2nd ranking is despite, like in 2014, having a relatively inexperienced QB at the helm. Dobbins is a darn good RB.
2018 PSU: honestly, this defense is looking like a step-down vs. last year. Like MSU in 2014: decent enough, but not great. Currently ranked 22nd in S&P+. However, an offense that will put lots of points on the board.
The game in 2014: Saturday night, in East Lansing, fired up crowd. Ohio State won 49-37. The thing I recall most about that game: OSU got ahead early and although MSU was scoring A LOT in the 2nd half, OSU kept on answering. MSU simply could never come back.
Another thing about that game in 2014: Urban was pretty aggressive in the 1st half of that game. Urban's aggressiveness paid off that evening in East Lansing. Honestly, he's been pretty conservative in the 1st halves of each of his last 2 visits to Happy Valley.
This Saturday night's 1st half may very well be key. If OSU gets a 1-score+ lead into the half --- we could meet the fate of 2014 MSU. We'd be part of a 2nd half track meet where we're perpetually 10 yards behind because of the 10-yard head start OSU got.
If I had to bet, however, the above paragraph is not what happens. Urban will be conservative in the 1st half on Saturday night and it will go to the half as a near-even game. Which allows us the opportunity to pull it out in the 2nd half.
I think that part of the reason Urban was aggressive on that Saturday night in East Lansing in 2014 was because he almost got burned a few weeks before in Happy Valley (OSU's OT win). Urban learned in 2014 from that PSU game. He won't have that "previous game learning experience" here in 2018.
2014 OSU: an elite offense. Top notch, despite having a relatively inexperienced QB at the helm (JT Barrett). Zeke Elliott was awesome. OSU's offense finished the season ranked 1st in S&P+.
2014 MSU: An overall top 10 team. But the MSU defense was not one of their vintage Spartan units. They were decent enough, but not great. MSU's defense ranked 26th in S&P+. They did score a lot, however. The best MSU offense in the Dantonio regime. That MSU team never scored less than 27 points in a game.
2018 OSU: the offense is currently very very good. Offense right now is ranked 2nd in S&P+. That 2nd ranking is despite, like in 2014, having a relatively inexperienced QB at the helm. Dobbins is a darn good RB.
2018 PSU: honestly, this defense is looking like a step-down vs. last year. Like MSU in 2014: decent enough, but not great. Currently ranked 22nd in S&P+. However, an offense that will put lots of points on the board.
The game in 2014: Saturday night, in East Lansing, fired up crowd. Ohio State won 49-37. The thing I recall most about that game: OSU got ahead early and although MSU was scoring A LOT in the 2nd half, OSU kept on answering. MSU simply could never come back.
Another thing about that game in 2014: Urban was pretty aggressive in the 1st half of that game. Urban's aggressiveness paid off that evening in East Lansing. Honestly, he's been pretty conservative in the 1st halves of each of his last 2 visits to Happy Valley.
This Saturday night's 1st half may very well be key. If OSU gets a 1-score+ lead into the half --- we could meet the fate of 2014 MSU. We'd be part of a 2nd half track meet where we're perpetually 10 yards behind because of the 10-yard head start OSU got.
If I had to bet, however, the above paragraph is not what happens. Urban will be conservative in the 1st half on Saturday night and it will go to the half as a near-even game. Which allows us the opportunity to pull it out in the 2nd half.
I think that part of the reason Urban was aggressive on that Saturday night in East Lansing in 2014 was because he almost got burned a few weeks before in Happy Valley (OSU's OT win). Urban learned in 2014 from that PSU game. He won't have that "previous game learning experience" here in 2018.
