Quick strikes down Spartans

Call off the search for the Buckeye offense.

Some big-name players made some big-time plays Saturday to help Ohio State come from behind to beat No. 16 Michigan State 35-24, keeping alive the Buckeyes' hopes for a Big Ten title.

Junior receiver Santonio Holmes scored twice, including a game-winning 46-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, while sophomore receiver Ted Ginn Jr. finally realized some of his explosive potential with a 57-yard touchdown catch of his own.

Unlike earlier losses to Texas and Penn State, both sides of the ball came up big when it mattered most. Just a week after a devastating loss in Happy Valley, this weekend's win, coupled with Penn State's loss at Michigan, puts the No. 15 Buckeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) right back in the thick of the conference race.

"This was a huge victory," said junior quarterback Troy Smith, who tossed for a career high 249 yards and three scores. "I hope this is the turning point in the season for us."

Just looking at the lopsided statistics, it was a game the Buckeyes had no business winning. The Buckeyes were on the short end in almost every offensive category and blown away in the two categories coach Jim Tressel harps on most - time of possession and turnover margin. The Buckeyes lost the first battle with only 19 minutes to Michigan State's 41 minutes and turned the ball over four times to the Spartans none. But one colossal blunder by Michigan State, and the Buckeyes big play strikes in the second half, proved too much for the Spartans (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten).

The difference was that blunder, an ill-advised 35-yard field goal attempt that was blocked and returned 72 yards to the end zone by junior cornerback Ashton Youboty as time expired in the first half.

On third-and-12 with no time-outs and 24 seconds left in the half - instead of spiking it - the Spartans' field goal team was inexplicably rushed onto the field. With only ten men on the field, no "wing on the left side" and a confused offensive line thinking a spike was in the works, senior safety Nate Salley was able to break through and get a hand on the kick. Instead of going up 20-7, Michigan State saw their lead dwindle to three at 17-14.

"It was a mess. It was a total mess," Michigan State coach John L. Smith said. "A coaching blunder. My guys played their hearts out today. The loss today goes to the coaches."

On the other side, it was just what the doctor ordered.

"That was like a breath of fresh air for us," senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "We felt lucky to still be that close after how we had played. My thought was we're only three points down and we probably don't deserve it, so we better take advantage of our good fortune."

A rejuvenated OSU offense, which was booed early by the crowd of 105,122 for its ineffectiveness, came back strong on the second half's opening drive. Eluding the grasp of Spartan sophomore linebacker Kaleb Thornhill, Ginn took a short first down pass 57 yards down the left sideline for the score. Ginn's first touchdown catch since the season opener put the Buckeyes ahead for the first time 21-17.

"Yeah, you get a little confidence back," Ginn said of his second touchdown of the season. "It's a relief. Guys can get off my back now."

But the Spartans high-powered, league-leading offense came right back, capping an 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jason Teague, taking back the lead 24-21.

OSU's defense did bend severely at times, allowing a season-high 456 yards and junior quarterback Drew Stanton to pick apart their zone for 340 yards. The offense didn't help either as the Spartans turned two first-quarter turnovers - a fumble by sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman and a muffed kickoff by Holmes at OSU's four - into ten points. And just when it looked like momentum was with OSU after Smith's second-quarter, 51-yard touchdown strike to Holmes cut Michigan State's lead to 10-7, the Spartans finished off another time-consuming drive with a big play of their own. A blown coverage by Youboty allowed junior wideout Jerramy Scott to break free for a 36-yard touchdown.

"They made plays," said senior linebacker A.J. Hawk. "Stanton did a great job of finding open receivers when coverage broke down. That's a good offense over there."

But the defense never broke, coming up with big play after big play in the fourth quarter.

"There was a point late in the game where we had to look at each other and say, 'hey, we've got to stop these guys, because if we don't, we're out of the Big Ten race,'" senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "That's all the seniors have left."

The call was answered as eight different Buckeyes got to Stanton, sacking him a school-record 12 times, including four on MSU's final two drives.

"Good defenses will wear on you," Tressel said. "Our defense just kept coming after them and as the game goes on, good defenses are harder to go against."

The defense's effort set the stage for yet another big play from the Buckeye offense. With just under five minutes left in the game, Smith connected with Holmes for the winning 46-yard touchdown pass. In a testament to their high-octane potential, the touchdown marked the first play the Buckeyes ran in Michigan State territory and at 2:16 minutes, it was their longest scoring drive of the day.

Another defensive stop and a one-yard touchdown run by Smith and the improbable win was secured.

"I've always known this group has character, but you know, maybe it was revealed again, with them being down, you know, it not looking so wonderful," Tressel said. "But they kept playing and they believe in each other."

See a slideshow of the game