EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State Spartans are 3-1 and looking to get back into the win column against No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes for this Saturday night matchup. It is the second Big Ten matchup for the Spartans this season, their first being against Maryland.

Remember the rule of five. The game is over if the Spartans win that key statistical battle. For those who don’t remember it, it has to do with sacks and turnovers. If the Spartans have three sacks and give up two, they are plus one. They are plus three if they get four turnovers and give up only one. That would give them a plus-four for the day. They want to get to a plus-five ratio every game.

This will likely be the toughest game Michigan State plays all season. The No. 3 Buckeyes are loaded with NFL talent and superb coaching and unless the Spartans play a perfect game, this one could get out of hand.

It will be about taking care of the ball. Aidan Chiles has to play the best game he’s played this season against the Buckeyes and the young mistakes simply cannot happen. The Spartans will have to find a way to gut it out on defense, too, to have a chance at victory.

Michael France: Buckeyes, 49-17

The Buckeyes are simply too talented, too deep, and too well-coached in this one. Simply put, they have the Spartans outgunning. In a season or two, this game could be competitive. But in 2024, the Spartans are in over their head.

Aidan Champion: Buckeyes, 54-17

The Spartans come out hot, giving Ohio State trouble in the first half. But the Buckeyes make the adjustments at halftime and pick up steam in the third quarter, countering everything Michigan State did well in the first half. The Spartans will commit minimal mistakes and carry over their discipline from last week, but ultimately, the Buckeyes will be just too powerful.

Carter Landis: Buckeyes, 48-13

This won’t be pretty, based on the fact that Michigan State is still working on their offense. Bad time have to workshop some things. The rough stretch of the schedule got here before Michigan State knew it.

Zeke Trezevant: Buckeyes, 42-14

In college football, the best roster usually wins. Ohio State has that in this matchup and will win because of it. Michigan State continues to struggle on offense.

Tom Cavanaugh: Buckeyes, 34-27

Spartans play tough but they fall to the Buckeyes in a close battle. Chiles throws for a touchdown with running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams rushing for two. The defense will play well but not enough to stop the Buckeyes.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s contest:

TV: Peacock

Venue: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST

Listen: Spartan Media Network

-Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM)/WJIM (1240 AM)

-Detroit: WJR (760 AM)

-Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)

We’ll be keeping you posted with live updates throughout the contest.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) – We Are Ohio and Union Strong held a meeting to discuss Ohio Issue One.

Issue One is a bill that aims to end gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is defined as manipulating the boundaries in electoral districts to benefit a political party. The meeting itself allowed members of the community learn about what the bill aims to do and ask questions.

Associate Director of Common Cause Ohio, Mia Lewis, said she wanted to inform the public about Ohio Issue One.

However, Ohio republicans are against the bill. The Washington County Republican Party Chairman, Joe Derkin, said “Ohio Issue One is like a trojan horse. It claims to end gerrymandering but will only encourage it.”

See an error in our reporting? Send us an email by clicking here!

Copyright 2024 WTAP. All rights reserved.

BEMIDJI – If hockey games were decided solely on the second and third periods, Bemidji State would have turned some heads around the WCHA on Friday night.

Unfortunately for the Beavers, all three periods count.

Ohio State, ranked No. 5/1 in the country, wasn’t going to start 0-3-0, and it made sure of it in the first period.

The Buckeyes scored three goals on their first three shots en route to spoiling BSU’s home and season opener on Friday night at the Sanford Center. OSU potted five in the opening frame on its way to an 8-2 win.

“In our defensive zone, we got caught running around a lot,” Bemidji State head coach Amber Fryklund said. “We weren’t communicating, and that’s something we can control. We made some adjustments before the second period, and I thought we got better. Getting that first (game) out of the way, there’s so many details and habits that we will (see) in game film.”

Ohio State led 3-0 at the first-period media timeout, with goals from Makenna Webster, Josie St. Martin and Kiara Zanon. Webster scored her second goal with 6:20 left in the first period before Jocelyn Amos made it 5-0.

But just when it looked like it was going to end up as a repeat of last season’s WCHA Playoff quarterfinal, a series where OSU outscored the Beavers 18-1, BSU found some life.

Sophomore defenseman Riley Reeves hit the post in the waning minutes of the opening frame. Sophomore Hailey Armstrong was stuffed by Buckeyes goalie Amanda Thiele on a breakaway shortly after.

It proved to be a turning point for Bemidji State.

“First-period jitters,” Fryklund said with a laugh. “We talked about how we make sure we competed every single shift. We talked about playing good in the defensive zone and getting pucks to the net. Without the first period, I thought we did those things pretty well tonight.”

Armstrong was given another chance on a breakaway in the second period. While shorthanded, she beat Thiele with a left-to-right deke for BSU’s first goal this season.

“She’s been working really hard, and it’s fun to see her get rewarded for her hard work,” Fryklund said. “She’s a goal scorer, so it’s fun to see her get that one.”

Redshirt freshman Isa Goettl, a transfer from Minnesota, scored her first collegiate goal in the third period. Goettle, who played one game last season for the Gophers, cleaned up a loose puck near the goal mouth, with assists going to Morgan Smith and Shelby Sanberg.

Smith, a freshman, and Sandberg, a sophomore, played on a line with Goettl on Friday. The trio had one career point between the three of them heading into this season.

“I’m super proud of her, her effort and her compete,” Fryklund said of Goettl. “It was really neat to see her rewarded for all of that, too. I thought all of our first-year players played really well and did a really good job.”

BSU also turned to graduate transfer Josie Bothun in goal. She made 26 saves in her first game with the Beavers.

Bemidji State threw eight new college hockey players in the lineup on Friday, including six freshmen. It was a lineup that held one of the nation’s powerhouses to just two goals on 22 shots over the final two periods.

The Buckeyes scored three goals in the final two periods. Jordyn Petrie had two of them, while Jocelyn Amos had another.

“We talk about celebrating the small wins,” Fryklund said. “We scored two goals, scored a (shorthanded goal). Isa, a freshman, scored her first goal. We’re going to take this, learn from it and come back tomorrow and be better.”

The Beavers are back at the Sanford Center at 3:01 p.m. on Saturday to close out the series against OSU. After how the final two periods finished, Fryklund sees a stroke of poise from her team despite the six-goal loss.

“We (wanted) to get pucks behind their defense and take advantage of our speed,” Fryklund said. “We kind of found out we could get behind them. That helped our confidence.”

No. 5/1 Ohio State 8, Bemidji State 2

OSU 5 2 1 – 8

BSU 0 1 1 – 2

First period – OSU GOAL: Webster (Buglioni, Wheeler) 2:24; OSU GOAL: Martin (Peschel, Zanon) 6:06; OSU GOAL: Buglioni (Disher, Brengman) 12:19; OSU GOAL: Webster (Wheeler) 13:40.

Second period – OSU GOAL: Amos (Peschel) 2:24; BSU GOAL: Armstrong (Reeves, G. Hendrickson) SH, 10:29; OSU GOAL: Petrie (Peschel, Webster) PP, 14:40.

Third period – BSU GOAL: Goettl (Smith, Sandberg) 4:52; OSU GOAL: Petrie (McCoshen, Peschel) 9;43.

Saves – Bothun (BSU) 26; Thiele (OSU) 8.