ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit will have one of the best seats in the house for Saturday’s massive Michigan State-Ohio State game. While the Buckeyes are heavy favorites in the game, he isn’t counting the Spartans out.
In a recent interview, Herbstreit started by stating that you can “never say never” regarding the MSU defense’s ability to stop Ohio State’s high-powered offense. But he believes that the defense will be responsible for an “X-Factor” in beating the Buckeyes.
Herbstreit said that the “X-Factor” for the Spartans will be getting to Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud. He pointed out that Michigan State have done a good job of rushing the passer, but that their secondary doesn’t match up well with the Buckeyes receivers.
Ultimately, Herbstreit believes that the key to Michigan State winning the game will be ball possession. He feels that if the Spartans can keep the Buckeyes off the field with long drives, they can swing the upset.
Herbstreit said the X-factor for Michigan State is to be able to pressure C.J. Stroud
— Colin Gay (@ColinGay17) November 18, 2021
The stakes in this game could hardly be higher for a regular season matchup. Both teams have one loss on the season and will be eliminated from College Football Playoff contention with a second one.
Ohio State is riding a five-game winning streak against Michigan State. The last four haven’t been close at all with the Buckeyes outscoring the Spartans 160-31 since 2017.
But it’s been a strange 2021 season. Could Michigan State swing the upset over the Ohio State?
The game will be played at 12 p.m. EST and will air on FOX. Ohio State are 19-point home favorites.
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