EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Michigan State Spartans lost more than a football game Saturday night.
They lost their college football playoff hopes -- and likely those of a division title and conference championship as well -- at the hands of J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Barrett picked apart the No. 5 defense in the nation to give the Buckeyes a 49-37 victory and sole possession of first place in the Big Ten's East Division.
"It's a disappointment," MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. "We had big hopes."
Every bit of it stung: the implications of the loss, the cheers of "O-H-I-O" erupting from the crowd, the celebrations resonating out of the visitor's locker room, the mere thought that it just hadn't been enough.
For MSU's offense, nothing was more true. Despite scoring 37 points, the Spartans came up short. Their defense could do little to contain Barrett and his offensive corps, giving up 568 yards of total offense, including five plays over 40 yards.
"We gave up too many explosive plays, too many big plays," Dantonio said. "When that happens it's tough to win."
It was too tough for No. 7 MSU, especially in the final minutes of the first half.
After running back Jeremy Langford scored his second touchdown of the game to give the Spartans a 21-14 lead, a Buckeye fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave MSU a prime opportunity to score again.
But that drive was the beginning of the end.
Langford found the end zone, but the touchdown was nixed by an offensive holding call. Michael Geiger proceeded to miss a 39-yard field goal, and Barrett needed just one play on OSU's next drive to tie the game.
He threw a bomb to Michael Thomas for a 79-yard touchdown, and found Devin Smith just under two and a half minutes later for a 44-yard touchdown reception.
Instead of carrying a 28-14 lead into halftime, the Spartans found themselves trailing 28-21.
"All of a sudden, the momentum just flipped," Dantonio said.
MSU never recovered, and OSU never looked back.
"That's life," Dantonio said. "I'm not going to sit here and be depressed about it. We'll move forward."
The Spartans went from playoff hopefuls to simply bowl-eligible in a matter of hours. It shows how high the expectations have risen in East Lansing over the past few years, and they aren't about to waver anytime soon.
It was no use asking MSU's players what they still have to play for, as their goals have not changed in the aftermath of the divisional loss.
"We are just going to keep playing," said cornerback Darian Hicks. "We are just going to be playing out the Big Ten. Whatever happens, we still have a chance of going to the Big Ten Championship. We still have a chance of doing something special. We just have to take it one game at a time."
