Ohio State’s 17-14 loss to Michigan State Saturday night took a big toll on the Buckeyes in more ways than one.
First, Ohio State had their 23-game winning streak snapped as well as any hope at returning to the College Football Playoff to defend last year’s National Title. However after the game, quarterback Cardale Jones and running back Ezekiel Elliott were pretty vocal about their tenures in Columbus.
After the game, Jones tweeted out a cryptic message to his followers signifying he’s played his last home game with the Buckeyes.
Jones, a red shirt junior with the Buckeyes could either transfer (which was the speculation last season) or declare himself eligible for the NFL Draft. Either way it will probably be best for Jones to remain in college another year whether that’s with Ohio State or someone else since it’s clear he’s not ready for the NFL just yet.
Meanwhile Ezekiel Elliott was much more vocal after the loss ripping into the Ohio State coaching staff while also saying he played his ‘last game at the shoe’.
https://twitter.com/BTNRickPizzo/status/668226560030326785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/BTNRickPizzo/status/668227055469928448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ezekiel Elliott: "Honestly, that was my last game at the Shoe. There's no chance I'm coming back next year."
— Austin Ward (@AWardSports) November 22, 2015
Elliott finished with just 12 touches for 33 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State. His frustration with the play calling is understandable however you can also see what the Ohio State coaching staff was trying to do. The Spartans are very good up front at stopping the run while their secondary has been exposed all season by far lesser competition than Ohio State.
Ultimately it’ll be an interesting week for Ohio State considering they still have a big match up against Michigan to close out the season. If Michigan State ends up losing to Penn State and the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines then they’re at least in the Big Ten title game.
