A lot went right for Ohio State in its big win against Michigan State in East Lansing (Mich.) over the weekend. The Buckeyes were battered and bruised and had some "breath holding" moments with players like Braxton Miller and Johnathan Hankins getting attended to by the training staff.



But when the team needed it most, the team made plays. It was far from perfect with three turnovers from Miller but the team was also able to hold the ball for the final four minutes and not allow Michigan State a chance to touch the ball in a position where a field goal would potentially win the game.



It is a lot easier yet a lot tougher to rank a top-11 after a big win like this. There is no shortage of worthy players but there is not enough room to put everyone so a couple of the offensive linemen as well as a player like Etienne Sabino or Travis Howard got votes but didn't make the cut.



It's never an easy job ranking the top players from week to week, and there are usually several guys that just miss the cut. We encourage everyone
to head over to the The Horseshoe Lounge to offer up their own opinions.

1.		Braxton Miller Soph. - QB 6-2, 220 lbs.	Miller took his fair share of punishment in the game and had to be treated twice for injuries including a scare with his knee on a play that resulted in a fumble. Miller did pass for 179 yards (1 TD) and run for 136 yards but his total of three turnovers made the game much more in doubt as the Michigan State defense was relentless with the sophomore quarterback.
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2.		Johnathan Hankins Junior -DT 6-3, 317 lbs.	Big Hank played a majority of the Ohio State defensive plays and was a huge reason why the Ohio State defense did not yield much of anything in the run game. Hankins was able to return to his home state and show why he is one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the nation. Hankins did have a quick injury scare after taking a knee in the back but came back to finish the game.
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3.		Bradley Roby Soph. - CB 5-11, 190 lbs.	Roby led the Buckeyes with nine tackles and had two pass breakups and a knockdown of a pass. Roby however did get flagged on a critical call that gave Michigan State some new life on a drive. Roby has emerged as a top defensive back on this team and has really been able to elevate his game as the season as gone on.
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4.		Devin Smith Soph. - WR 6-1, 196 lbs.	Smith has proven to be the big play guy for the Buckeyes in the receiving game and while he is not getting the 'most' catches on the team, his catches always seem to come at critical moments including the 63-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes the lead. Smith has just developed into being the guy that Miller and the staff trusts when the chips are on the table and to date Smith has answered the call pretty much every time his number has been called in the huddle.
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5.		Corey Brown Junior - WR 5-11, 186 lbs.	Philly had 12 catches for the Buckeyes and that ranks as one of the high water marks in the record books for Ohio State's offense throughout the years. Urban Meyer joked that Brown now needs to be able to run for more than eight yards with the ball when he gets one of those catches but he has provided this offense something that it has been looking for, someone who can be a possession receiver and help move the chains when the box is loaded.
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6.		Ryan Shazier Soph. - LB 6-2, 230 lbs.	Shazier had a strong game along with his linebacker partner Etienne Sabino. Shazier had eight tackles and was involved on an important TFL when the Buckeye defense needed to break any potential of momentum for the Spartans. His tackling seemed to be volumes better this week than the week before and because of that he had one of his best weeks of the season.
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7.		Andrew Norwell Junior - OG 6-6, 304 lbs.	Norwell and the rest of the offensive line were all singled out this week for having a tremendous game against Michigan State. We were only able to get three into the list (at 7,8,9) but all five players received votes and we will talk about the group over the next couple of entries rather than singling any one player out.
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8.		Reid Fragel Senior - OT 6-8, 310 lbs.	The Buckeyes were able to run for 204 net yards and at a 4.6 ypc clip behind the blocking of the offensive line. The unit also only allowed one sack of Miller against a Michigan State team that has a tremendous defensive front. The play of the veterans and the first year starters all jelled together and this may have been one of the best group efforts in recent memory.
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9.		Jack Mewhort Junior - OT 6-6, 310 lbs.	The Ohio State front is going to need to continue doing this if this is going to be a special year (even without a bowl game). Nebraska can generate a major pass rush and if this whole unit is still getting praised after the Cornhusker game, it will be a tremendous accomplishment to string two games together against quality opponents.
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10.		John Simon Senior - DE 6-2, 263 lbs.	Simon continues to slide down the list which leads a lot of people to wonder just how healthy he has been and how much of a focal point other teams have made him. Right now we tend to think he might be still a little banged up and just not able to perform at the high level that we are used to seeing him at.
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11.		Nathan Williams Senior - DE 6-3, 249 lbs.	Williams recorded one of Ohio State's two sacks and has started to turn the corner in being able to string more than a flash here-and-there on the defense. He still has a little ways to go to become an every play kind of player but with that being said he has performed very well for someone who missed all of 2011.
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Receiving Votes: Carlos Hyde, Jordan Hall, Christian Bryant, Etienne Sabino, Travis Howard, Jake Stoneburner, Zach Boren, Rod Smith, Garrett Goebel, Corey Linsley, Marcus Hall, Kenny Guiton Dropped Out: Christian Bryant, Corey Linsley, Jordan Hall

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