Ohio State's Drue Chrisman Punted His Heart Out
By Kyle Koster
The cold and windy conditions in East Lansing made for a throwback Big Ten game between Ohio State and Michigan State. Punting, which is often overlooked, became more important as the two teams locked up for a field position battle. So when the Buckeyes’ Drue Chrisman shanked his first attempt of the day for a total of four yards, no one could have expected him to put on a booting display for the ages. But he did, and emerged as OSU’s MVP in a 26-6 win to keep playoff dreams alive.
Crisman knocked six — SIX — punts inside the Spartans’ 6-yard line. One at the one, two, three, five, and six. Two of those led directly to nine points as Michigan State opted to take an intentional safety and fumbled the ball in the end zone resulting in an Ohio State touchdown.
It’s tough imagine having a bigger impact on the game.
All told. Chrisman punted nine times for 340 yards and allowed zero return yards. Spellbinding punting, the purest form of high art.