COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Craig Krenzel showed no ill effects of a concussion.
Krenzel threw three touchdowns as sixth-ranked Ohio State defeated No. 15 Michigan State, 33-23, to move into a first-place tie atop the Big Ten Conference standings.
Last week, Krenzel suffered a mild concussion in the second quarter at Penn State and watched backup Scott McMullen lead the Buckeyes to a 21-20 victory. But Krenzel got the start this week and was an efficient 12-of-23 for 213 yards with one interception.
Mike Nugent kicked four field goals and Lydell Ross had 24 carries for 125 yards for the Buckeyes (9-1, 5-1), who were beginning a difficult three-week stretch in which they also host Purdue and visit Michigan, both of whom also are 5-1 in the Big Ten. Ross has surpassed 100 yards in each of the last three games.
"This time of year in the Big Ten, wins are a tough thing to come by," Krenzel said. "I'm just happy we walked away from this game with a win against a great team, and we've got two more with two great football teams coming up."
Ohio State took the lead for good at 10-7 on a 17-yard pass from Krenzel to tight end Ben Hartsock 4:07 into the second quarter. The drive began after safety Tyler Everett intercepted an errant pass by Jeff Smoker deep in Buckeye territory and ran it back 66 yards to the Michigan State 27.
"That's huge," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "Turnovers are the key to everything. ... They had a little rhythm and a little momentum, and on that particular play, I think we began putting a lot more pressure on them, and a lot of people were a part of that turnover."
Krenzel added a 37-yard TD pass to Santonio Holmes 4 1/2 minutes later before opening up a 24-10 advantage with his third touchdown, a two-yard toss to backup tight end Ryan Hamby 3:18 into the second half.
DeAndra Cobb returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown but Michigan State got no closer as Nugent booted a 24-yard field goal five minutes later and added kicks of 42 and 18 yards in the fourth quarter.
Cobb has returned a school-record three kicks for touchdowns this season.
The Buckeyes, who have the nation's top rushing defense, limited the Spartans (7-3, 4-2) to five yards on the ground while they ran for 182.
"We knew coming into the game we had to get after Smoker and we knew they were going to try to establish the line," Buckeyes defensive end Will Smith said. "Anytime we can make a team one-dimensional throwing the ball, it's in favor of the defense."
"We got beat by a real good team today," said Spartans coach John L. Smith, whose team has lost consecutive contests after winning five in a row. "They're big and physical. They're not the defending national champions for nothing."
Smoker set career highs in attempts (55) and completions (35) while passing for 351 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Smoker's 19-yard pass to Aaron Alexander pulled Michigan State within 33-23 with 3:21 remaining, but he threw behind the wide-open Ziehl Kavanaght on a two-point conversion attempt and the Buckeyes recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Michigan State committed 12 penalties for 89 yards while Ohio State had just two for 14 yards.
"We made a lot of mistakes out there today," Smith said. "We had a lot of penalties, and you can't afford those against a good team like that."
"That was something we talked about last week, that we have to get better at eliminating some of our penalties without eliminating the aggressive play style that we want to have," Tressel said. "The good thing was, we didn't have any of those."
Spartans left tackle Stefon Wheeler suffered a neck injury in a pileup with five minutes left in the third quarter. He was immobilized on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.
"Stefon had a CAT scan and it was negative," Spartans team doctor Randy Pearson said. "He has no broken bones in his neck and the sensation has returned to his arms. He is in stable condition and he will remain at OSU Hospital overnight for precautionary reasons."
"He said he got hit on the top of the head, that's all I know," Smith said. "Anytime you see a player (lying on the field) that still it is very scary, but by the time he left the field I saw him move his feet and I felt a lot better."
