EAST LANSING, Mich. — In a sloppy matchup between two top-25 teams, Ohio State punter Drue Chrisman stole the show, helping the Buckeyes pin Michigan State inside the 5-yard line five times in the second half of a 26-6 victory Saturday.
His performance ultimately earned him a postgame interview on television, an interview coach Urban Meyer jokingly said he wasn’t aware of.
“I wouldn’t have let him [get interviewed] had I known that was happen,” Meyer said with a smile.
Chrisman’s performance got off to a rocky start in the first quarter. He shanked a 4-yard punt that could’ve set the tone for the game and the rest of his time on the field, but he redeemed himself with punts to the 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 6-yard line.
Meyer once again joked he thought about benching the punter, but that there wasn’t anyone else to replace him.
“I think I didn’t realize how strong the wind was [on the shanked punt],” Chrisman said. “[It] pushed it out of my hand right off the drop, came off the side of the foot about 10 rows deep into the bleachers.
“After you have a punt like that … I don’t know where it ranks in Ohio State’s worst punts in history, but it’s definitely my worst punt. I was just like, ‘Man, I just gotta ball out after this one.'”
He did that and more, helping Ohio State win the field position game by pinning Michigan State deep in its own territory. On one occasion, with Michigan State inside its own 2-yard line, the Spartans intentionally snapped the ball out of bounds on fourth down, taking a safety, to try to flip the field back in their favor.
When asked after the game about being interviewed on television and being brought in for the postgame news conference, Chrisman had fun with his first time answering questions.
“This is the first time being on TV after the game, and I didn’t even know this [press] room existed, so we’ll see how it goes,” Chrisman said. “I’ve seen guys [get interviewed on TV] after the game, but never a punter. I’ve seen the kicker a couple times, hit a couple clutch field goals, but did not know it was possible to be a punter.”